Volunteers and well-being: The leaders’ functions in voluntary organizations and the importance of volunteers´ well-being
Author
Jensen, Karolina Heidarsdottir
Term
10. term
Publication year
2008
Pages
68
Abstract
This thesis examines the relationship between leaders and volunteers in Danish voluntary organizations with direct client contact that provide counseling and assistance. The aim is to identify what leaders can do in relation to the volunteer workforce to enable optimal organizational functioning and to enhance volunteers' well-being. The study uses qualitative methods based on interviews with four participants: two consultants who advise leaders of voluntary organizations in Northern Denmark and two leaders of organizations that include both volunteers and paid staff. The theoretical framework combines organizational culture and socialization, Maslow's hierarchy of needs, coaching and organizational climate, and theories of volunteer motivation, which also informed the interview guides. Findings indicate that leadership functions are pivotal: recruiting the right volunteers, creating a supportive work environment, and ensuring acknowledgement and opportunities for influence. To strengthen well-being, leaders should employ both systematic and individually tailored initiatives and view volunteers as a diverse group of individuals. Without volunteers, a voluntary organization will ultimately lose its foundation. Based on these results, a process model is proposed built around motivation, acknowledgement, well-being, and the volunteer workforce, intended to inform leaders and stimulate debate about the importance of volunteers' well-being.
Dette projekt undersøger forholdet mellem ledere og frivillige i danske frivillige organisationer med klientkontakt, der yder rådgivning og hjælp. Formålet er at belyse, hvad ledere kan gøre i relation til den frivillige arbejdsstyrke for at få organisationen til at fungere optimalt og for at øge de frivilliges trivsel. Studiet bygger på kvalitative metoder med fire interviewpersoner: to konsulenter for ledere af frivillige organisationer i Nordjylland og to ledere af organisationer med både frivillige og ansatte. Den teoretiske ramme kombinerer organisationskultur og socialiseringsprocesser, Maslows behovshierarki, coaching og organisationsklima samt teorier om frivillig motivation, som også dannede grundlag for interviewguides. Resultaterne peger på, at lederens funktioner er centrale: at rekruttere de rette frivillige, skabe et godt arbejdsmiljø, sikre anerkendelse og mulighed for indflydelse. For at styrke trivsel bør ledere anvende både systematiske og individuelt tilpassede tiltag og betragte frivillige som en mangfoldig gruppe af individer. Uden frivillige vil organisationen på sigt miste sit grundlag som frivillig organisation. På baggrund af resultaterne præsenteres en procesmodel med nøgleordene motivation, anerkendelse, trivsel og frivillig arbejdskraft, som kan inspirere ledere og bidrage til debat om betydningen af de frivilliges trivsel.
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