Abstract
The reliability of volunteers is a major concern for many nonprofit organizations. To address this problem in more detail, we develop a theoretical model of volunteer reliability based on psychological contract theory. By taking this perspective as a starting point, we explore how individual volunteer characteristics, organizational factors, and sociological developments shape the exchange of inducements and contributions between volunteers and nonprofit organizations. We discuss how these factors can create tensions in the psychological contract and determine the extent to which volunteers behave reliably. As such, we develop a theoretical framework for addressing the reliability problem in volunteer management.
Résumé
La fiabilité des bénévoles est une des premières préoccupations de plusieurs organismes sans but lucratif. Pour traiter de ce problème plus en détail, nous créons un modèle théorique de fiabilité basé sur la théorie du contrat psychologique. En adoptant initialement ce point de vue, nous explorons la façon dont les caractéristiques individuelles des bénévoles, des facteurs organisationnels et les développements sociologiques influencent l’échange d’incitations et de contributions entre les bénévoles et les organismes sans but lucratif. Nous discutons de la façon dont ces facteurs peuvent créer des tensions dans le cadre du contrat psychologique et déterminons dans quelle mesure les bénévoles font preuve de fiabilité. Nous créons ainsi un cadre théorique permettant de traiter du problème de fiabilité dans le contexte de la gestion des bénévoles.
Zusammenfassung
Die Zuverlässigkeit ehrenamtlicher Mitarbeiter ist für viele gemeinnützige Organisationen ein wichtiges Thema. Um ausführlicher auf dieses Problem einzugehen, entwickeln wir ein theoretisches Modell zur Zuverlässigkeit von Ehrenamtlichen beruhend auf der psychologischen Vertragstheorie. Ausgehend von dieser Perspektive untersuchen wir, wie individuelle Eigenschaften der Ehrenamtlichen, organisatorische Faktoren und soziologische Entwicklungen den Austausch von Anreizen und Beiträgen zwischen den Ehrenamtlichen und den gemeinnützigen Organisationen beeinflussen. Wir diskutieren, wie diese Faktoren zu Spannungen im psychologischen Vertrag führen können und ermitteln den Grad der Zuverlässigkeit der Ehrenamtlichen. Dazu entwickeln wir ein theoretisches Rahmenwerk, das das Problem der Zuverlässigkeit im Management der ehrenamtlichen Mitarbeiter angeht.
Resumen
La fiabilidad de los voluntarios es una preocupación de importancia para muchas organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro. Para abordar este problema con más detalle, desarrollamos un modelo teórico de fiabilidad de los voluntarios basado en la teoría del contrato psicológico. Al tomar esta perspectiva como punto de partida, exploramos cómo las características individuales del voluntario, los factores organizativos, y los desarrollos sociológicos dan forma al intercambio de incentivos y contribuciones entre voluntarios y organizaciones sin ánimo de lucro. Tratamos cómo estos factores pueden crear tensiones en el contrato psicológico y determinar la medida en que los voluntarios se comportan de manera fiable. Como resultado, desarrollamos un marco teórico para abordar el problema de la fiabilidad en la gestión de voluntarios.
Chinese
志愿者的可靠性是许多非盈利组织的主要关注。为更加详细地解决这一问题,我们基于心理契约理论开发了志愿者可靠性理论模型。通过将本观点作为起点,我们检查了单个志愿者特点、组织因素和社会发展如何塑造志愿者和非盈利组织之间的诱因和贡献。我们讨论了这些因素如何导致心理契约的压力,同时确定了志愿者可靠行为的范围。为此,我们开发了理论框架来解决志愿者管理的可靠性问题。
Arabic
صلابة المتطوعين هي مصدر قلق كبير لكثير من المنظمات الغير ربحية. للحديث عن هذه المشكلة بمزيد من التفاصيل، نحن نضع نموذج نظري لصلابة المتطوعين على أساس نظرية العقد النفسي. من خلال أخذ هذا المنظور كنقطة إنطلاق، نستكشف كيف أن الخصائص الفردية للمتطوعين، العوامل التنظيمية، التطورات الإجتماعية تشكل تبادل الحوافز والمساهمات بين المتطوعين والمنظمات الغير ربحية. نناقش كيف يمكن لهذه العوامل أن تخلق التوترات في العقد النفسي وتحديد إلى أي مدى يتصرف المتطوعين بثقة. على هذا النحو، نضع إطار نظري للحديث عن مشكلة الجدارة في الثقة في إدارة المتطوعين.
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Acknowledgements
An earlier version of this paper was presented at the 10th Workshop on the Challenges of Managing the Third Sector, European Institute for Advanced Studies in Management (EIASM), Edinburgh, United Kingdom, June 11–12, 2015. We would like to thank the participants for their helpful comments.
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Vantilborgh, T., Van Puyvelde, S. Volunteer Reliability in Nonprofit Organizations: A Theoretical Model. Voluntas 29, 29–42 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-017-9909-2
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-017-9909-2