Making Sense of Organizational Change: Voices of Older Volunteers

Abstract

The role of voluntary and community sector organizations in the delivery of public services is increasing and these changes bring new responsibilities and benefits to organizations that have the capacity to participate. There are concerns within the sector about the implications for citizenship and participation. The sector is highly dependent on volunteers yet little is known about how organizational change in response to new relationships with the statutory sector impact upon the commitment and well-being of people who volunteer. This paper addresses that gap in knowledge for older volunteers. Drawing upon collaborative research with a voluntary organization in the north of England, the authors explore the meanings and aspirations of volunteering for older people, and explain how and why changes associated with closer engagement with public service delivery and less grant dependency can be disempowering for them.Résumé Le rôle des organisations dans le secteur du bénévolat et de la communauté pour l'offre de services publics grandit et ces changements apportent de nouvelles responsabilités et de nouveaux avantages aux organisations qui peuvent y participer. Il ressort des inquiétudes dans ce secteur quant aux implications citoyennes et à la participation. Ce dernier est largement dépendant des bénévoles. Pourtant, peu de choses sont connues sur la manière dont le changement organisationnel, suite aux nouvelles relations avec le secteur règlementaire, influence l'engagement et le bien-être des personnes bénévoles. Cet article traite de ce manque de connaissances pour les M. Lie (personnes âgées bénévoles. Grâce à une recherche en collaboration avec une organisation bénévole du Nord de l'Angleterre, les auteurs explorent les sens et les aspirations du bénévolat pour les personnes âgées, et ils expliquent comment et pourquoi les changements combinés à un engagement plus étroit avec une offre de services publics et une moindre dépendance vis-à-vis des subventions peuvent être désemparant pour eux.Zusammenfassung Die Rolle von Dritte-Sektor-Organisationen in der Lieferung von öffentlichen Dienstleistungen wächst und diese Veränderungen bringen neue Verantwortlichkeiten und Vorteile für Organisationen, die die Kapazität haben, sich zu beteiligen. Innerhalb des Sektors gibt es Bedenken über die Konsequenzen für die Bürger und deren Teilnahme. Der Sektor beruht sehr auf ehrenamtlichen Helfern, jedoch ist wenig darüber bekannt, wie organisatorische Veränderung als Ergebnis von neuen Beziehungen mit dem staatlichen Sektor das Engagement und das Wohlergehen der Leute, die voluntieren, beeinflussen. Dieser Artikel befasst sich mit dieser Wissenslücke bezogen auf ältere ehrenamtliche Helfer. Die Autoren, die sich auf eine Recherche, die zusammen mit einer gemeinnützigen Organisation im Norden Englands durchgeführt wurde, stützen, untersuchen die Bedeutung von und die Aspirationen für ehrenamtliche Arbeit unter älteren Personen, und erklären, wie und warum Veränderungen verbunden mit engerer Bindung an die Lieferung von öffe...

Volunteering in a Hybrid Institutional and Organizational Environment: An Emerging Research Agenda

“…As a result, the organizational transformation reduced volunteers' commitment, and in particular alienated the long-term volunteers who continued to adhere to the original goals and principles of the underground program. Also Lie and Baines (2007) and Warburton and McDonald (2009) found disempowering effects on the long-term, and usually older volunteers that were engaged in the traditional setting. Volunteers reported to lose the spontaneity they used to enjoy and to feel stressed about having to pass tests and making mistakes (Lie and Baines 2007).…”

“…Also Lie and Baines (2007) and Warburton and McDonald (2009) found disempowering effects on the long-term, and usually older volunteers that were engaged in the traditional setting. Volunteers reported to lose the spontaneity they used to enjoy and to feel stressed about having to pass tests and making mistakes (Lie and Baines 2007). Warburton and McDonald (2009) found traditional volunteers to experience confusion and tensions being confronted with the managerial approach that was espoused by the central office and diffused through the local branches and new service areas.…”

“…Several studies examine the consequences for volunteering of an organizational transformation from a traditional grassroots association to a more professionalized organization (Kelley et al 2005;Lie and Baines 2007;Warburton and McDonald 2009). This organizational change is mainly caused by a changing policy environment, involving increased public funding, processes of marketization, the emergence of a more competitive environment, a new contract culture and new demands for professionalism.…”

Volunteering

“…However, little is understood so far about how changes in these regimes affect settings, practices, and experiences of present-day volunteers. Lie and Baines (2007) highlight the importance of understanding the impact of reforms in the voluntary sector on organizations and individuals who participate in them. The authors note that the role of the voluntary sector has been increasingly mainstreamed, particularly in English-speaking countries, "where governments aim to harness the energies of voluntary agencies and charitable bodies to supplement the state and the private sector" (Lie and Baines 2007, p. 227).…”

“…A second rationale behind the intensifying relationships between the statutory sector and the voluntary sector has to do with public policy geared toward promoting civic renewal and reinvigorating civic life (Lie and Baines 2007;Milligan and Fyfe 2005;Musick and Wilson 2008). Volunteering is increasingly seen as a means through which citizenship and civic responsibility can be resuscitated.…”