Negotiating Interactions in State–Voluntary Sector Relationships: Competitive and Collaborative Agency in an Experiential Workshop

Abstract

This article examines an experiential student workshop focused on state-voluntary sector relationships in the UK, which formed part of a postgraduate voluntary sector studies programme. The different group behaviours observed were instructive in illustrating how students, all working in third sector or related public agencies, perceive and have assimilated demands and practices of the external environment. These insights also highlight the value of experiential learning in higher education both for student reflection and research. The article adopts an interdisciplinary approach to examine some consequences of ideologies and behaviours associated with managerial culture permeating actions in this interactive setting. It combines critical discussion of non-profit organizations with group relations and learning theories, offering a different perspective through which to explore patterns embedded in inter-agency relationships. Consideration of ways that these patterns might be changed to improve the service environment in the voluntary sector has wider implications for research in this field.Résumé Le présent document étudie un atelier pratique d'étudiants, ayant pour thème les relations entre É tat et secteur associatif au Royaume-Uni, et qui a fait partie d'un programme d'études de troisième cycle sur le secteur associatif. L'observation des comportements des différents groupes a été riche en enseignements, en mettant en évidence comment les étudiants, qui travaillaient tous dans le troisième secteur ou en relation avec les organismes publics, percevaient et avaient intégré les demandes et les politiques de l'environnement extérieur. Ces informations soulignent, en outre, les avantages de l'apprentissage par l'expérience dans l'enseignement supérieur, à la fois pour la réflexion des étudiants et la recherche. Ce document adopte une approche interdisciplinaire afin de présenter les conséquences des idéologies et des comportement associés à la culture managériale qui imprègne les actions dans ce contexte interactif. Il associe un examen critique des organisations sans but lucratif aux théories des relations de groupe et d'apprentissage, présentant ainsi une perspective différente permettant d'étudier les caractéristiques ancrées dans les relations entre les agences. L'étude portant sur les façons de changer ces caractéristiques dans le but d'améliorer l'environnement de services dans le secteur associatif a des répercussions plus larges pour la recherche dans ce domaine.Zusammenfassung Dieser Beitrag untersucht einen empirischen Studentenworkshop, der sich auf die Beziehung zwischen dem Staat und dem gemeinnützigen Sektor in Großbritannien konzentrierte und Teil eines weiterführenden Studienprogramms des Fachbereichs gemeinnütziger Sektor war. Das zu beobachtende unterschiedliche Gruppenverhalten gibt Aufschluss darüber, wie Studenten, die alle im dritten Sektor oder in damit verbundenen öffentlichen Einrichtungen tätig sind, Forderungen und Praktiken des externen Umfelds wahrnehmen und in sich aufnehmen. Diese Erke...

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