Staff connectedness in hub-and-spoke community service organisations working across geographically dispersed regional, rural and remote settings

Abstract

Abstract Over the last few decades in Australia, as part of a larger economic reform agenda, state and federal governments have increasingly outsourced social services to non-government community service organisations. The community service sector has consequently grown significantly with individual organisations increasing staff and volunteer numbers to manage demand. This article reports on a mixed method study that explored staff communication and connectedness in two nonprofit rural community service organisations that manage their operations across vast geographical distances. Study findings suggest four main types of connectedness that can be enhanced to increase staff connectedness, top-down connectedness, team connectedness, cross-organisational connectedness and cultural connectedness. The study found that country organisations where geographical contexts require management across long distances need to create a more networked, values-explicit organisational architecture that encourages the development of staff connections between programs and levels.