The Impact of Lower Level Management on Volunteers’ Workplace Outcomes in South African Non-profit Organisations: The Mediating Role of Supportive Supervisor Communication

Abstract

This study examined the influence of leader–member exchange on volunteers’ job satisfaction and intention to stay, using supportive supervisor communication as a mediator. A regression analysis undertaken showed that the independent variable (leader–member exchange) had a direct and significant impact on the dependent variables (volunteers’ job satisfaction and intention to stay) in community-based organisations in Eastern Cape, South Africa. Further analysis showed that supportive supervisor communication partially mediated the influence of leader–member exchange on job satisfaction and intention to stay in the community-based organisations examined. These findings confirm previous findings about the impact of workplace relationships on volunteers’ attitudes and behaviours, especially as they relate to the influence of supportive supervisor communication on the relationship between leader–member exchange and the identified workplace outcomes in this study. Implications of the findings for the management of volunteers in community-based organisations are discussed.