Volunteer Leadership Research Articles

Hvordan lede frivillige i kirken?

Leading Volunteers in Congregations: A Value Based and Practice Oriented Model The Church of Norway was until 2012 a state church, and is now more clearly based in the third sector and strengthened as a voluntary organization. Several reforms in the church have only indirectly addressed the place of volunteers and voluntary work. This article presents a theoretical model for leadership of volunteers in congregations. The model integrates two distinct traditions within management theory, namely managerial work studies exemplified by Mintzberg’s (2009) empirically based and practice oriented research, and institutional leadership (Selznick 1957) emphasizing the key role of values and identity. This combination gives room both to general management and a more specific type of leadership in church, according to the distinguishing features of a religious organization. The author discusses how leaders in their practice should combine four dimensions, i.e. values and identity, administration, leading and doing. He then points at three challenges in leading volunteers in a church context: Mapping motivation and the differing needs for flexibility among the volunteers, balancing organizing and structures with motivational leadership, and lastly developing a strategy for systematic voluntary work in the congregation. In the context of the Church of Norway, this calls for an emphasis on the role of the employees as leaders of volunteers.

Volunteer Leadership Directory

Volunteer Leadership Directory

Curricular Integration and Measurement of Cultural Competency Development in a Group of Physical Therapy Students

Abstract
 
 Introduction and Background
 
 The link between cultural competence and effective physical therapy encounters is established. Physical therapist educational programs face the challenge of fostering the cultural competence of students in effective and meaningful ways within the curriculum. They also face the challenge of measuring the development of cultural competency to establish efficacy in the curriculum. One program measured the development of cultural competency in its students using the Inventory for Assessing the Process of Cultural Competence Among Healthcare Professionals-Student Version (IAPCC-SV) before and after the program’s various educational opportunities immersed throughout the curriculum that could serve to increase cultural competency. In the three-year curriculum, the students participated in both mandatory and voluntary experiential learning opportunities. Required didactic presentations and activities were integrated throughout the curriculum and designed to enhance cultural competency. Voluntary experiences included providing service and/or leadership to a student-run pro bono clinic. The program was interested in whether cultural competency increased after these experiences and whether leadership opportunities or additional hours of voluntary service beyond the class median caused increases that exceeded the minimal detectable change (MDC) reported in the literature.
 
 Methods 
 
 All students completed the IAPCC-SV at the beginning of their Doctor of Physical Therapy education and again at the end of their final year of didactic curriculum. 
 
 Results
 
 For the class of 2011, a Wilcoxon signed ranks test noted a significant increase in IAPCC-SV scores from pre-test (56.51 +/- 4.82) to post-test (64.16 +/- 6.19) in the Class of 2011, p  .001. For the class of 2012, a Wilcoxon signed ranks test noted a significant increase in IAPCC-SV scores from pre-test (58.87 +/- 5.67) to post-test (64.13 +/- 5.47) in the Class of 2012, p  .001. Sixteen students from the class of 2011 and 13 from the class of 2012 exceeded the 8.57-point MDC of the IAPCC-SV. 
 
 Discussion and Conclusion 
 
 Exposure to a variety of cross-cultural encounters throughout a physical therapy curriculum significantly increases self-rating of cultural competency in these graduate students. Students who take advantage of volunteer leadership roles in extensive cross-cultural encounters may be more likely to achieve an increase that exceeds the MDC on the IAPCC-SV. These results are particularly interesting given that the students themselves were ethnically homogeneous and did not experience cultural diversity within the constituents that made up their class or faculty.

An analysis of leadership characteristics of search and rescue volunteers

The main purpose of this study was to analyze the leadership behaviors of volunteer leaders in search and rescue field. 118 volunteer leaders attended this study on a volunteer basis. Data were collected through the use of the Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire, which was developed by Bass & Avolio (1985) and adapted into Turkish by Demir & Okan. 20 items were used to measure transformational leadership while 16 of them were applied for transactional leadership. One Way Anova and T-test statistics were used in order to evaluate the data. Consequently, it was observed that intellectual motivation and individualized consideration of the participants change according to educational variables. Management-by-exception in its passive form indicated a remarkable difference in terms of gender. It is also found that leaders are expected to motivate the members mentally in order to increase the level of motivation. High level of the individual knowledge of a leader is pointed out as an important issue by the participants. Although there is an autocratic structure in search and rescue, a good leader-member relationship is thought to provide certain advantages. Accordingly, the leader who could promote trust among the members of the team is perceived as a sophisticated leader.

Med Wise: A theory-based program to improve older adults' communication with pharmacists about their medicines.

The health and economic toll of medication errors by older adults is well documented. Poor communication and medication coordination problems increase the likelihood of adverse drug events (ADEs). Older adults have difficulty communicating with health care professionals, including pharmacists. As such, the theory-based Med Wise program was designed. Building on the Self-efficacy Framework and the Chronic Care Model, this program was tested with community-dwelling older adults. This study and its resultant paper: (1) describe the theory-based design of the Med Wise program; (2) describe the collaboration of multiple community partners to develop a sustainable model for implementing Med Wise; and (3) present findings from the Med Wise course evaluation. Med Wise was designed to be a sustainable, skill-based educational and behavior change program consisting of two, 2-h interactive classes to enhance participants' medication communication skills and self-efficacy. To explore the potential to disseminate Med Wise throughout the state, a partnership was formed between the pharmacy team and the statewide Aging & Disability Resource Centers (ADRCs), as well as the Community-Academic Aging Research Network (CAARN). Over 30 lay volunteer leaders in 8 Wisconsin (U.S. State) counties were trained, and they delivered Med Wise through ADRC community centers. The CAARN staff evaluated the fidelity of the course delivery by leaders. To evaluate Med Wise, a quasi-experimental design using pre/post surveys assessed knowledge, worry and self-efficacy. A telephone follow-up three months later assessed self-efficacy and translation of medication management skills and behaviors. Med Wise programs were presented to 198 community-dwelling older adults while maintaining program fidelity. This evaluation found significant increases in older adults' knowledge about pharmacists' roles and responsibilities, likelihood of talking with a pharmacist about medication concerns, and self-efficacy for communicating with pharmacists. At the 3 month follow-up, participants reported increased interactions with pharmacists, with 29.2% of participants reported seeking medication reviews and 28.5% medication schedule reviews. The two-class Med Wise program showed sustained impact at 3 months on key outcomes. Further, the community partners successfully implemented the program with fidelity across 8 counties suggesting its ability to be disseminated and sustained. Future directions include expanding the program to examine wider adoption, and measuring program impact on regimen safety and health outcomes linked to increases in patient engagement.

Who Heads Up a Top Committee Matters

The Major Gifts ReportVolume 17, Issue 10 p. 7-7 Volunteer Leadership Who Heads Up a Top Committee Matters First published: 09 September 2015 https://doi.org/10.1002/mgr.30243Read the full textAboutPDF ToolsRequest permissionExport citationAdd to favoritesTrack citation ShareShare Give accessShare full text accessShare full-text accessPlease review our Terms and Conditions of Use and check box below to share full-text version of article.I have read and accept the Wiley Online Library Terms and Conditions of UseShareable LinkUse the link below to share a full-text version of this article with your friends and colleagues. Learn more.Copy URL Share a linkShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditWechat No abstract is available for this article. Volume17, Issue10October 2015Pages 7-7 RelatedInformation

An investigation into the leadership practices of volunteer leaders

Purpose – While numerous studies of leadership have been conducted in the corporate and public sectors, there are lots of people leading in civic, social, and community service organizations and little is known about either how they lead or how their leadership practices are similar to or different from those leading in other sectors. The purpose of this paper is to fill that gap by examining leadership practices unique to leadership that occurs within organizations where both leaders and followers are volunteers. Design/methodology/approach – The sample involved surveying over 60 percent of the volunteer (n=569) leaders across a national youth sports organization based in the USA. Findings – Volunteer leaders engaged more frequently in leadership behaviors than did paid leaders. Some differences in leadership behaviors were found on the basis of respondent gender, age, educational level, and employment status. Leadership behaviors were systematically related to quality of respondents’ volunteer leadership experience. While objective measures of organizational effectiveness were unrelated to the leadership behaviors of the voluntary leaders, subjective assessments did impact how leaders behaved. Research limitations/implications – The research relied upon the self-reported leadership behaviors of respondents, and the organization’s measure of effectiveness was unrelated to respondent leadership behaviors. Future studies would benefit from leadership assessments provided by observers and constituents, samples involving different kinds of volunteer organizations (both settings and services) and more complex and nuanced empirical relationships. Practical implications – It is problematic that a volunteer organization cannot clearly define what it means to be an effective leader. Knowing the direct relationship between leadership behaviors and how favorably people feel about their voluntary leadership experience implies making certain that volunteer leaders actually have the opportunity to lead. Social implications – Because so many people volunteer and voluntary (and not-for-profit) organizations are vital to economic well-being it is important to know more about what effective leadership looks like within this domain. Originality/value – Few studies of volunteer leaders have been done, and none in this particular type of youth sports organization. Extends an understanding of leadership and what people do when they are leading others, especially in terms of settings involving volunteer participants rather than paid participants.

Volunteer Leadership Directory

Volunteer Leadership Directory

A new model of volunteer leadership: lessons from a local festival

This article delivers insights into the leadership of volunteers using a local music festival as a case study. Leadership traits and styles have been discussed in the literature in relation to festivals and events, with authors particularly highlighting servant leadership and transformational leadership styles within this context. The traits of the heroic leader and the entrepreneurial leader, as well as the transactional leadership style and the creativity broker, also discovered within the events literature, are also used here to guide the analysis of the data. Semi-structured interviews with the festival director and festival volunteers were conducted and analysed. An overview of the data is reported under four clusters of leadership characteristics: inspiring, sharing, caring and delivering. The findings are then matched against the various leadership theories and a new volunteer leadership model, termed ‘layered leadership’, is developed.

The perceived impact of sexual orientation on the ability of queer leaders to relate to followers

As the body of research around diversity and leadership in the workforce continues to grow and develop, so does research around the queer experience in the workforce. Thus far, a great deal of research on the queer experience focuses on the costs and benefits of disclosure in the workplace. However, little work explores the intersection of leadership and sexual orientation. The aim of this qualitative paper is to focus on the specific work and/or volunteer leadership experiences of queer leaders within the context of their organizations. In particular, we focus on how queer leaders perceive the impact of their sexual orientation on their ability to relate to followers. Among the identified themes, issues of disclosure, advocacy, and temporal placement were the most consistent areas perceived to be impacted by sexual orientation. The implications and limitations of this study for future research are discussed.

Self-Percieved Traits of Servant Leadership in AmeriCorps Volunteers: A Mixed-Method Concurrent Explanatory Study

<p>Although the tenets of modern servant leadership originated by Greenleaf (1970) have long been applied to service enterprise, no known research has applied the principles to the self-perception of AmeriCorps volunteers who commit to one year of service. The purpose of this mixed-method study was to determine whether volunteers who commit to one year of national service identify with characteristics and behaviors of modern servant leadership in order to operationalize the volunteer leadership experience for both the volunteer and the sponsoring agency, and to provide volunteers with personal awareness of their experiences. The quantitative portion of the study employed the results of 51 self/leader reports of Barbuto and Wheeler’s (2006) Servant Leadership Questionnaire (SLQ) to discover that some significance existed between their original study and this study. The qualitative portion involved gathering information from 10 semi-structured, individual interviews. Analysis revealed two major themes: personal awareness responses and direct action responses. These themes supported favorable responses to the research questions. Empirical and narrative responses allow directors and leaders of AmeriCorps and long-term service programs to consider alternatives by which to discern incoming applications, reinforce candidate self-awareness, and provide a foundation for future research.</p>

Volunteer Leadership Directory

Volunteer Leadership Directory

A Year After It Started: The Benefits of the Iraqi 4-H Program – A View from the Youth, Parents, and Volunteer Leaders of the Dar Al Salaam 4-H Club

A Year After It Started: The Benefits of the Iraqi 4-H Program – A View from the Youth, Parents, and Volunteer Leaders of the Dar Al Salaam 4-H Club

Volunteer Leadership Directory

Volunteer Leadership Directory

Savanorystės žmogiškųjų išteklių valdymas: nevyriausybinių organizacijų Lietuvoje patirtis

The article analyses volunteer human resources management in non-governmental organizations, i.e., interdisciplinary, covering a wide range of empirical research area. It contains research methodology and results of the study, which includes such activities as volunteers accounting and planning, recruitment, selection, adaptation and training, evaluation, motivation and leadership of volunteers. In Lithuania this phenomenon has been little studied from the managerial aspect, thus such analysis is timely and relevant both from scientific and practical point of view.

The American Association for Thoracic Surgery Volunteer Leadership and Senior Staff Disclosure Statement

The American Association for Thoracic Surgery Volunteer Leadership and Senior Staff Disclosure Statement

Volunteer Leadership Directory

Volunteer Leadership Directory

Leadership networks in Catholic parishes: Implications for implementation research in health

Through two case studies of Catholic parishes in Massachusetts, this study explores the implications of leader-centered versus distributed leadership in Catholic parishes for the implementation of evidence-based health interventions. The two parishes involved in the study differ from each other in several ways. In the first, parishioners are less engaged in leadership activities at the decision-making level in the parish. A small group of lay volunteers work with the parish priest and other ordained leaders on parish activities. In the second parish, a large and active lay volunteer leadership have forged an organizational structure that allows more independence from the pastor's direct oversight. In this parish, lay volunteer leaders are the prime drivers of organizational programs and events. In 2012–2013, three types of networks were assessed at each parish: discussion, collaboration, and outside-of-parish ties. The contrasts between each parish include differences in density of collaboration, in frequency of discussion, and network centrality of the respective parish priests. We further identified key actors in the network structures at each parish. We discuss the implications of these findings for understanding organizational capacity in the context of health program implementation.

An evolutionary model explaining the Neolithic transition from egalitarianism to leadership and despotism.

The Neolithic was marked by a transition from small and relatively egalitarian groups to much larger groups with increased stratification. But, the dynamics of this remain poorly understood. It is hard to see how despotism can arise without coercion, yet coercion could not easily have occurred in an egalitarian setting. Using a quantitative model of evolution in a patch-structured population, we demonstrate that the interaction between demographic and ecological factors can overcome this conundrum. We model the coevolution of individual preferences for hierarchy alongside the degree of despotism of leaders, and the dispersal preferences of followers. We show that voluntary leadership without coercion can evolve in small groups, when leaders help to solve coordination problems related to resource production. An example is coordinating construction of an irrigation system. Our model predicts that the transition to larger despotic groups will then occur when: (i) surplus resources lead to demographic expansion of groups, removing the viability of an acephalous niche in the same area and so locking individuals into hierarchy; (ii) high dispersal costs limit followers' ability to escape a despot. Empirical evidence suggests that these conditions were probably met, for the first time, during the subsistence intensification of the Neolithic.

How the Scholars Strategy Network Helps Academics Gain Public Influence

Many American professors are looking for innovative ways to engage policymakers and fellow citizens—and the boldest new endeavor is the fast-growing Scholars Strategy Network. Since 2011, “SSN” (as it is called) has enrolled more than 470 scholars from many disciplines working at over 140 colleges and universities. Many members participate in issue-oriented groups to address major national challenges—ranging from voting rights and the effects of mass incarceration, to health reform implementation, and to women’s roles in politics and government. SSN also supports nineteen regional chapters operating autonomously in states and metropolitan areas from Maine to Hawaii and Minnesota to Texas. Each member presents research findings in vividly written two-page briefs. In turn, SSN staffers and volunteer leaders link members and their research to journalists and bloggers, to policymakers and their staffs, and to citizens associations and advocacy groups concerned with public issues. The Network as a whole is not aligned with any ideology, political party, or candidate. Members espouse varied views and make individual choices about civic engagement, yet they share a belief that scholars should reach beyond the ivory tower and draw from academic research to improve public policy and enhance democracy.