Good practice?

Der vorliegende Text ist ein arbeitspsychologischer Forschungsbeitrag zum International Year of Volunteering. Durchgeführt wurde eine qualitative Organisationsanalyse bzw. -beschreibung. Dabei handelte es sich um Organisationen, die aufgrund von Eigeninitiative gemeinwohlorientierte Aufgaben übernommen und freiwillige Mitarbeiterinnen und Mitarbeiter einbezogen haben. Die Ergebnisse zeigen deutlich, dass sich vier Beschreibungsdimensionen (sinnerzeugende ureigene Idee; Sensibilität gegenüber Zeitfragen; Sensibilität für innere soziale Prozesse; produktiver Umgang mit Hindernissen) herauskristallisieren lassen. Gelingt es den jeweiligen Organisationen, diese vier Beschreibungsdimen-sionen gut auf einander abzustimmen und eine Balance zwischen Beständigkeit (Vermittlung der ureigenen Idee) und Wandel über die Zeit hinweg (Austausch und Nähe zur Basis) herzustellen, dann kann von Good Practice gesprochen werden. Good Practice meint, dass es der Organisation bzw. Initiativen gelungen ist, Sinnprägnanz herzustellen: Sinnprägnanz in einem Ausmaß, wie es marktorientierten Unternehmen nicht gelingt.This text is meant to be a work psychological contribution to the International Year of Volunteering. By applying a qualitative methodology an analysis of organizational processes has been realized and that has involved employees on a voluntary basis for realizing these tasks. The results clearly show that four descriptive dimensions may be sorted out: the elaborations of own ideas as a basis for sound sense making, a sensibility of issues concerning the actual societal discourse, a sensitivity of internal social processes and productive strategies in dealing with obstacles. If the organizations succeed in coordinating these four dimensions and in creating a balance between continuity (mediation of own ideas) and change in the course of time (in close contact and exchange with the organizational basis) one may speak of Good Practice. When speaking of Good Practice we refer to a balanced process between continuity and change wich allows bringing about concise sense making, a process that market oriented organizations have difficulties in dealing with

Organizational, Motivational, and Cultural Contexts of Volunteering

This open access book offers a comprehensive view of the phenomenon of volunteer work: it examines motivational factors and questions of corporate organization and the social environment. In particular, this is the first book to present volunteer work in detail as a psychosocial resource and a source of well-being that should not be overused or abused. The book is based on the authors' 15 years of research into volunteer work in Europe. It provides clear instructions on designing volunteer work tasks, and on where boundaries must be respected. The findings include insights into cultural and national differences, and offer practical advice on the organization of volunteer work. This book answers questions like: How do we understand voluntary work? How essential is it that this kind of work remains unpaid and carried out by so-called laypersons with special motives? And what follows from this for the interaction between voluntary work and professionalized, paid employment? The analysis draws on perspectives from wellbeing research, organizational and industrial studies, social work, and related social sciences

Organizational, Motivational, and Cultural Contexts of Volunteering

This open access book offers a comprehensive view of the phenomenon of volunteer work: it examines motivational factors and questions of corporate organization and the social environment. In particular, this is the first book to present volunteer work in detail as a psychosocial resource and a source of well-being that should not be overused or abused. The book is based on the authors' 15 years of research into volunteer work in Europe. It provides clear instructions on designing volunteer work tasks, and on where boundaries must be respected. The findings include insights into cultural and national differences, and offer practical advice on the organization of volunteer work. This book answers questions like: How do we understand voluntary work? How essential is it that this kind of work remains unpaid and carried out by so-called laypersons with special motives? And what follows from this for the interaction between voluntary work and professionalized, paid employment? The analysis draws on perspectives from wellbeing research, organizational and industrial studies, social work, and related social sciences

Führen und Geführt-werden: Leitung und frei-gemeinnützige Tätigkeit

Dieser Artikel zeigt, dass die Führung von Freiwilligen und Non-Profit-Organisationen ein dezentrales Konzept verfolgen sollte, mit einem Verständnis von Stewardship und geringer Kontrolle

Linking Autonomy-Supportive Leadership to Volunteer Satisfaction: A Self-Determination Theory Perspective

This study examines the development of volunteer satisfaction within the framework of self-determination theory (SDT). Therewith, autonomy-supportive leadership—as an influential part of the organizational context—is studied as an antecedent of volunteer satisfaction. The hypothesized model suggests that the link between autonomy-supportive leadership and volunteer satisfaction is serially mediated by general need satisfaction and autonomous motivation. Volunteers (N=113) working closely together with their supervisors completed a paper-based questionnaire. As predicted, both general need satisfaction and autonomous motivation serially mediated the link between autonomy-supportive leadership and volunteer satisfaction. The results indicate that autonomy-supportive leadership is an important factor of the organizational context, increasing both volunteers' autonomous motivation and satisfaction. Practical implications for volunteering organizations, as well as implications for further research, are discussed

How Dare to Demand This from Volunteers! The Impact of Illegitimate Tasks

The present study examined the effect of illegitimate tasks (Semmer et al. Appl Psychol Int Rev 59:70-96, 2010) within the volunteer context. A total of 191 Red Cross volunteers were surveyed to reveal the impact of unreasonable and unnecessary tasks on the volunteers' work engagement and intent to remain at the non-profit organization (NPO). To shed light on the process through which illegitimate tasks affect outcomes, the mediating role of self-determined motivation was explored. Furthermore, the volunteers' role orientation was assumed to moderate the relationship between illegitimate tasks and outcomes. The results showed that unreasonable tasks directly decreased the volunteers' intent to remain. Unnecessary tasks, in contrast, had a more subtle effect in that they reduced the self-determined motivation of volunteers. Also, evidence was found for the moderating influence of the volunteers' role orientation: Whereas unreasonable tasks were equally harmful for both groups, unnecessary tasks more strongly affected those volunteers who expressed more organizational ownership

Assessing hospitals' clinical risk management: Development of a monitoring instrument

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Clinical risk management (CRM) plays a crucial role in enabling hospitals to identify, contain, and manage risks related to patient safety. So far, no instruments are available to measure and monitor the level of implementation of CRM. Therefore, our objective was to develop an instrument for assessing CRM in hospitals.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>The instrument was developed based on a literature review, which identified key elements of CRM. These elements were then discussed with a panel of patient safety experts. A theoretical model was used to describe the level to which CRM elements have been implemented within the organization. Interviews with CRM practitioners and a pilot evaluation were conducted to revise the instrument. The first nationwide application of the instrument (138 participating Swiss hospitals) was complemented by in-depth interviews with 25 CRM practitioners in selected hospitals, for validation purposes.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The monitoring instrument consists of 28 main questions organized in three sections: 1) Implementation and organizational integration of CRM, 2) Strategic objectives and operational implementation of CRM at hospital level, and 3) Overview of CRM in different services. The instrument is available in four languages (English, German, French, and Italian). It allows hospitals to gather comprehensive and systematic data on their CRM practice and to identify areas for further improvement.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We have developed an instrument for assessing development stages of CRM in hospitals that should be feasible for a continuous monitoring of developments in this important area of patient safety.</p

Gruppenarbeit und zwischenbetriebliche Arbeitsteilung. Vorarbeiten zu einem arbeitspsychologischen Kooperationsmodell.

in diesem Dokument werden zwei mittlerweile vergriffene Originalbeiträge dieser Reihe aus dem Jahr 1993 wieder veröffentlicht. Inzwischen ist das Forschungsprojekt, aus dessen Kontext diese Arbeiten stammen, dokumentiert und veröffentlicht. Kernstück dieser Arbeiten ist ein arbeitspsychologisches Kooperationsmodell. Dass diese beiden Texte nicht nur eine wichtige Ergänzung und Hintergrundinformation zu diesem Modell bilden, sondern eine eigenständige Aktualität besitzen, zeigt die Tatsache, dass Gruppen und Teamkonzepte eine anhaltenden Aufschwung erleben und in der industriellen Praxis von freiwilligen Selbsthilfegruppen zur Karriereplanung (empowerment teams) bis zu einer Retaylorisierung der Gruppenfertigung in der Automobilindustrie reichen. So erinnern diese Texte auch daran, dass nicht die Tatsache der Gruppenarbeit als solche eine persönlichkeitsfördernde oder innovative Qualität besitzt, sondern der Grad an Kooperationsspielräumen, den sie eröffnet