Doctoral Thesis
“I can do this”: Leader development of formal volunteers in youth-focused volunteer-involving organisations.
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), Murdoch University
2023
Abstract
Formal traditional volunteering by leaders in youth-focused organisations is often highly structured, requiring a substantial commitment to the role. Volunteer-involving organisations can struggle to attract and retain people prepared to take on these roles. This study investigated whether there was evidence that ‘leader development opportunities’ might be an appropriate addition to the volunteer recruitment message. This study employed a qualitative approach to examine the views of formal volunteers in three youth-focused, volunteer-involving organisations on leader development resulting from their roles, factors influential in any improvements, and whether they felt that their development as a leader had transferred to other settings, including the workplace.
This thesis examined three case study organisations with different approaches to leader development. This triangulation allowed for greater depth based on the ability to compare, contrast, and corroborate evidence. Adapting Kirkpatrick’s training evaluation model as a guiding framework, data was gathered through a questionnaire, group and individual semi-structured interviews, and organisational documents, enabling the researcher to delve into issues affecting the participants, allowing their voices to be heard and capturing the richness of their experiences.
The data showed some benefits of classroom training in leader development. It also demonstrated that it is just one small component, with other factors contributing to leader development outcomes. Those factors were: the opportunity to have-a-go (experiential learning), the support of mentors (mentoring), shared experiences and reflections (social learning) and observing others (observation). The Five Factor Model of Volunteer Leader Development, comprising Classroom training, Practical Experience, Mentors, Shared Experiences and Reflections, and Observation, is proposed as potentially leading to enhanced employability via improved leadership skills. Understanding these factors and how to incorporate them into leader development training will assist volunteer-involving organisations in designing leader development approaches, to attract and retain formal volunteers to take on leader roles in volunteer-involving organisations.
Details
- Title
- “I can do this”: Leader development of formal volunteers in youth-focused volunteer-involving organisations.
- Authors/Creators
- Jean A Wootton
- Contributors
- Dr Megan Paull (Supervisor) - Murdoch University, Murdoch Business SchoolDr Anne Peachey (Supervisor) - Murdoch University, Murdoch Business School
- Awarding Institution
- Murdoch University; Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)
- Identifiers
- 991005652868207891
- Murdoch Affiliation
- College of Business
- Resource Type
- Doctoral Thesis
UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)
This output has contributed to the advancement of the following goals:
Metrics
50 File views/ downloads
83 Record Views