Cross-cultural competence in the context of NGOs: bridging the gap between ‘knowing’ and ‘doing’

Abstract

International human resource management research in non-governmental organisations (NGOs) is scarce and it predominantly focuses on the recruitment and retention of volunteers. The context of NGOs is different from conventional for-profit international business settings with different kinds of challenges, especially in terms of providing appropriate training on managing multi-cultural teams and working with local project partners and communities. The literature also tends to focus on expatriate perspective and not on a host country perspective. We address this gap by examining how project managers and hosts experience cross-cultural issues on overseas assignments. We study volunteer project managers leading international and local youth volunteers during the Raleigh International programme in Malaysia. We use a qualitative methodology and data collected at 3 case locations via participant observation during 120 days contact with the respondents as well as interviews and surveys. We propose the CPACE (Curiosity, Passion, Adaptability, Communication and Empathy) framework describing competences needed in cross-cultural encounters and based on respondents’ actions as well as their words and it is relevant to a NGO context. The framework is intended to lay the foundation for future research and in particular to demonstrate the need for cross-cultural competence to be more grounded in particular contexts.     

志愿者行动的经济学分析

志愿者不等于免费劳动力,从经济学角度看,志愿者行动不等于免费服务,志愿者开展的活动也具有一定的社会经济价值,有必要从经济学角度对志愿者行动进行分析.文章从成本、收益角度出发对志愿者行动进行经济学分析,研究结果表明,志愿者行动的成本包括社会成本、个人成本和机构成本三个部分;志愿者行动的收益包括社会收益、个人收益和机构收益三个部分.此外,志愿者行动经济价值的计算还有几个问题需要注意,如避免重复计算,志愿者行动的社会成本与机构成本为平均成本,志愿者行动的边际成本等于付薪人员成本,是使用和计算志愿者数量的界限,应考虑志愿者行动外部经济的影响等.     

高校对大学生体育比赛志愿者的管理探讨

随着体育事业在全球的发展以及越来越多的赛事在国内的举办,大学生体育志愿者的数量正在逐渐增加。面对这种形势,如何提高对高校体育志愿者的管理是高校需要解决的首要问题。本文探讨论述了大学生体育志愿者价值与作用,分析了目前对于这一群体进行管理中的问题,介绍了相关的经验,仅供相关人士参考。     

旅游节庆活动志愿者绩效管理体系设计——以南宁国际民歌艺术节为例

运用现代人力资源绩效管理的思想和方法,以南宁国际民歌艺术节为例,对旅游节庆活动志愿者的管理进行了研究。通过访谈调查和实地跟踪调查,分析民歌节志愿者工作中的绩效管理问题,构建民歌节志愿者绩效管理组织架构,在此基础上,以“片区负责人一团队负责人”层级为例,设计绩效管理体系五个环节工作内容和绩效管理指标体系。     

The role of corporates in creating sustainable Olympic legacies

Abstract

The Olympic Games is a major stimulus for increased tourism. In recent years, there have been greater calls for this and other mega-events to leave sustainable positive legacies for the host city, partly to offset the massive cost of hosting. To date, little consideration has been afforded to the role corporates might play in contributing to event legacies. This gap is compounded by the lack of research examining stakeholder engagement in legacy planning more generally. This paper adopts Holmes, Hughes, Mair and Carlsen’s (2015) sustainable event legacy timeline to conceptualise how corporates through the corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives of sponsorship and employee volunteering can engage across the Olympic event planning cycle to generate volunteering legacies. Drawing upon a comparative study of the Sydney 2000 and London 2012 Olympic Games, tentative evidence of corporate engagement was noted but for the most part it was fragmented and CSR initiatives primarily focused on the immediate planning and delivery stages of the event cycle. The paper advances new knowledge of how volunteering legacies can be generated through the best practice engagement of corporates as key stakeholders involved in legacy planning and governance across the Olympic planning cycle.     

Young Adult Volunteers: Recruitment Appeals and Other Marketing Considerations

The long‐term survival of nonprofit charitable organizations depends on the recruitment and retention of today's young adults. A segmentation strategy proposed for retirees which was consistent with previous research on volunteer motivation was found to also be relevant for the young adult market, especially if implemented with consideration of this segment's unique interests and characteristics. In addition, young adults were found to be most inclined to volunteer for organizations that were either local and personal or nationally renowned. Organizations benefiting children were also highly regarded. The higher a college student's grade point average (GPA), the more likely they were to indicate an intention of volunteering in the future. Those most likely to volunteer in the future also exhibited higher teamwork and mentoring trait scores. The young adult market was found to be multidimensional and best approached with a variety of appeals.     

Investment in staff development within an emergency services organisation: comparing future intention of volunteers and paid employees

Path models were evaluated to explore the impact of job satisfaction as mediator of the relationship between perceived investment in employee development (PIED) and the adequacy and availability of training on turnover intention. Models were compared for volunteers (n = 2,306) and paid employees (n = 274) within the one emergency services organisation. Results indicated that job satisfaction mediated the relationship between PIED and intention to stay for both volunteers and paid employees. PIED was a stronger predictor of job satisfaction for paid employees, while support and recognition was a stronger predictor of job satisfaction for volunteers. Results highlight the indirect role of PIED on turnover intentions. Findings also support the notion of tailored employee development programmes that enhance job satisfaction. Further, PIED may be more salient to the turnover intentions of paid employees, while support and recognition may be a key motivator of volunteers' ongoing commitment to the organisation.     

浅论高校“义工”学分制的实施及其完善——以成都理工大学为例

“义工”,也称志愿者,即指利用个人闲暇时间自愿为社会提供无偿服务的人。成都理工大学结合学校教学实际,成立了义工服务组织,实行了“义工”学分制,为高校思想政治理论课实践教学改革探索出一条新路,但还需进一步完善。美国高校的“义工”服务,其在服务态度上更多强调自愿性;在服务内容上更加强调专业优势;在义工组织建设上寻求建立稳定、有效的融资机制;在政府角色定位上,政府发挥主导作用,并努力在全社会培育义工服务的社会氛围,这些为成都理工大学“义工”学分制的进一步完善提供了可资借鉴的经验。     

On commodification: volunteer experiences in festivals†

This paper is about the creation of non-commodified volunteer experiences, for tourists and local volunteers participating in festivals. How is the tourist experience created when most of the traditional tourism demands are not fulfilled? And what are the experiences and how do they relate to different ‘regimes of value’? The experience context includes tourists who work together with locals voluntarily in a festival, where the volunteers pay for their own travel, food, overnight stay, and work for free. To gain more knowledge on the volunteers is important because local cultural life becomes more festivalized, most festivals are reliant on the involvement of volunteers, and the festivals gain an important role in an economy where even small places are engaged in branding [Löfgren, O. 2003. The new economy: A cultural history. Global Networks, 3, 239–254]. This paper uses a qualitative approach. Interviews were conducted (n?=?23) and participants were observed during four festivals in Finnmark, Norway. Nothing in the experiences was facilitated, and the experience creation occurred in the work tasks together with volunteer colleagues. It was like a holiday experience, without a stream of commodified moments. It was a value creation that could be seen as authentic and real, created in the interaction between the local and visiting volunteers.     

浅析大学生志愿者工作机制

大学生志愿者作为我国志愿者群体的中坚力量,在扶贫、教育、环保、医疗卫生、助老、助残、维护治安、法律援助、大型活动等领域提供了大量的服务,向世人展示中国大学生风采,对于构建社会主义和谐社会,推进人类进步具有重要意义。但是,我国大学生青年志愿者行动起步较晚,经验尚在积累,志愿者工作机制存在一些问题,本文就此展开分析,提出优化大学生青年志愿者工作机制的路径。