Abstract
This paper considers the ways in which research into the psychological contract of volunteers have been constrained by the direct transfer of measures from the study of employees, and more generally by the assumptions in the dominant psychological contract discourse. After examining these assumptions the paper proposes a revised research agenda, open to the possibility that the psychological contract of volunteers is affected by expectations arising from socio-cultural influences beyond the volunteer/manager relationships, and in particular, from the expectations of relative freedom in volunteering and from subjective perceptions of volunteering as (variously) serious leisure, unpaid work, or activism. Understanding the contract as socially constructed reveals the need to juxtapose the expectations of managers and volunteers in order to understand the contract as a social relationship.
Résumé
Cet article examine les manières dont la recherche sur le contrat psychologique des bénévoles a été limitée par le transfert direct de mesures issues de l’étude des employés, et plus généralement par les postulats dans le discours dominant sur le contrat psychologique. Après examen de ces postulats, l’article propose un programme révisé de recherche, ouvert à la possibilité que le contrat psychologique des bénévoles soit affecté par les attentes résultant des influences socio-culturelles au-delà des relations bénévole/responsable, et en particulier, des attentes de liberté relative dans le bénévolat et des perceptions subjectives de ce dernier comme (selon des variations) un loisir sérieux, un travail non-rémunéré ou un activisme. La compréhension du contrat comme une construction sociale met en évidence le besoin de juxtaposer les attentes des responsables et des bénévoles afin d’appréhender le contrat comme une relation sociale.
Zusammenfassung
Der vorliegende Beitrag untersucht, inwieweit eine direkte Übertragung der Messungen aus Studien von Erwerbstätigen und im Allgemeineren die Annahmen im dominierenden Diskurs zum psychologischen Vertrag die Forschung psychologischer Verträge ehrenamtlich Tätiger einschränkt. Nach Prüfung dieser Annahmen wird in dem Beitrag ein überarbeiteter Forschungsplan vorgeschlagen, der die Möglichkeit in Betracht zieht, dass die Erwartungen aufgrund sozio-kultureller Einflüsse, die über die Beziehung zwischen ehrenamtlichen Mitarbeitern und Managern hinausgehen, und insbesondere die Erwartungen einer relativen Freiheit im Rahmen einer ehrenamtlichen Tätigkeit sowie die subjektiven Wahrnehmungen der ehrenamtlichen Tätigkeit als (variierend) ernste Freizeittätigkeit, unbezahlte Arbeit oder Aktivismus auf den psychologischen Vertrag ehrenamtlich Tätiger einwirken. Geht man davon aus, dass der Vertrag ein gesellschaftliches Konstrukt ist, muss man die Erwartungen von Managern und ehrenamtlich Tätigen einander gegenüberstellen, um den Vertrag als eine soziale Beziehung zu verstehen.
Resumen
Este documento considera las formas en las que la investigación sobre el contrato psicológico de voluntarios ha sido constreñida por la transferencia directa de medidas del estudio de empleados, y más en general por los supuestos en el discurso dominante sobre el contrato psicológico. Después de examinar estos supuestos, el documento propone una agenda de investigación revisada, abierta a la posibilidad de que el contrato psicológico de voluntarios se vea afectado por expectativas que surgen de las influencias socioculturales más allá de las relaciones voluntario/director, y en particular, de las expectativas de libertad relativa en el voluntariado y de las percepciones subjetivas del voluntariado como (de forma diversa) ocio serio, trabajo no remunerado o activismo. Comprender el contrato como construido socialmente revela la necesidad de yuxtaponer las expectativas de directores y voluntarios con el fin de comprender el contrato como una relación social.
摘要
本文考虑了将员工研究方式直接应用到志愿者心理契约研究的局限性以及主导心理契约披露假设的影响。通过对这些假设条件的研究,本文提出了一种优化的研究过程,探求志愿者心理契约受到日益增强的社会经济文化因素(超出志愿者/主管关系层面)期望的影响,特别是对相对自由的志愿服务的期望以及对(不同)影响个人休闲、无偿工作或积极性的志愿工作的主观感受。研究社会构建层次的契约显示出需要同时考虑管理人员和志愿者的期望,这样才能了解作为社会关系的契约。
ملخص
هذه المقالة تأخذ في الإعتبار الطرق التي يعاق بها البحث في عقد التحليل النفسي الذي يمثل تصورات وإلتزامات المتطوعين عن طريق نقل مباشر لتدابير من دراسة للموظفين، وبشكل أعم بالإفتراضات في محادثة عن عقد التحليل النفسي للتصورات و الإلتزامات المهيمنة. بعد دراسة هذه الإفتراضات تقترح المقالة جدول أعمال للبحوث المنقحة، مفتوح لإحتمال أن عقد التحليل النفسي الذي يمثل تصورات وإلتزامات يتأثر بتصورات المتطوعين بواسطة توقعات ناشئة عن تأثيرات إجتماعية و ثقافية تجاوزت المتطوعين/علاقات المدير، وعلى وجه الخصوص، من التوقعات من الحرية النسبية في العمل التطوعي ومن التصورات الموضوعية للعمل التطوعي كوقت فراغ خطير (متنوع) ، العمل غير مدفوع الأجر، أو نشاط. فهم العقد كما وضع إجتماعيا˝ يكشف عن الحاجة إلى وضع توقعات المديرين بجانب توقعات المتطوعين من أجل فهم هذا العقد أنه بمثابة علاقة إجتماعية.
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Nichols, G. The Psychological Contract of Volunteers: A New Research Agenda. Voluntas 24, 986–1005 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-012-9294-9
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-012-9294-9