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    When a Volunteer Fits: Motivational Effects through the Self-Determination Theory

    Access Status
    Fulltext not available
    Authors
    Holtrop, Djurre
    Gagné, Marylène
    Dunlop, Patrick
    Soo, Christine
    Date
    2019
    Type
    Conference Paper
    
    Metadata
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    Citation
    Holtrop, D. and Gagné, M. and Dunlop, P. and Soo, C. 2019. When a Volunteer Fits: Motivational Effects through the Self-Determination Theory, in Proceedings of the EAWOP Congress, May 29-Jun 1 2019. Turin: European Association of Work and Organizational Psychology (eawop).
    Source Conference
    EAWOP 2019
    Faculty
    Faculty of Business and Law
    School
    Future of Work Institute
    URI
    http://hdl.handle.net/20.500.11937/75893
    Collection
    • Curtin Research Publications
    Abstract

    Purpose: Volunteers give their time freely, in contrast to employees who also work for financial reasons. Therefore, feelings of fit may be even more important to retain volunteers than for employees. Yet, fit has scarcely been investigated in volunteers. Using a two-wave survey study, we investigated the consequences of complementary (i.e., demands-ability and needs-supplies) volunteer fit through the lens of the Self-Determination Theory. Specifically, we investigated the effect of fit on volunteer retention through changes in need satisfaction (feeling related, competent, and autonomous) and motivation (amotivation, extrinsic, and autonomous). Design: One year apart, 612 volunteers completed two largely identical surveys. These surveys included adapted measures of 1) demands-abilities and needs-supplies fit, 2) psychological need satisfaction, 3) volunteer motivation, and 4) intentions to keep volunteering. Results: Overall, using regression and relative weight analyses, the results showed that increases in demands-abilities (R2=.03) and need-supplies (R2=.02) fit both led to small increases in need satisfaction. Next, increases in need satisfaction were related to decreases in amotivation (R2=.05), no change in extrinsic motivation (R2=.01), and increases in autonomous motivation (R2=.04). Finally, increases in motivation we barely related to intentions to remain a volunteer (respectively R2=.05, .01, and .02). Limitations/Implications: The present study indicates that changes in volunteers’ demands-abilities and need-supplies fit lead to very small changes in important individual and organisational outcomes. Therefore, improving fit may not be an effective way to improve volunteer retention. Future research could study volunteer fit with motivation frameworks that are specific to volunteers, such as the ‘volunteer functions’.

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