Characteristics of a central change programme within a governmental bureaucracy: a grounded theory study

Purpose The purpose of the paper is to present a theory of organisational change within the setting of a governmental bureaucracy. Design/methodology/approach Orthodox grounded theory is employed in the setting of a change programme in 12 Audit departments of the Dutch Ministries (public-sector). Findings The examined organisational change has specific characteristics. The Dutch ‘ministerial autonomy’ and the clearly recognizable role types of the key figures involved have a strong impact on the change programme and the realisation of its goals. Research limitations/implications Findings are derived on the basis of a substantive case study of the change programme of the Dutch Departmental Audit function. The research sheds new light on characteristics related to the occupational group of Chartered Accountants and characteristics of a governmental bureaucracy and it helps to understand change programmes within this bureaucracy. Practical implications The grounded theoretical model draws attention to the impact of key figures and circumstances on a change programme within the central government. Originality/value The paper builds on theories of organisational change but applies them in the typical context of the Dutch civil service where ministerial autonomy, on the one hand, and a move in the direction of more centrally organised activities (concern idea), on the other, require a difficult balancing act of all players in the change arena.     

Where Does it Begin? A Comparative Perspective on the Professional Preferences of First-year Social Work Students

Correspondence to Dr John Gal, Paul Baerwald School of Social Work, The Hebrew University, Mt Scopus, Jerusalem 91905, Israel. Summary The goal of this paper is to contribute to a better understandingof international social work by examining the professional preferencesof students at the beginning of the social work training processin the United States, Great Britain and Israel. The study, uponwhich the paper is based, examined the preferences of the studentswith regard client groups, social services, types of sectorsand of practices, and sought to identify the similarities andthe differences between these preferences in different countries.The findings indicate that the students from the United Statesand Israeli universities prefer to work with social groups andto be employed in services, that can be defined as "less stigmatic",while these trends were not identifiable in the case of theBritish students. They expressed a greater readiness to workwith more needy social groups and to find employment in thestate sector. By contrast, the students in all the universitiesstudied expressed a similar unwillingness to work the unemployed,the chronically ill and to find employment in old-aged homes.In addition, casework with individuals was the most preferredtype of social work practice. Clearly, the findings indicatethat the preferences of students in different countries reflectvariations in the nature of social work in each of the specificnational settings.     

Public opinion and the dimensions of the welfare state

Empirical studies over the last ten years indicate that the public in general still supports the welfare state but not necessarily its beneficiaries nor the allocations required to sustain its activities. Since most of these studies focused only on selected aspects of the welfare state their data do not provide a widespread and comprehensive overview of public opinion regarding the welfare state and its internal dynamics. This article focuses on public opinion with regard to the major components of the welfare state. The sample is drawn from a large urban population in Israel. For each component of the welfare state, three dimensions are studied: governmental allocation, quality of service and number of beneficiaries. The results indicate that public opinion with regard to the various elements of the welfare state is differential and distinct.     

The role of social anxiety in volunteering

The volunteer management literature suggests that the most effective means of recruitment is personal asking. However, agencies that apply this method do not report the expected success in volunteer recruitment. Often they face the volunteer recruitment fallacy: those people assumed to be interested in volunteering do not necessarily volunteer. Based on the literature of shyness or social anxiety and on empirical observations, this article suggests that social anxiety often deters volunteering by new recruits. We hypothesize that people with greater levels of social anxiety will be less likely to volunteer. Furthermore, we hypothesize that people with high social anxiety will prefer to give monetary support to worthy causes rather than volunteer their time, and if they do choose to volunteer, they will do so alongside friends. Our hypotheses are supported based on the findings from a large‐scale nonrandom sample in North America. We suggest how to avoid the volunteer recruitment fallacy by creating a personal environment in which high‐social‐anxiety recruits feel safe and accepted. By removing the fear of being negatively judged by strangers as they enter the agency and creating a more personal approach, new recruits may have a higher probability of becoming long‐term and consistent volunteers.     

‘Young,Fun, and Free:’ Episodic Volunteers in Ghana,South Africa and Tanzania

VOLUNTAS: International Journal of Voluntary and Nonprofit Organizations - As scholarship on episodic volunteering expands, researchers question if episodic volunteering is similar to, and/or...     

Rolling with the shakes: an insight into teenagers’ perceptions of recovery after the Canterbury earthquakes

Natural disasters are harmful worldwide events that inflict multiple psychosocial impacts on disaster-exposed individuals. A significant proportion of affected individuals are teenagers (13–18 years old) who, compared with adults, have been historically overlooked in disaster research. The literature is particularly sparse concerning teenagers’ recovery from natural disasters, specifically what recovery means to them and the contributing factors towards their positive recovery. Therefore, the aim of the current study was to gain deeper insight into this largely unexplored area by conducting five focus groups with teenagers (16–18 years) who experienced at least one of the Canterbury, New Zealand, earthquakes since and including the initial September 2010 earthquake. This study directly asked teenagers about their recovery over the three years after the initial earthquakes, with data being analysed using thematic analysis. Two main themes were identified: (1) perceptions of recovery, with three sub-themes (i) knowledge and being less frightened, (ii) talking about the earthquakes and (iii) shift in perspectives; and (2) contributing factors to recovery, with three sub-themes (i) participation in the community response, (ii) returning to school and (iii) the rebuild of Christchurch. These factors provide insight into how we can better support the recovery process for disaster-exposed teenagers to reduce long-term distress.     

Episodic Volunteering at a Religious Megaevent

In preparation for Pope Francis's visit to Philadelphia and the 2015 World Meeting of Families, organizers looked for thousands of volunteers to help carry out these events. This is common for many one‐time and episodic events, such as large sporting events (from marathons to Special Olympics), arts and cultural events (such as festivals and concerts), and fundraising events. After the pope's visit, volunteers were asked to respond to a questionnaire about their experiences and the volunteer management of the event; 2,408 responded (34.4 percent). Data on motivation, who volunteered, recruitment, training, assignment, supervision, communication, satisfaction, and suggestions for improvement were elicited. We focused on episodic volunteering at a religious event and on a broad spectrum of issues pertaining to management of episodic volunteers. Our findings add to the knowledge regarding volunteer management and also add to conceptual understanding of the distinction between ongoing and episodic volunteers.     

The Reform of the Local Social Services In Israel: 1984 Compared to 1977

In 1977, there was a nationwide reform of the Local Departments of Social Services (LDSS) in Israel. This article reports on the findings of two independent and complementary studies which sought to evaluate the consequences of this comprehensive planned change. To determine what changes if any, occurred from 1977 to 1984, the first seven years following the reform, the article presents seven major foci of change. Each reflects an objective set forth by those who planned the change at the Ministry of Labour and Social Affairs. Preceding the report of these changes are a review of the historical background of the reform and a summary of the components of this planned change. This article focuses on the changes identified in these studies and concludes with a discussion of policy and organizational implications.