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    "Gumboots and grassroots" : exploring leadership for social change at a grassroots level in New Zealand : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Masters of Business Studies in Management at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2017) Neeley, Eloise Alison
    The primary aim of this study was to explore the motivations underpinning three agri-women’s involvement in grassroots associations. The research investigated leadership processes within the groups and sought to understand the impact of three specific projects in the context of grassroots leadership for social change. Grassroots associations have been described as innovative networks of people sharing common goals and vision, that recognise and respond to local community needs, often motivated by a need to create societal and environmental change. Future climatic and sustainability challenges predicted for New Zealand’s agri-sector provide the impetus to support and increase this collective leadership capacity. Voluntary groups such as these have largely been ignored by leadership scholars, however their informal, decentralised structures and collective decision-making processes offer unique opportunities to view leadership in a different way, a way that may be essential in the complex world of the 21st century. Furthermore, the context of this research in rural and provincial New Zealand provides a fresh perspective relevant to rural and urban alike, for a country largely reliant on its primary sector for economic prosperity. A qualitative multiple case study design was chosen for its ability to achieve a holistic result, rich in content and meaning, through employing multiple data collection techniques in a naturalistic setting. Thematic analysis was used to draw out themes from the data, which combined with existing theory in an abductive approach adding new contributions to the current limited knowledge of grassroots leadership processes. Key findings were the participants’ voluntary altruistic principles and their passion, persistence and commitment to their causes. Leadership processes within the groups confirmed an outdated leader-follower influence paradigm and strong parallels with elements of Complexity Leadership Theory, especially in terms of enabling leadership to create adaptive space. However, the major contribution from this study was an adapted framework demonstrating how philosophical foundations, leadership practices and activities of grassroots associations can build community power in the creation of social capital contributing to community resilience for unknown and unknowable future events.
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    Volunteering for a job : converting social capital into paid employment : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Sociology at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2005) Davidson, Christopher Mark
    The study explores the extent to which the environment of voluntary associations promotes the development of social capital. Moreover, it asks about the extent to which an individual can convert the social capital they have developed in this environment into economic capital, via the labour market. Social capital is primarily concerned with the resources embedded in social relationships, and how individuals can access and use them. Qualitative and quantitative research methods were used to enquire into the experiences of volunteers affiliated to voluntary associations based in West Auckland. The findings indicate there is no simple causal relationship between an individual's voluntary activities, and the level and value of social capital they can accrue from them. Nevertheless, the findings do suggest that the social capital that is developed through voluntary activity can influence an individual's labour market outcomes. The research reported here indicates that labour market information is not equitably distributed through society. The study suggests that social policy can help bring this information to excluded groups. Targeted government support of the voluntary sector, aimed at providing opportunities for marginalised or minority groups to develop social capital, is one important option available to government to achieve this goal.
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    Why do administrators volunteer for provincial and club rugby in New Zealand? : an application of Clary et al.'s (1998) Volunteer functions inventory (VFI) to understand the motivations and commitment of volunteer administrators : a ... thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master's of Business Studies in Management at Massey University
    (Massey University, 2004) Dunlop, Amy Marie
    The primary aim of this study was to investigate the validity and reliability of the Volunteer Functions Inventory (VFI) as a tool for measuring the motives of administration volunteers involved in provincial and club rugby in New Zealand. The secondary aim was to investigate the demographics, motives, benefits, satisfactions and intentions to continue to volunteer of participants. The study was conducted with a sample of 604 volunteer administrators from provincial and club rugby in New Zealand. Data was collected via a self-administered questionnaire that was posted to participants, and was then analysed using SPSS (version 12.0). Factor analysis indicated six functions that are served by volunteering for this sample and, these motives differ from those discovered by previous studies. In particular, a new motive, Cause, was revealed where an individual volunteers because of their passion for the particular cause they are involved with. This new function was the most important motive for volunteering for this sample. Volunteers were generally satisfied with their experience and intended to be volunteering in at least one years time. Multiple regression analysis indicated that individuals who volunteer for the Cause and Understanding motives, and, volunteers that felt the work they did was appreciated, were more likely to be satisfied with their experience. There were no substantial differences in the results between provincial level and club level volunteers. The paper concludes that further work is required to develop the VFI into a valid and reliable tool to measure the motives of volunteers for this population. In particular, investigation of the Cause motive, and development of the questions is required to enable the VFI to be more relevant to rugby in New Zealand.
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    Doing good and feeling well : understanding the relationship between volunteering and mental wellbeing in older adult populations through the application of a social-cognitive theory of depression : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctorate in Clinical Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2015) Cooper, Louise Elizabeth
    Previous research indicates that volunteering can improve positive psychological wellbeing, and protect against the onset of depressive symptoms amongst older adults. However, the mechanisms at play in the relationship remain unclear. This research project analysed two data sets in order to test the predictions of a social-cognitive theory of depression as it applies to the volunteering-psychological wellbeing relationship. A social cognitive theory of depression (as described by Oatley and Bolton (1985)) suggests that older adults are susceptible to symptoms of depression and reduced psychological wellbeing when difficult life events limit their ability to maintain social roles that have previously facilitated investment in valued facets of their self-concept. Therefore, volunteering may compensate for such role losses by enabling older adults to continue to contribute to their sense of self through their volunteering role, and subsequently protect them from the effects that such role-loss may have on their psychological functioning. Using longitudinal data from a New Zealand-based sample, this research illustrates that older adults who have relatively poorer physical health are more likely to be protected from experiences of depressive symptoms as a result of consistently volunteering than those who experience higher levels of health. Analyses of longitudinal data also provide some evidence that employment status may moderate the impact of volunteering consistency on protection against symptoms of depression. In addition, analyses of cross-sectional data demonstrate a relationship between contributions to self-concept through the enactment of social roles, and better psychological wellbeing. This research also suggests that the extent to which negative life events limit a person’s ability to invest in their sense of self is related to psychological wellbeing outcomes. Finally, it is suggested that the amount of investment in self-concept facilitated by a volunteering role is related to psychological wellbeing. However, investment in self-concept through volunteering was not shown to moderate the relationship between pertinent life stressors, and psychological wellbeing. To a large extent, these findings align with a social-cognitive theory of depression (Oatley & Bolton, 1985), but they raise questions about the way that compensatory coping through social role changes has previously been theorised.
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    How do social dominance and minority influence affect the collaboration of refugee services? : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Psychology at Massey University, Albany, New Zealand
    (Massey University, 2015) Hahn, Sarah Helene
    Social Dominance Theory has problematic implications for humanitarian work: It suggests that stakeholders of the humanitarian sector collectively maintain the social hierarchies that disadvantage the very minorities that they are supposed to empower. Minority Influence Theory, on the other hand, suggests that social innovation in the humanitarian sector can emerge from the bottom-up, thus against the grain of social hierarchies. This thesis explores for the refugee service sector of Auckland, New Zealand, (a) if former refugees are indeed marginalised within the inter-organisational context that is supposed to empower them, (b) if this has detrimental effects on the sector’s performance, and (c) if fostering minority influence might alleviate such effects. The first research question was approached through a stakeholder analysis, which revealed that the social hierarchies within the refugee service sector indeed mirror the marginalisation of former refugees in general New Zealand society. Then, stories of positive and negative incidents of collaboration in the sector were analysed through the lenses of Social Dominance Theory and Minority Influence Theory. A thematic analysis of negative incidents of collaboration gathered accounts of discrimination through disregard, as well as legitimising myths. The latter concerned the inaccessibility of services, confounding participation with collaboration, voluntarism as unambiguously positive, feelings of indebtedness among former refugees, and the false belief in opportunities in New Zealand. These findings support the idea that social dominance perpetuates social hierarchies in the refugee service sector and thereby negatively affects its performance. However, the assumptions of Social Dominance Theory concerning behavioural asymmetry did not match the data, which indicates different root causes of social dominance than claimed by the theory’s authors. Stories of successful collaboration involved factors that facilitate minority influence, such as finding consistency, appealing to common values, enough time, bottom-up accountability in the form of community ownership, and trust. This suggests that facilitating minority influence in the Auckland refugee service sector simultaneously facilitates collaboration. Social Dominance Theory and Minority Influence Theory proved to be instrumental to analysing problems within the inter-organisational context of refugee services and for finding indications for future research and better practice.