Organisational culture is most important in recruiting and retaining volunteers. If the organisation culture is generally negative, it becomes most difficult to interest people to offer themselves for committee or other voluntary positions.
Organisation culture is very difficult to define, yet it is undeniably very powerful. It is visible and it is experienced, see table below.
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Culture of the Club
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Culture is
Visible
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Culture is
Experienced
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The
clothing worn
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The
discipline and conduct of parents
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Flags
and emblems
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Shared
beliefs on what is important
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How
people behave
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Whether
members trust the committee
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Cleanliness
of facilities
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The
sense of fair play adopted
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War
dances and other ceremonies
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Treatment of people with differing opinions
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The
dedication of volunteers
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Stories
of past heroes and villains
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Culture is a system of shared values and beliefs about what is important, what behaviours are appropriate and how the people in the organisation relate to one another.
Culture gives organisations a sense of direction. It is persuasive and tends to have an affect on everyone in the organisation. A positive culture energises people and stimulates organisation growth and development. A negative culture drains energy and causes organisations to 'implode'.
Trust is a very important aspect of organisation culture. The level of trust within an organisation has direct consequences on the recruitment and retention of volunteers.
Trust is about believing in the honesty and integrity of others. In an environment where there is trust, people are generally satisfied that volunteers work for the good of the organisation as a whole, rather than serving their own self-interest. In an environment of trust there is more likelihood of that the membership will:
In contrast, culture of mistrust leads to:
Good positive leadership is a main factor in developing organisation culture. Good leadership will enable:
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