Hot Topics
Responses to: The Middle Management Barrier
Submitted on 10 October by John Ramsey, Head of Volunteer Development,
Citizens Advice,
London, United Kingdom
This is analogous in some ways to the problems that face organisations
working with government (certainly in the UK). You can hear the support for
volunteering from the likes of Tony Blair and Gordon Brown; however, often
it's the civil service (the 'middle managers' in this context) whose hearts
and minds need to be won, as they will be responsible for the implementation.
Submitted on 10 October by H. Roberts, President, PLNJ, Inc.,
Keyport, New Jersey, USA
It is easy to find examples for barriers and professional limitations that
exist in every trade. Those of us working in social service are not immune to the constraints and
demands placed on every member of the agency's team. We need to develop
less generic training methods, inclusive protocols and day to day approaches
to the ways in which co-workers, paid or unpaid, focus on a MISSION. One suggestion would be to rely less on the structural confines of a job
title and more on the tasks. Job shadowing is an easy, cost-effective,
eye-opening training style that everyone can benefit from. Imagine the
positive result from knowing first-hand what it takes to manage, volunteer,
and maintain your agency! JOB SHADOW! To learn more, visit:
www.jobshadow.org/
Submitted on 4 October by Erin Spink,
Canadian Cancer Society,
Volunteer Development Coordinator,
Waterloo Region, Ontario Canada
In the past, I began a recognition program with supervisors at team meetings
called "The Super Supervisor" award. It involved a silly cape with a
Superman-like S in the centre and a trophy.
It was a non-confrontational way to encourage staff to set a good example
for others in working with volunteers, and became something staff looked
for.
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