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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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