Everyone rolls up their sleeves and mucks in”: Exploring volunteers’ motivation and experiences of the motivational climate of a sporting event (original) (raw)
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Measuring Volunteer Motivation in Mega-Sporting Events
Event Management, 2008
Volunteers are a core component of sport service delivery and an important element of the Olympic Games culture. However, little research has addressed the specifi c characteristics and experiences of individuals who dedicate their time and effort to volunteer at mega-sporting events, more specifi cally at the Olympic Games. The current study aims to contribute to the literature so that more effective volunteer recruitment and management strategies can be fostered. The purpose of the study was to investigate motives of volunteers at the Athens 2004 Olympics and examine the factorial structure of the Olympic Volunteer Motivation Scale (OVMS). Data were gathered from a volunteer sample of 146 individuals who offered their services in the Olympic Aquatic Center and the Olympic Village. Scores from the 18-item OVMS demonstrated satisfactory validity and reliability. The extracted factors (Olympic related, Egoistic, and Purposive) were well defi ned and interpreted in terms of the items included. Given the fact that volunteers at the Olympic Games might be motivated by reasons that differ from those at local sporting events, the OVMS will provide information that could further support the Olympic volunteer movement in terms of effective volunteer recruitment and satisfaction.
Measuring Olympic Volunteers' Motivations
Measuring Olympic Volunteers Motivations Volunteers, who donate to the best of their abilities, their time and efforts, for achieving the organizational goals of an Olympic Games Organizing Committee, have in recent years become a vital part of the human resources required for the effective staging of the Olympic Games. Furthermore, volunteers are often seen as the 'soft infrastructure' following the legacy plans of host nations aiming to stage the Olympic Games (Solberg & Preuss, 2007). Despite the significance of volunteers for the delivery of the Olympic Games, research on Olympic volunteers’ motivations, characteristics and experiences is still limited (Giannoulakis et al., 2008; Bang, Alexandris & Ross, 2009). The purpose of the study was to explore and investigate the characteristics and motives of volunteers at the London 2012 Olympics and examine the factorial structure of the Motivation Scale adapted under this purpose. Data were gathered from a volunteer sample of 163 individuals, who offered their services as volunteer drivers at the Fleet Transport Department during the London 2012 Olympic Games. The 27-item motivation scale demonstrated satisfactory validity and reliability. The five extracted factors (Patriotism and Community values, Love of sport and the Olympics, Interpersonal contacts, Personal Growth, Career Orientation) were well defined and interpreted in terms of the items included. The findings demonstrate that volunteers at the Olympic Games are motivated by a variety of factors, different to those who volunteer at local sporting events or sport clubs, and the impact of these factors may vary considerably from one individual to another. Therefore, this study will enhance event organizers’ understanding of the reasons that initiate volunteers’ involvement with the Games, in order to maximize the value that can be derived from the effective use of their volunteers. It can also enable the host community to adopt effective retention policies after the Games, to further utilize this network of committed and trained individuals, to future community events or organizations, develop social capital and benefit the society in the long term. References Bang, H., Alexandris, K., & Ross, S.D. (2009). Validation of the revised volunteer motivations scale for international sporting events (VMS-ISE) at the Athens 2004 Olympic Games. Event Management, 12(3-4), 119-131. Giannoulakis, C., Wang, C.H., & Gray, D. (2008). Measuring volunteer motivation in mega-sporting events. Event Management, 11, 191-200. Solberg, H.A., & Preuss, H. (2007). Major sport events and long- term tourism impacts. Journal of Sport Management, 21, 213-234.Human Kinetics.
Physical Culture and Sport. Studies and Research, 2023
The scientific breakthrough in understanding the role of sports volunteers, as well as the importance of motivation and expectations management in decision-making, has boosted several studies, helping to reinforce the conceptual idea of a sports legacy, especially in relation to the participation and involvement of Olympic volunteers. In this sense, and reinforcing this idea, this study aimed to analyse and measure the perception of sports volunteers regarding the motivations and expectations arising from their participation in the Rio 2016 Olympic Games. The study followed a quantitative-descriptive and inferential methodology, with a validated sample of 828 responses collected through a semi-structured questionnaire adapted from the original VMS-ISE motivation scale. The results point to a reinforcement of the perceived importance and value associated with participation in the Olympic Games that translate into high levels of motivation and satisfaction by most of the volunteers involved. The most valued factors were the feeling of pleasure promoted by the experience, the possibility of personal and professional development, the passion for the Olympic Games, and the passion for sport. The majority of the candidates validated the post-event expectations as having exceeded their initial ones, and 92.0% of the volunteers would participate in a similar event again. The study allows the reinforcement of sports volunteers intentions and expectations, while validating and confirming previous studies on the importance of motivation and personal development in a successful recruitment strategy that fosters regular and consolidated participation of previous volunteers.
Measuring Olympic Volunteers’ Motivation
2015
Volunteers, who donate to the best of their ability, time, and effort, for achieving the organizational goals of an Olympic Games Organizing Committee, have in recent years become a vital part of the human resources required for the effective staging of the Olympic Games. Furthermore, volunteers are often seen as the 'soft infrastructure' following the legacy plans of host nations aiming to stage the Olympic Games. Despite the significance of volunteers for the delivery of the Olympic Games, research on Olympic volunteers’ motivations, characteristics, and experiences is still limited. The purpose of this study was to explore and investigate the characteristics and motives of volunteers at the London 2012 Olympics and examine the factorial structure of the Motivation Scale adapted for this purpose. Data was gathered from a volunteer sample of 163 individuals, who offered their services as volunteer drivers at the Fleet Transport Department for the London 2012 Olympic Games. ...
Motivation and volunteer participation in the «Athens 2004» Olympic Games
Choregia, 2006
The present research tackles the topic of motives as they are developed by volunteers-who offer time-consuming services without expecting any material gains-and specifically the Olympic Volunteers of «Athens 2004». Four hundred-thirty (N = 430) volunteers completed the Scale of Motives, that was adapted in Greek from the functional approach of Omoto et al. (1993) and Chacon et al. (1998), aiming mainly at the testing of the hypothesis that the motives of volunteers who have previous volunteering experience, but also of those who wish (or continue) to volunteer after the completion the Olympic Games, will differ from the motives of those volunteers who have not volunteered in the past or who do not aim at providing voluntary work in the future. The results supported the hypothesis, while the modified Greek scale offered high internal consistencies and strong indications of validity. The future review and reapplication of the design of the adapted questionnaire of Motives will likely eliminate any potential weaknesses and will allow the scale to reach full applicability.
Journal of Physical Education and Sport, 2023
Background: Sport management research is currently extensive and multidisciplinary, allowing a wide scientific knowledge about its multiple areas of intervention within the sport sciences. One of the key areas of research has focused on understanding the management of sporting events, particularly large-scale events, and their sporting, economic and social impacts. In the last decade, research has also been focusing on the study of volunteers involved in global sport mega-events. Approach: The main objective of this study focuses on in-depth knowledge about the satisfaction, expectations and motivations of volunteers involved in the organization of the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games from a self-perception perspective, while identifying the sociodemographic profile and comparing results according to the variables of the analysis model. Methods: This research followed a quantitative-descriptive approach, using primary data collection through a semi-structured questionnaire survey. The data obtained were subsequently analysed and compared using descriptive and inferential statistical methods and techniques. In a universe of 25 241 volunteers, a total of 828 validated answers were obtained after verification of the questionnaires. Results: According to the survey, there was a prevalence of volunteers living in the organising country (90.1%), mostly female (53.7%). The most representative age groups were 16-25 years (38.6%), followed by the 26-35 age group (24.8%). Most volunteers were single (66.4%) and held a bachelor's degree (68.0%). The volunteers highlighted mainly the feeling of pleasure (20.0%), improvement of personal and professional curriculum (17.0%), passion for the Olympic Games (16.8%) and passion for sport (15.6%) as the main reasons and motivations for their involvement as volunteers in the event. The group comparison found some statistically significant gender differences, namely regarding the perceptions of "Recognition and/or rewards received", "Making professional contacts", "The tasks carried out allowed me to show my worth" and "Positive Experience". Conclusions: Participation as a volunteer in the world's most important sport mega-event was perceived as being positive, a feeling expressed by different motivations and levels of satisfaction regarding the value and benefits provided by this involvement. This is proven when 92.0% of the volunteers replied that they would participate in a similar experience again.
Event Management, 2015
Investment in mega-sport events is frequently justified on the basis that there are infrastructure and social legacies that remain after the event. This research explores the claims of a social legacy through a pre- and post-Games survey of volunteers at the Sydney World Masters Games 2009 (SWMG). Through online surveys the research explores pre-and post-volunteer motivations, postevent volunteering intentions before the Games and actual volunteer behavior after the Games. The pre-Games survey supports previous research that a desire to be involved in the event motivates people to volunteer. However, the postevent expression of motivations shifted to a more altruistic focus. The postevent volunteering intentions as indicated in the preevent survey would support the claim of a social legacy; however, this was not supported by the postevent measures of volunteering levels. The use of a pre- and postevent survey has highlighted that the timing of measures of motivations can influence responses and one may not depend on pre-event intentions as an indicator of postevent behaviors.
Sustainability, 2023
Involvement in sports volunteering is not only a way to improve mental health by increasing a sense of appreciation or respect, but it also allows participants to take on an individual challenge, meet new people, or gain specific knowledge. The aim of this study was to analyze selected motivations of students from the University of Physical Education in Krakow to get involved in sports volunteering during the 2023 European Games organized in their city and verifying them in terms of gender, age, previous volunteering experience, and pursuing a career. A total of 535 students took part in the survey, of whom 52.71% (282) were female, and 47.29% (253) were male. Selected motivation statements were indicated by respondents through a 5-point Likert scale. The results of the completed study confirmed that pursuing a professional career alongside studies and previous experience in sports volunteering had an impact on undertaking sports volunteering (F = 11.754; r = 0.674; p = 0.003 and F = 10.241; r = 0.611; p = 0.002). The obtained research results may be important for sports psychologists and organizers of sports events in the context of recruiting volunteers or improving the process of managing sports volunteering.
Motivations of Sports Volunteers at the 2023 European Games in Poland
Sustainability, 2021
Volunteering is fundamental in the organization of sporting events of any rank, and there is no doubt that without volunteers, the realization of such events would not be possible. The purpose of this study was to investigate relationships between selected socio-demographic factors (gender, age, place of residence, professional activity, and—rarely researched—previous experience in sports volunteering) and the motivation of people who have signed up to be volunteers at the 2023 European Games in Poland. In total, 535 respondents completed the Olympic Volunteer Motivation Scale (OVMS) designed to assess the motivation of volunteers at multi-sport events in the Olympic tradition. A questionnaire survey was conducted among a group of students of the University of Physical Education in Krakow, who had signed up as volunteers via an online form. The respondents were required to provide data on their gender, age, place of residence, professional activities, and sports volunteering experience. The volunteers’ motivations did not differ with regard to gender, place of residence, and professional activity; however, significant differences were found with regard to sports volunteering experiences. The scores by respondents with previous experience in sports volunteering were the highest for the Olympic related, egoistic, and purposive scales of the OVMS. The research findings can be used by sports event organizers to improve the effectiveness of volunteer recruitment and management strategies. Understanding the factors that encourage potential candidates to volunteer may also facilitate collaboration with them during future events.