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Toward a Deep Insight into Employee Participation in Employer-Supported Volunteering in Iranian Organizations: A Grounded Theory

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Abstract

Antecedents and consequences of employer-supported volunteering (ESV) have been widely studied. Yet, in the literature, few studies have attempted to succinctly assess this phenomenon in non-Western countries. In this regard, the primary purpose of this study is to understand the antecedents and consequences of employee participation in ESV in Iranian organizations. To achieve this, we employed a qualitative method. Fifteen managers from four companies that had experienced participating in ESV programs were chosen as the sample. Having interviewed the managers, we used grounded theory method to interpret our findings. The results revealed that 25 concepts exist. These concepts were divided into five categories: personal conditions; types of employee participation in ESV (core phenomenon); intra-organizational conditions; environmental conditions; and consequences. Finally, these categories formed a conceptual framework. It seems that this framework can be a practical tool for companies intended to run ESVs, in Iran.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Administrative Science and Economies, University of Isfahan, Isfahan, Iran

    Ahmad Afkhami, Ali Nasr Isfahani, Mahdi Abzari & Hadi Teimouri

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  1. Ahmad Afkhami
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  2. Ali Nasr Isfahani
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  3. Mahdi Abzari
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Correspondence to Ali Nasr Isfahani.

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Appendices

Appendix 1

See Table 7.

Table 7 Summary of previous researches on ESV
Full size table

Appendix 2: Interview Questions

  • What is the process of volunteering in your organization? What is the scope of volunteering in your organization?

  • Which voluntary program types do you participate in? What is the reason for not participating in some activities?

  • Please describe the events of one of the days you have participated in these activities.

  • What is the reason for participating in voluntary activities? What are the values and attitudes that have led you to participate in these activities?

  • How much does your organization contribute to your participation in these programs?

  • Does your organization benefit from your participating in these activities?

  • What is the reason that some of your colleagues do not participate in or less involve in these activities? Do you think this lack of participating return to their personality? What are the striking features of their personality?

  • What are some solutions for more employee participation in volunteering?

  • What are the barriers to your participation in these activities?

  • What are the positive and negative outcomes of participation in these activities for you and your organization and society?

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Afkhami, A., Nasr Isfahani, A., Abzari, M. et al. Toward a Deep Insight into Employee Participation in Employer-Supported Volunteering in Iranian Organizations: A Grounded Theory. Voluntas 30, 1036–1053 (2019). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11266-019-00141-4

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