The relational perspective

The relational perspective, as Søren Christensen explains, emphasises how the organisation is being shaped by the volunteers’ values as well as the organisation shaping the volunteers’ values. In the relational perspective, values are constructed in interaction between the actors. In this interaction they take shape of each other; like modelling wax.

In the next section we will describe how the volunteers affect FDF and URK and vice versa.

In this way, Christensen supplements Bourdieu, as the relational perspective elaborates on how the field is dominated by the volunteers.

As we have not observed FDF and URK over a long period, we cannot point out exactly how the organisations’ values have changed over time and which earlier values have been predominant, but we believe the respondents provide us with that in their interviews. We have not asked the respondents directly about which values they have developed while volunteering and the values claimed are thus according to our interpretation of their answers.

The volunteers in FDF, talk about what they have learned, how they have changed after becoming a volunteer, and the values, they have developed, can briefly be summarised as: Christianity, human values, such as tolerance, responsibility, and community, and practical values, such as creativity and organising. These values are all represented in FDF’s official core values (Appendix 3). We therefore believe that the volunteers adopt FDF’s values, even though it is difficult for them to explicate them further. If we look at how the volunteers affect FDF, it looks very different and it is only possible to observe one area where the volunteers partly affect the organisation’s values which is concerning the Christian aim. As previously mentioned, we have argued that doxa is the main preventer from volunteer influence.

In URK, the volunteers acquire humanitarian values, such as tolerance, respect and understanding, a societal perspective as well as market orientated values, such as results, qualitative and quantitative growth, and quality. URK is remarkably influenced by the volunteers’ professional values. The volunteers are university students and thereby contribute with a market thinking when focusing on CV and competencies. Further URK,

is being influenced by the volunteers’ ambitions. The core values in URK reflect the values of the volunteers (Appendix 4).

The executive director argues, how this tendency to change, has always been characterising for URK :

“We have forced ourselves to always to break, always rethink what we are doing. We need to change constantly in order to reach further (and help more children) and do things better” (Interview 15).

The relational perspective seems to be relevant for both FDF and URK and thereby the universal volunteer enters and adopts values and especially volunteers in URK transform the organisation as well. We believe that this modelling of both volunteers and organisations is not always problem free and agreed on. We find it to be a noisy process between the volunteers and organisations to define which values should dominate the organisations.

It is not discussed openly, but we see it as a struggle to define the organisation. We would like to elaborate on these value struggles; in FDF we consider the main value struggle to be FDF’s Christian aim and the primary struggle in URK is considered being about professionalism.

6.5.1 The struggle of the professionalised URK

In 2010, the general assembly adopted the organisational strategy, which included professionalism as a value. The organisational vice president was part of developing that strategy, but when asked in the interview about professionalism as a value, he rejects it.

The fact that he is mistaken is not as interesting as the fact that it symbolises the ongoing struggle in the organisation about whether professionalism should be a value and to what extent. URK has, for some years now, focused on professionalising the organisation but the statement may be an expression of URK dissociating from it.

In the recent decades, URK has developed from what the volunteers call a grassroots organisation to a more professionalised organisation. From the empirical quotes it is evident that both volunteers and management are ambivalent when it comes to how professionalism should dominate the organisation:

“We have to balance and still make it attractive to be a part of URK and not al-lowing professionalisation to make it exclusive by demanding too much. When we professionalise by requiring our volunteers to commit, it has to be necessary and worth the risk. Because if we professionalise the entire voluntary organisa-tion, we become elitist and not a movement” (Interview 15).

The volunteers share the executive director’s concern and express how they are worried that URK is adapting a top down structure. Just seven to eight years ago the volunteers found it easier to start up new things and they felt they had more freedom in their voluntary work. On the other hand they also appreciate how the professionalisation of URK has brought in structure which makes it easier to see that they are actually making a difference and the structure also help them practice the ideas that would otherwise not be caught up on.

Another perspective in the struggle is, how everyone is articulating that URK has become professionalised. Even though some of the volunteers are not necessarily entering URK with the primary purpose of enhancing their CV, all of the respondents mention this type of volunteer. In that way, they maintain a certain way of speaking regarding URK even though they do not agree with this perception of the volunteers. The language in URK is also dominated by professional wording; strategies, action plans, quality and effect and in that way the organisation becomes professionalised despite it being a value or not. URK supports this tone by articulating how the volunteers can convert their experiences gained in URK into competences that can be used at the labour market.

Further, URK often demands specific competences from the volunteers when recruiting.

This is an expression of the fact that URK does wish to maintain some of the aspects of a professionalised organisation. They do want growth and goal orientation but not a completely professionalised organisation:

“When you go up the ladder, at last you hit Danish Red Cross and Kræftens Bekæmpelse, where the volunteering disappears, the ownership disappears, and you contribute to lesser quality in my view. Right now we are working on how we can reach, what I call, a hybrid organisation with a big system and much empathy at the same time”( Interview 16).

The hybrid organisation is the organisational vice president’s way of encapsulating the essence of this struggle – how to combine two worlds. Because this empathy that he speaks of is visible in the organisation. The volunteers who, to a large extent, bring in the professional value also adopt altruistic values over time. This is evident as many of the respondents emphasise the joy of making a difference to the children. Respondent 10 expresses that she experiences volunteers in URK as being compassionate in what they do and as having a desire to be with the children. The organisational vice president contribute to this view:

“I experience from the volunteers that it is the smile, the presence, the feeling of contributing, help changing things that make volunteers stay for a longer time”

(Interview 16).

6.5.2 The struggle of the Christian aim in FDF

“FDF would be a bird without wings if we do not know our roots and can return to those, when we need to know what it means to be a human and what it me-ans to live” (Interview 2).

The general secretary is expressing himself about the Christian values and none of the respondents disagree with the Christian values in FDF, but many disagree with the aim, which is to meet children and young people with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

The chairman of the board says:

“Some are in FDF because of the strong Christian narrative, and some are here because of the community where they have their best friends, and some are here due to the activities. There are both strengths and weaknesses about that”

(Interview 1).

Not everyone in FDF is there because of the Christian aim. Many volunteers have their own purpose of being in FDF which is different than the aim. The aim has often been debated but only changed in 1971, when the boys and girls were united in one organisation.

In pace with the secularised society and the entering of the universal volunteer in the organisation, all volunteers are not necessarily sharing the same strong Christian values.

Even though they do believe Christianity is a value for FDF, it is not the same as living up to the aim and the strong Christian wording. Some of the respondents point out that the aim sounds old fashioned and generally none of the respondents are living up to the aim in their daily FDF work. In that way, the aim does not function as an aim that the volunteers are trying to accomplish, but rather functions as a value. Hence, a struggle can be seen in the organisation, where volunteers and the organisation ‘struggle’ about the influence and the topicality of the Christian aim.

“We have just re-confirmed our articles of association at the national congress and thereby we still wish to have our aim. How, we anno 2013, meet children and young people with the gospel, we have to find new ways of ” (Interview 1).

Formally the Christian aim dominates FDF as the chairman points out, but when trying to analyse in practice how the Christian aim really dominates the organisation, the struggle is significant. FDF is in tradition closely connected to the church, as the units belong to parishes. Changing the aim in FDF would mean a break with history, which can be difficult:

“Something happens when an organisation turns over a 100 years old. There are some traditions that belong to the organisation. Finding a completely new

aim I believe you have to be careful about because it means that everyone has to redefine themselves” (Interview 1).

The internal volunteers believe that the Christian foundation makes FDF unique compared to other scouts organisations, but all the volunteers are questioning the aim. Respondent 8 says:

“In the way society develops I am not sure that the aim keeps being suitable.

Not if we have to develop and attract in the future. Society is turning more and more multi cultural and then it may not be the way to go, but it is fundamental to our organisation so you don’t just change that” (interview 8).

As both the chairman and respondent 8 point out, changing a tradition is difficult, and as we have already analysed, the culture in FDF is conservative and dominated by the elder, which may make it even more difficult to implement changes. But when the volunteers in action or in words do not communicate the Christian aim, the aim will lose impact in the organisation. In that way action and intentions become separated and thereby you can argue that the Christian aim is not defining the organisation. FDF will become decoupled from their aim in action and the aim will remain as a legacy and not as something the organisation is truly aiming at.