Literature Review on "Examining Nonprofit Human Services Employees Intentions to Leave Employment"

Literature Review 17 pages (4983 words) Sources: 1+

[EXCERPT] . . . .

Nonprofit Human Services Employees' Intentions to Leave Employment

The Literature Review section plays a dual part within the current endeavor. On the one hand, it collects the relevant information in the specialized literature and centralizes it in a single, integrated and unified chapter. The information as such collected is relevant and useful not only for the current study, but also for other research endeavors. In other words, the current section retrieves the most important findings in the literature related to employment in the not-for-profit sector and constitutes a new theoretical and integrated approach of the topic.

On the other hand, the section represents the starting point in the completion of the current study. This virtually means that the review of the available literature creates a context in which the researcher, as well as the readers, becomes familiar with the topic of employment within the not-for-profit sector. This feature of the Literature Review section generates a twofold gain, as follows:

First of all, it creates the setting within which the study would be conducted

Second of all, it creates additional knowledge of the field and the topic and it as such helps answer the initially posed research questions.

Given this secondary benefit of the section, it is at this stage necessary to generate a breakdown between the components of the section and the initially posed research questions. In this order of ideas, with the stated objective of supporting the search for answers to the research questions and to responding to the challenges raised by the problem statement, the Literature Review section would include the following sections:

a) the need for skilled staff members in the nonprofit sector

b) Education and the belief in the organizational core values and mission

c) Education and the decision to remain with the agency or leave it

d) Education and the levels of employee satisfaction

e) Education and the ultimate decision to leave the firm or remain with it

f) Elements which determine employees in the nonprofit sector to seek employment in the for profit sector

g) the impacts of high employee turnover in the nonprofit sector

In order to however answer these questions, it is necessary to develop and implement a gradual approach of the topic. In this order of ideas, the first action in this sense would be represented by the offering of definitions and contexts to lead to a wider comprehension of the term nonprofit entity. Additionally, emphasis would be placed on the elements which attract people to work in not-for-profit agencies and the rationale behind their decisions to work in such entities.

2. The nonprofit sector

Barry Keating and Maryann O. Keating (2008) argue that the traditional firm is created to sell goods and services in order to generate revenues and profits. Despite the fact that these entities are often most common within the modern day society, the authors argue that other organizations are also present within the society. They divide these entities into four categories, as follows:

Private for profit firms

Private not-for-profit firms

Private quasi-public organizations, and finally

Public governmental agencies

The private for profit firms include all categories of entities from small size family businesses to large multinational corporations. These agents operate with the scope of retailing their products and services and as such generating profits. The private not-for-profit entities focus on creating social benefits, but they are distinguished by the fact that they sell their own products and services to generate revenues to sustain their operations, but they also rely on donations and other contributions.

The private quasi-public organizations are generally represented by the utilities companies, characterized by the fact that they act as monopolies, but are regulated by the state. Finally, the public governmental agencies are created and operated by governments. They are funded from public money collected from the population in the form of taxes and they serve the scope of offering public services to the populations, such as education or medical care.

At the level of the current study, the terms of not-for-profit sector or not-for-profit agency are used to describe the two categories of private not-for-profit agencies, but also public governmental agencies. Howard H. Brown, Donald L. Ruhl (2003) mention that the most likely fields in which not-for-profit organizations would be found refer to the fields of arts, culture, religion, health, education, human services and environmental services. The authors of Breakthrough management for not-for-profit organizations: beyond survival in the 21st century also offer a generic definition of the concept, as follows:

A NFP (not-for-profit) "is not a for-profit that can return profits to its owners / shareholders and not a governmental agency that operates on tax dollars to do its work for the public. A not-for-profit organization is a private corporation, self-governed by volunteers, that must invest any 'profits' in the service of the public it has been 'approved' to serve" (Brown and Ruhl, 2003).

Aside from offering a definition, the authors also present the readers with a comprehensive list of the features which characterize the not-for-profit organizations. These elements refer to the following:

a) the NFP organization strives to improve human condition.

b) the organization generates public trust and this features in its mission.

c) the mission represents the operational bottom-line at the firm.

d) the attachment to the organizational mission and vision is strong.

e) the organizational focus falls on the provision of services.

f) the NFP reveals an increased need for openness, cooperation, sharing, democracy and participation.

g) There is an increased sense of obligation towards the public's well-being.

h) the donors play an important part as stakeholders.

i) the resources available to the not-for-profit entity are restricted as opposed to the resources available to for-profit organizations.

j) Organizational resources are dependent on alliances and partnerships, situation which further increases the need for these alliances and partnerships.

k) Not-for-profit firms often come to rely on the for-profit sector

l) the need for volunteers is increased and their role is crucial in agency success

m) Not-for-profit agencies could often be run by a paid chief executive officer, who will report to a board.

n) the involvement of volunteers generates additional organizational complexities.

o) the dynamics of paid and not-paid interactions also generate additional complexities.

p) There is an enhanced need for organizational goals in order to ensure high quality interactions and operations.

q) Finally, the involvement of volunteers generates the need for "an enhanced focus on the individual in work design and motivational strategy" (Brown and Ruhl, 2003).

3. The need for skilled staff members

The need for highly skilled and trained staff members is crucial in all sectors and organizations, but even more so within service providing companies, where the firms do not offer a material product and in which the success of the entities depends directly on the skills and abilities of the staff members. These ensure a high quality of the interaction between firm -- represented by the employees -- and customers, which in turn generates customer satisfaction and organizational success. This realization further implies that the economic agents must not only observe the interactions of the staff members, but must also stimulate their professional and personal developments (Boyd, 2003).

Aside from the traditional service providing companies, the agencies in the not for profit sector reveal an even further increased need for highly skilled and trained staff members. This is generically due to the fact that they have to support the firm in reaching its objective. The objective is linked to social well-being and it is as such more complex. Additionally, the employees have to complete their tasks within various resource constraints, and this further generates needs for high skills, adaptability as well as other features of the staff members.

Warren Ruppel (2005) mentions that the need for highly skilled and trained staff members to be employed in the not-for-profit sector is pegged to the necessity of these members to comply with a wide array of responsibilities, such as those below:

Transparency

Objectivity

Support for organizational mission

Ensuring communication

Continually improving their performance levels

Organizational efficiency and the support of finding the best practices (Ruppel, 2005).

4. The sources of attraction towards the nonprofit sector

At this stage of the Literature review section, emphasis would be placed on the elements which draw individuals towards the not-for-profit sector and the reasons as to why the individuals choose to work in the field. The reasons are multiple and supported and promoted by various sources. One notable opinion belongs to Kirkland (2007), who believes that the main reason as to why people will get jobs in the not-for-profit sector is represented by the desire to gain experience. In this order of ideas, the individuals will often become employed on entry level positions and will accept lower pays. This concession is made with the desire to gain experience and professional formation. Eventually, when a better opportunity arises, the individual would embrace it and leave the company to work in a better paid for-profit entity.

This feature of supporting the professional formation… READ MORE

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