Volunteer Retention in Prosocial Venturing: The Role of Emotional Connectivity

Steffen Farny, Ewald Kibler, Solange Hai and Paolo Landoni

Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice, 2019, vol. 43, issue 6, 1094-1123

Abstract: This study develops an understanding of the role of emotional connectivity for volunteer retention in prosocial business venturing. By embedding it in organizational ambivalence theory, our analysis of four volunteer-dependent community ventures reveals two mechanisms through which entrepreneurs strengthen volunteers’ emotional connectivity. We first identify emotion-focused practices that form volunteers’ emotional attachment to the venture, and then demonstrate how duality-focused practices, in the form of managing inherent organizational duality, complement emotion-focused practices to foster volunteers’ emotional loyalty to the venture. Theorizing from our findings, we introduce a model of managing volunteers’ emotional connectivity, and conclude by discussing its implications for prosocial venture research on volunteerism and affective commitment.

Keywords: emotions; entrepreneurship; prosocial venturing; ambivalence; volunteer retention; management practices (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2019
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Citations: View citations in EconPapers (12)

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:sae:entthe:v:43:y:2019:i:6:p:1094-1123

DOI: 10.1177/1042258718769055

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