21769 Human Resources in the Third Sector

Subject level: Postgraduate

Handbook description

This subject examines the prerequisites of good management, i.e. the management of basic human and material resources. It focuses on those features and issues of human resource management (HRM) that are distinctive of community or nonprofit organisations, including the nature of the labour market, the use of volunteers, and the issues of leadership, control, and best practice.

Subject objectives/outcomes

On successful completion of this subject, students should be able to:

1. describe and critically analyse the community sector labour market and its implications for employment practice
2. explain and critically evaluate the role of volunteers, including volunteer boards of management within the community (nonprofit) sector
3. identify the statutory obligations of an employer in the community sector, noting the similarities and differences across sectors
4. identify and critically evaluate the forms of rewards and remunerations available to third sector workers
5. describe and critically analyse the role of the professional within community (nonprofit) organisations, with particular reference to the concepts of career, burnout, control and leadership
6. define and critically evaluate the principles of service quality benchmarking within community (nonprofit organisations)
7. describe and critically evaluate the cultural context in which community organisation workers are employed
8. describe and critically analyse the concept of strategic HRM, and its applicability to the community (nonprofit) sector
9. apply a knowledge of human resources and relevant issues to an analysis of a specific community organisation.

Contribution to graduate profile

This subject, together with the subject Resource Management, examines the prerequisites of good management, ie the management of basic human and material resources. The subject focuses on those features and issues of HRM that are distinctive of the community or nonprofit organisations.

Teaching and learning strategies

The Learning Guide, which contains subject and content outlines and information, suggests a learning pathway students might follow and directs student learning towards the assessment tasks. It helps students to keep track of the entire subject while simultaneously working on the details, and to move through the subject with some freedom about the pace and times that best suit them.

Teaching strategies also include the promotion of learning partnerships. These partnerships are made up of smaller groups and provide an open and less formal forum for students to discuss interpretations of learning tasks, theoretical issues and responses to various readings. The partnerships also allow students to share the diversity of their own experiences and backgrounds as a way of informing responses to issues raised in the course and promote networking among class members.

These strategies are supported by a series of face-to-face lectures.

Content

• Primary and secondary labour markets and community services.
• Volunteers: characteristics, motivations and role; the recruitment and effective use of volunteer boards of management.
• The statutory obligations of employers: legislation, awards, and good practice.
• Remuneration and rewards.
• Professionals, career, and burnout in the community sector.
• Leadership in the community sector; alternative models of leadership and networking.
• Management, performance review, and the issue of control.
• Benchmarking: training and supervision for whom, and how?
• Conflict, disputes, and their resolution.
• Strategic HRM and its applicability to the community sector; the learning organisation as a model.
• The cultural context of employment; matching expectations and values.
• Developing policies and strategies.

Assessment

Assessment item 1: Essay

Assessment item 2: Work Based Project

Required text(s)

Human Resources in the Third Sector Book of Readings

Indicative references

Alatrista, J & Arrowsmith, J. (2003) 'Managing employee commitment in the not-for-profit sector' in Personnel Review, vol. 33 (5): pp 536-548

Anonymous (2004) 'The foccacia' in Review-Institute of Public Affairs, vol. 56 (4): 30-31

Bayne, C. (2003) 'All the right questions' Business Mexico, vol. 13 (2): 17-19

Boxall, P. & Purcell, J. (2003) 'Human Resource Management and Business Performance'. Chapter One in Strategy and Human Resource Management. Hampshire, England: Palgrave Macmillan

Brotheridge, C.M. & Grandey, A.A. (2002) 'Emotional Labor and Burnout: Comparing Two Perspectives of 'People Work'' in Journal of Vocational Behavior, vol. 60, 17-39

Chou, A., Jordan, C. & Kilpatrick, A.R. (2004) 'Nonprofits' untapped resources' in McKinsey Quarterly, Issue 1: 21-23

Combet, G. (2004) 'Beyond the budget: building a nation' in Australian Journal of Social Issues, vol. 39 (2)

Considine, M. (2003) 'Governance and competition: the role of non-profit organisations in the delivery of public services' in Australian Journal of Political Science, vol. 38 (1): 63-77

Cordingley, S. (2000) 'The Definition and Principles of volunteering' in Warburton, J. & Oppenheimer, M. (eds) volunteers and volunteering Sydney, Federation Press: 73-82

Durst, S. L. & Newell, C. (2001) 'The Who, Why, and How of Reinvention in Nonprofit Organizations' in Nonprofit Management and Leadership, vol. 11 (4): 443-457

Ellem, Bradon, Baird Marian, Cooper Rae & Lansbury Russell (2006) 'Workchoices: myth-making at work' in Journal of Australian Political Economy No. 56: 13-31

Freedman, M. (2004) 'Take advantage of us!' in Stanford Social Innovation Review: 75-76

Freyens Benoit & Oslington Paul (2006) 'The likely employment impact of removing unfair dismissal protection' in Journal of Australian Political Economy No. 56: 57-65

Gray, M. & Jacqueline Tudball (2002) 'Family-Friendly Work Practices: Differences Within and Between Workplaces', Research Report

Johnson, H. & Wilson, G. (2000) 'Institutional sustainability as learning' in Development and Management, United Kingdom: Oxfam

Kaplan, R. S. (2001) 'Strategic performance measurement and management in nonprofit organizations' in Nonprofit Management and Leadership, vol. 11 (3): 353-370

King John & Stilwell Frank (2006) 'The industrial relations 'reforms': an introduction' in Journal of Australian Political Economy No. 56: 6-12

Lavigna, R. J. & Hays, S.W. (2004) 'Recruitment and selection of public workers: an international compendium of trends and practices' in Public Personnel Management Fall, vol. 3 (3): 237-253

Meyerson, D.E. (2003) 'Who Tempered Radicals Are and What They Do' in Tempered Radicals – How Everyday Leaders Inspire Change at Work, Boston, Massachusetts: Harvard, 3-18

Millmore, M. (2003) 'Just how extensive is the practice of strategic recruitment?' in The Irish Journal of Management January 2003: 87-108

Ospina, S., Diaz, W. & O'Sulliavn, J. (2002) 'Negotiating accountability: managerial lessons from identity-based nonprofit organisations' in Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, vol. 31 (1): 5-31

Patrickson, M. & Hartmann. L. (2001) 'Human resource management in Australia: Prospects for the twenty-first century' in International Journal of Manpower, vol. 22 (3): 198-206

Pusey, M. (2000) 'Middle Australians in the Grip of Economic Reform…Will They Volunteer?' in Warburton, J. & Oppenheimer, M. (eds) Volunteers and Volunteering Sydney, Federation Press: 19-31

Santora, J.C. & Sarros, J.C. (2001) 'CEO succession in nonprofit community-based organisations: is there room for insiders at the top?' in Career Development International, vol. 6 (2); 107-110

Steinberg, M. & Cain, L. (2004) 'Managing an aging third sector workforce: international and local perspectives' in Third Sector Review, vol. 10 (1): 7-26

Stewart-Weeks, M. (2001) 'Voice and the Third Sector: Why Social Entrepreneurs Matter' in Third Sector Review, vol. 7 (2): 23-39

Van Gramberg, B. (2002) 'Management of Workplace Conflict'. Chapter Nine in Employee Relations Management – Australia in a Global Context, Sydney: Prentice Hall

Walsh, J.A. (2002) 'Nonprofit Boards: Eight Leadership Development Stories' in Nonprofit World, vol. 20, (1): 11-17

Zappala, G. (2004) 'Corporate citizenship and human resource management: a new tool or a missed opportunity?' in Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, vol. 42 (2): 185- 201