TY - JOUR

T1 - Volunteer Retention in Prosocial Venturing

T2 - The Role of Emotional Connectivity

AU - Farny, Steffen

AU - Kibler, Ewald

AU - Hai, Solange

AU - Landoni, Paolo

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s) 2018.

PY - 2019/11/1

Y1 - 2019/11/1

N2 - 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.

AB - 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.

KW - Management studies

KW - Sustainability sciences, Management & Economics

KW - Entrepreneurship

KW - ambivalence

KW - emotions

KW - entrepreneurship

KW - management practices

KW - prosocial venturing

KW - volunteer retention

UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85055127885&partnerID=8YFLogxK

U2 - 10.1177/1042258718769055

DO - 10.1177/1042258718769055

M3 - Journal articles

VL - 43

SP - 1094

EP - 1123

JO - Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice

JF - Entrepreneurship: Theory and Practice

SN - 1042-2587

IS - 6

ER -