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Voluntarism and the Manager: The Impacts of Structural Pressure and Personal Interest on Community Participation

Jon M. Shepard

The extent to which participation in voluntary organizations reflects autonomous decisions by individuals, rather than a less than fully voluntary response to social pressure, has been a matter of debate in the voluntary action literature. Middle- level managers of manufacturing companies are particularly likely to experience pressures regarding the extent and nature of their participation in local organiza tions. For this reason, a nationwide sample of production managers is used to explore the relative usefulness of personal interest in community affairs, of socio- demographic and structural characteristics known to be related to participation, and of company policy for predicting participation in local voluntary organizations. Participation is shown to reflect a number of factors, including company policy. However, the importance of community interest suggests that membership and participation in many organizations continue to be perceived as voluntary.

Nonprofit and Voluntary Sector Quarterly, Vol. 14, No. 2-3, 65-78 (1985)
DOI: 10.1177/089976408501400210


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