The Relationship between Perceived Shared Leadership in Teams and Volunteer Role Commitment

The problem identified in this quantitative correlational study was the challenge of volunteer role commitment. Building on a theoretical foundation of inclusion and desire to create a meaningful volunteer experience, the hypothesis that perceived shared leadership in teams would predict volunteer role commitment was supported. Volunteers from five Seventh-day Adventist Churches in Northern California completed surveys that provided data to examine the relationship between the perceived presence of shared leadership in teams and volunteer role commitment. The two research questions were: (1) was there a positive relationship between the perception of shared leadership in teams and volunteer role commitment?; and (2) what characteristics of shared leadership in teams predicted role commitment for volunteers? To test the relationship between the independent variable of shared leadership and the dependent variable of volunteer role commitment, the researcher used the Pearson's product-moment correlation coefficient. The use of multiple regression analyses helped to determine which characteristics of shared leadership predicted volunteer role commitment. Results showed statistically significant correlations between variables and results of the regression analysis revealed that volunteers wanted inclusive roles to help them stay committed. The researcher of this study provided recommendations of strategies to help non-profit organizations develop effective management practices for volunteers. The greater implications of this study were that creating an atmosphere of shared leadership could help non-profits in the development and retention of valuable volunteers.;Keywords: Shared Leadership, Role Commitment, Volunteers.