Communication and people management in voluntary organisations: a case study of a scout centre

Communication and people management is an important aspect of working with volunteers. This thesis includes a case study of a scout centre to analyse perceptions, current situations with problems and suggestions for improving communication and leadership. The main objective was to analyse the situation with suggestions for improvement for subsequent implementation. Primarily, it was about open, effective, functioning communication, its settings and barriers, management of meetings, role transfer and feedback. Subsequent verification of the applicability and functionality of the proposed solutions within the Scout Centre. The theoretical part includes basic definitions of selected themes emerging during the interviews conducted, always from the perspectives of several authors. In order to fulfil the objectives of the thesis, qualitative research was carried out using in-depth semi-structured interviews, followed by qualitative verification of the data obtained using a questionnaire survey. The result of the research points to deficiencies especially in the area of open communication, fear of expressing one's opinions and deficiencies in the management of the centre. These factors are historically determined, but there has been a significant shift for the better in the last three years. Regular meetings of managers and thus improving personal relationships would be most helpful in improving the situation. The questionnaire survey showed that it is always necessary to look at the age distribution of the leaders I work with and adapt the preparation and organisation to their needs. The outcomes of the work are specific to the Scout Centre and may not be transferable to other voluntary organisations. Nevertheless, the outputs are very valuable and will be used for subsequent work with leaders.