Working Together in Unity: Managing Conflict Leading Volunteers

Working Together in Unity: Managing Conflict Leading Volunteers is a concise yet comprehensive primary source of reference on managing conflict and leading volunteers. Unlike most books written on conflict resolution, this book was written specifically for leaders in organizations that use volunteers to augment their staff to accomplish its daily activities.

Working Together in Unity: Managing Conflict Leading Volunteers provides practical guidance on the unique temperament, character and commitment of the four generations of 21st Century volunteers that are in the workplace. It will equip volunteer program administrators and leaders with the important concepts of effective communication, management, leadership and conflict resolution to help create a more positive and effectual work environment. Unlike other organizations, many non-profit organizations have a unique mix of both paid and unpaid staff. Both groups are equally important to accomplish the organization’s mission and goals. It is therefore imperative that the organization’s leadership teams are equipped to effectively tap into the passion and excellence that both volunteers and staff members bring to the organization.

Many volunteer leaders and volunteer program administrators have not received advance training on leadership, conflict management or communication skills. They were committed, devoted volunteers and in many cases they were recruited and selected to be leaders based on their volunteer experience. As a result, they may not be aware of the various business management models and theories that exist to help people communicate in more powerful and helpful ways. The utilization of these improved communication skills can help to create a harmonious environment that will energize the collective efforts of the staff and volunteers as a whole. With this in mind, Working Together in Unity: Managing Conflict Leading Volunteers was written.

Readers will discover how to:

Find common ground to handle conflict
Build trust and maintain positive harmonious relationships
Make use of new communication trends including social media networking
Utilize positive interactive collaborative conflict resolution methods to reach win-win solutions
Appreciate how cultural differences and worldviews impact relationships
Understand personality styles
Use critical thinking skills to resolve problems
Effectively motivate, recruit, train, and retain volunteers
Build bridges across 4 generations of staff members and volunteers to work together in unity

Working Together in Unity: Managing Conflict Leading Volunteers will help organizational leaders, volunteer managers, and volunteer program administrators understand, unite and ignite four generations of 21st Century volunteers. Armed with the new tools covered in this book, volunteer leaders will be able to creatively lead their organization’s volunteer programs and inspire and motivate their teams to reach their peak performance and achieve their highest level of success!

Dr. Karen Adams is a certified senior human resources professional specializing in Employee/Labor Relations and Conflict Resolution. She has enjoyed a successful career in the private sector and is currently the Director of Human Resources at a private Christian university. She conducts workshops and is a sought after speaker at seminars and conferences. She has served on the Board of Directors for large non-profit organizations. Dr. Adams earned her Doctor of Ministry at Vision International University, her MBA at Texas Woman’s University and her Bachelor of Science at the University of Maryland.