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RESEARCH PRODUCT

How to succeed with volunteers on the basis of commitment and ownership

subject

description

Organising a multidisciplinary student organisation face challenges in regards to student engagement,ownership and commitment. This article will discuss key factors to create commitmentand ownership in volunteer organisations. The identified factors are 1) an engaged core group ofambassadors who spread motivation, passion and drive, 2) build relations across departments andlevel of responsibility to lower the threshold to share ideas, give feedback and ask for advice, 3)expedient and communicated organisational structure that divides responsibility and ensures collaboration,and 4) clear individual and personal incentive to participate. These factors will increaseyour likelihood of success with motivating your members to be committed and take ownership.Align Racing UiA, the case of this study, is a student organisation with over 60 students engagedin multidisciplinary tasks. The team goal is to produce one race car per year and compete in FormulaStudent. The core visions for the team was establishment of community spirit, ownership andcommonly established success factors. This vision, and continuous progress, was enacted throughoutthe year of the competition with a focus on dependable communication across the departmentsand fast paced problem solving. The team achievements were impressive, compared with otherFormula Student teams.