Performance-Oriented Practices in Voluntary Organisations: The Case of Health and Community Services in the UK

Government reforms have led voluntary organisations to become more involved in the provision of mainstream public services in the UK and consequently they have been subject to an increasingly demanding regime of performance measurement and inspection if they wish to provide services on behalf of the state. The creation of a contract culture has put voluntary sector providers in a position where they have to bid against each other to deliver pre-determined services, resulting in a very competitive operating environment. In recent years the approach to the management of human resources in voluntary organisations has changed and this is partly due to the increased role of the voluntary sector in contracting for the provision of publicly funded services. This paper investigates whether the growing reliance of voluntary organisations on public funding, as well as increased emphasis on performance-based contract competition have influenced the use of performance-oriented practices in these organisations, particularly in health and community services, leading to a high degree of uniformity in HR practices between public and voluntary sector organisations.