What motivates a student to do voluntary work? : A qualitative case study of Östgöta nation

Abstract: The purpose of this thesis was to provide an understanding of the underlying motives behind students’ voluntary work at a student nation. It was carried out as a qualitative case study, where the focus was placed on Östgöta nation workers. Östgöta nation represents one of the thirteen student nations found in Uppsala, Sweden. The theoretical review draws upon four concepts, namely, intrinsic motivation, extrinsic motivation, organisational identification, and organisational citizenship behaviour. Consequently, these four concepts were used to construct a theoretical model, which served as a framework to understand what factors affect worker motives. Empirical material was collected through the conduct of one focus group and five individual interviews, and was subsequently analysed using a thematic approach. Our findings suggest that the underlying reasons behind a student’s work motives are their inherent need to socialize, as well as to belong to a social group. In addition, workers tend to develop a high degree of relatedness between one another. This, in turn, leads them to exhibit behaviour, where they over-perform and help each other. The presence of such behaviour in the workplace, in conjunction with non-monetary rewards, provides us with an understanding of how students motivate their decision of working in a student nation. In conclusion, we advocate student nations to foster altruism and solidarity within their work environment, which would improve their capability of securing and maintaining a sufficient workforce.