About this Event
CBISS Research Forum| Beyond the Frame
When people care deeply about a cause, does that make them easier to manage—or make the manager’s job more complicated?
Volunteers bring passion, commitment and a desire to make a difference. But what happens when that passion clashes with organisational expectations? Who manages the emotional tensions, and how much of that work goes unseen?
Join the Centre for Business Innovation & Sustainable Solutions (CBISS) for a research forum with Professor Jenna Ward, presenting her joint research with Professor Anne-marie Greene.
Date: Monday 30 November 2026
Time: 11.00 am–12.00 noon
Venue: CRL 2/04, Craiglockhart Campus, Edinburgh Napier University
Beyond the Frame: the role of emotional resonance and frame in understanding what managers of volunteers do
Drawing on critical qualitative research, Jenna will explore how beliefs about volunteer altruism shape what managers are expected to do—and can prevent us from recognising the emotional demands of their work. The discussion will challenge familiar assumptions about volunteering and consider what these reveal about managing people, purpose and commitment.
Why attend?
- Rethink the relationship between passion and management. Explore why commitment to a shared cause can create tensions as well as opportunities.
- Recognise the emotional work behind leadership. Consider the demands that job descriptions and organisational policies can overlook.
- Develop your research thinking. Discuss how framing and emotional resonance can help us understand organisational experiences, drawing on a critical qualitative approach.
- Connect research with practice. Exchange ideas with colleagues interested in how organisations support people while delivering their mission.
Who should come along?
The forum is relevant to researchers and doctoral students working on leadership, organisational behaviour, HRM, wellbeing, emotions at work or qualitative methods. It will also interest volunteer managers, charity and social enterprise leaders, community organisers, and anyone who leads people motivated by a strong sense of purpose.
You do not need a background in volunteer management to join the discussion. If your work involves understanding people, commitment and organisational expectations, there will be plenty to consider.
About Jenna
Jenna is Professor of Organisation, Work and Emotion and Dean of the College of Business and Law at Coventry University. Her research explores emotions in organisational life, with particular attention to experiences and voices that are often overlooked. She uses innovative arts-based and ethnographic approaches to investigate emotional labour and the management of volunteers, working with organisations including the National Trust, NHS, Samaritans and England Netball.
Co-author
Anne-marie is Professor of Work and Diversity and Director of Research Impact at the University of York’s School for Business and Society. Her research examines equality, diversity and inclusion, particularly in work shaped by calling, mission or activism. Her studies span volunteers, clergy, creative workers and trade union representatives, connecting questions of management with work, community and inequality.
Bring your questions, experiences and curiosity—we look forward to welcoming you.
Event venue & nearby stays
Edinburgh Napier University, Craiglockhart Campus, 219 Colinton Road, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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