Developing Leadership in the Third Age: An Ethnographic Study of Leadership in a Seniors' Center

Abstract

As the population ages, there is increasing interest in the role of senior volunteers in delivering social service, leisure, and educational programs to their peers. In this regard seniors'centers have become a focus for research in the United States and Canada The question this study addresses is, What motivates seniors to take on leadership roles in the groups and centers to which they belong? We know leadership training is a factor, but what other organizational influences may either inhibit or encourage participation? To address these questions, the study assumes an organizational culture perspective and explores organizational leadership in a seniors' center in western Canada In the tradition of ethnographic research, methods include document analyses, participant observations, iterative interviews, and focus group discussions. Results suggestfactors influencing emergent leadership include assumptions about (1) the nature of retirement, (2) the needs and abilities of seniors, (3) power and influence, and (4) leadership. Leadership training and a style of empowering professional leadership are offered as means to overcome common assumptions that serve as barriers to the emergence of seniors as leaders.