Linking Citizen Participation to Empowerment Practice

Abstract

The author examines the social work literature on citizen participation and empowerment in order to identify key concepts that can be used to define empowerment-oriented community practice. A historical overview of the emergence of citizen participation and empowerment in the practice literature is presented, along with an overview of similar innovations and concepts related to social service delivery: the use of informal help and the Independent Living Movement. This literature is used to develop a model of empowerment practice that focuses on the importance of participatory decision-making structures in community-based organizations.     

Intergenerational Community Action and Youth Empowerment

Abstract

Empowerment theory can provide a useful framework for the design and evaluation of intergenerational community-building programs. Using an intervention research approach that draws heavily on empowerment theory, the author designed, facilitated, and evaluated an innovative model for intergenerational community engagement involving undergraduate students and older adult residents of an assisted living facility. This “Intergenerational Community Action Group” met at the assisted living facility throughout a school year to engage in group-building activities, to discuss and choose an issue of concern to them in the community, and to plan and implement an action project to address the issue. This article discusses the use of empowerment theory in intergenerational community action and similar programs, and reviews the empowerment outcomes for youth participants in the Intergenerational Community Action Group.     

Organizational Characteristics of Voluntary Associations in Kanagawa, Japan

The purpose of this paper is to define the organizational characteristics of voluntary associations and grass-roots organizations (NPO) in Japan by a quantitative survey and by clarifying their organizational structures. First, with respect to formalization of the organization, it appears that the differences in the scale of the organization are greater than the fields and forms of the activities. If the scale is related to the degree of formalization, we can consider that the "invisibility" which describes the present situation of voluntary associations as a result of being small. However, if we look at the changes in the organizational structure and their activities, one will know such a result is not always true. Over 80% of the organizations have begun new activities. As the structures of the organizations change, we cannot conclude that the voluntary associations are merely immature. More likely, the action of the formalizing process depending on the organizational scale competes with the action of changing the definition of formalization. Second, when we analyzed the actual situation of the innovation, we discovered that the emergence of the new activities was related to whether and how strongly they related externally. Particularly, in the case of providing human and social welfare services, the stronger the relationship with the caretaker (client) is, the more new activities emerge. If so, this leads to the next hypothesis, that the origins of the innovation in these organizations are demanded by what the external relationship should be.     

Empowerment in Coalitions Targeting Underage Drinking: Differential Effects of Organizational Characteristics for Volunteers and Staff

Social work has adopted the Grand Challenge to reduce and prevent alcohol misuse and related consequences. This study extends previous research through a macro examination of distinct roles within coalitions implementing prevention strategies targeting underage alcohol use. The purpose was to determine whether hypothesized relationships among organizational characteristics, empowerment variables, and perceived effectiveness differed for 2 subgroups (i.e., volunteers and paid staff). The sample was comprised of 357 survey participants affiliated with a statewide substance abuse initiative. Structural equation modeling was used to examine hypothesized relationships between study variables and found differences among subgroups. Results can inform organizational processes within coalitions that focus on engaging different groups to have a stronger impact on community issues, such as substance use consequences.     

An Empowerment Approach in Teaching a Class about Autism for Social Work Students

Social workers are being asked to respond to the rapidly increasing number of individuals and families affected by Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). However, the curricula in schools of social work have limited content on disabilities. This article describes a course which prepares social work students for work with individuals with ASD through an empowerment approach in an ever-changing socio-cultural and political environment. This approach changes the focus of disabilities from a narrow perspective on particular services and rehabilitation to a broader concern with human rights, social inclusion and quality of life. The article describes the development of the course in collaboration with a university disability program, the areas of emphasis for the course (family focused, interdisciplinary, lifespan) and the multiple modes of delivery. The implications of teaching the course as an elective or as integrating it further into the curriculum are discussed.     

Empowerment as a Framework for Indigenous Workforce Development and Organisational Change

Abstract

Relative powerlessness resulting from colonial dispossession and associated passive welfare policies has long been recognised as a critical factor influencing the health and wellbeing of Indigenous Australians, yet it is hard to find well-evaluated health and social interventions that take an explicit empowerment approach. This paper presents the findings of a Family Wellbeing Empowerment programme pilot delivered to Cairns Region Department of Families Indigenous youth workers and family and community workers in 2003/2004. The aim of the pilot was to build the capacity of these workers to address personal and professional issues as a basis for providing better support for their clients. The pilot demonstrated the effectiveness of the programme as a tool for worker empowerment and, to a lesser degree, organisational change.     

Organizational Cultures as Holding Environments: A Psychodynamic Look at Organizational Symbolism

The traditional formulation of symbols asbundles of meaning has supported manyfine-grained analyses of organizational culture.However, it tends to obscure deeper psychodynamicelements that are essential to shaping how culture forms,develops, and dies. This paper adapts the idea ofholding environment from Winnicott, Kegan,and others to sketch the potential contribution of such a psychodynamic perspective. An illustrativecase is presented to support the argument.     

Empowerment Practice in Canada and the United States

Abstract

This article discusses the legacy of colonialism and racism in Canada and the United States. It shows how this legacy, combined with a market-oriented philosophy to social and economic issues and policies, has resulted in major, persistent social problems in both countries. It goes on to argue that an empowerment-oriented approach, by restoring policy issues, and therefore social justice issues, to the core of social work, can help the profession address these problems more efficiently. The article concludes by examining three particular challenges related to empowerment-oriented practice: creating partnerships; working with and in communities, and finding optimal ways of integrating all levels of social work practice.     

Negotiating Risk and Promoting Empowerment through Rap Music: Development of a Measure to Capture Risk and Empowerment Pathways to Change

The purpose of this study was to report on the development and construction of the Individual and Community Empowerment (ICE) inventory, a measure seeking to capture the specific pathways by which either risk-enhancing impacts or empowering impacts of rap music manifest. Data were analyzed via structural equation modeling from a convenience sample of 128 high school and college students. Results found that respondents elicited (1) empowering themes that related to them individually and to the broader community and (2) high-risk themes that may promote risky health behaviors. Implications about research and practice relevance of the ICE inventory are discussed.     

Organizational Types and Organizational Innovation: Downsizing Among Industrial,Financial, and Utility Firms

Sociological Forum - Given the importance of innovation to organizations and to society-at-large, scholars have asked: Why do organizations innovate? Institutionalists argue that the causes of...     

Female Perceptions of Organizational Justice

This study examines women's conceptualization of the pervasive construct of organizational justice. A comprehensive four factor model was used to represent organizational justice while outcome variables were the important employee attitudes of job satisfaction, organizational commitment and turnover intentions. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse responses from 301 male and 147 female respondents. Differences were found for procedural, interpersonal and informational justices. It would appear female and male employees have differing responses to perceptions of justice. Justice had a diffuse effect for males, but not for females. For men, interpersonal justice predicted an increase in organizational commitment while procedural justice predicted a decrease in turnover intentions. For female employees, informational justice was found to increase commitment and reduce turnover intentions. The study highlights the need for all justice factors to be considered and for sex differences to be considered in future justice research.     

Organizational design as a driver for firm innovativeness in Serbia

The area of innovation and innovation activities includes numerous aspects and changes needed to increase and improve the innovation potential of firms. Besides technological changes, organizational changes also play a very important role. Although these changes are considered within a wider innovation concept that is not limited merely to technological changes, they can significantly influence business improvement. Statistical data processing of an official pilot study – conducted by Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia in cooperation with the Mihajlo Pupin Institute – illustrates the significance of organizational design regarding the innovative behavior of a company. It also points out that some elements of organizational design give a remarkable impetus to the innovative behavior of corporations, while others can be seen as a limiting factor. Detailed statistical analysis shows that one component of organizational design, namely the introduction of a new or significantly improved knowledge management system for a better use or exchange of information, knowledge and skills within companies, has the most influence on the innovation behavior of the company. Another component, a firm's completely new or significantly different relation with other firms or public institutions (such as alliances, partnerships, outsourcing or sub-contracting), has the least influence. These analyses are of crucial importance for defining the innovation pattern related to corporation management.     

Linking Disaster Preparedness and Organizational Response Effectiveness

An analytical model is developed to specify the relationship between organizational disaster preparedness and effective disaster response. Specifying this relationship clarifies the theoretical significance of the concept of preparedeness. The model shows how the concept of disaster preparedness. The model shows how the concept of disaster preparedenss applies to a broad range of social services when circumstances overwhelm the usual means of responding to problems. The relationship between organizational preparedness and effectiveness has been widely and ambiguously assumed but never actually tested. The viability of the model is illustrated with data from a Key Resource Chapter of the American Red Cross. The paradoxical nature of organizational effectiveness suggests the need for many empirical studies to further sharpen the analytical connection between preparedness and effectiveness.     

Organizing Self-Help Groups for Empowerment and Social Change

Abstract

Empirical research has shown that self-help groups are not purely about individual change and intra-personal empowerment, but also about policy change and collective empowerment. In North America and Europe, such groups have been in the forefront of social change, and self-help represents a new political potential. However, findings of this study of self-help groups in Hong Kong indicate that social change has never been their common objective. In addition, members of the Hong Kong groups feel unable to impact social policies that affect their lives, despite wanting to do so. It is contended in this paper that this feeling of powerlessness among members might be related to the nature, size and length of existence of the self-help groups. It is further argued that self-help groups should form coalitions and seek professional assistance in order to effect social change and to strengthen and broaden their power base.     

Women's Accounts of Organizational Politics as a Gendering Process

Organizational politics is implicated in all levels of organizational functioning, from power structures and informal interaction to individual identity. This study argues that organizational politics provides an approach to examining professional women's experiences of organizations as gendered. Women graduates in male‐dominated organizations claimed not to be limited by explicit discrimination, but they construct organizational politics as being masculine in character and as a barrier to their careers. These women represent organizational politics as irrational, aggressive, competitive and instrumental, leading to individual, not organizational, success. Their accounts undermine the stereotypical dichotomy of masculine rationality and feminine emotion by claiming that women behave reasonably and by focusing on emotion in men's political game playing. However, claiming to be rational and rejecting politics, while acknowledging its role in career success, is uncomfortable for ambitious women. They risk sabotaging their own position by appearing too sensitive to engage in the less savoury aspects of organizational life. Organizational political processes are seen as fundamental to gender in organizations, first, because political activity is seen as gendered and masculine and contrary to female identity; secondly, because politics is part of the informal system which constructs organization from which outsiders are excluded; and finally, because political activity is linked to the performance, achievement and maintenance of power.     

Organizational Change: A Conceptual Framework to Advance the Evidence Base

There is a vast literature on organizational change, but much of it has a weak evidence base, often using only case studies or axioms based on authors' experiences. Quantitative studies are less common and typically address a limited number of variables. Implementation science research is more advanced but typically addresses only program-level change. This paper presents a comprehensive framework of relevant variables and perspectives from which to view organizational change and offers a research agenda, with particular attention to preconditions for change (e.g., change capacity) and organizational change tactics, and their relationships with change outcomes—promising areas for research.     

Empowerment evaluation: Exemplary is its openness to dialogue,reflective practice,and process use

On the occasion of the 21 st anniversary of empowerment evaluation, congratulations are in order for having established global credibility, demonstrated utility, and for its exemplary openness to dialogue, reflective practice, and process use.     

Leadership Style in Relation to Organizational Change and Organizational Creativity: Perceptions from Nonprofit Organizational Members

As the environment within which organizations act continues to change and becomes increasingly competitive, maintaining an organizational climate that supports change and encourages creativity is a key objective for organizational leaders. This article examines the relationship between leadership style (transformational, transactional, laissez‐faire) and members' perceptions of the psychological climate for organizational change readiness and psychological climate for organizational creativity. Results indicate that transformational leaders have a direct positive relationship with psychological climate for organizational change readiness and organizational creativity, while laissez‐faire leaders have a negative relationship.     

Organizational evolution and strategies for change of Bulgarian firms

Abstract

The purpose of this paper is the study of organizational evolution of Bulgarian firms and their strategies for change. We applied a research approach based on a longitudinal study comprising both quantitative and qualitative methods. Our objective is double: on the one hand, we wish to explore and analyze the real practice of Bulgarian firms while dealing with changes in market environment, while on the other hand we attempt to develop a model of organizational evolution, which incorporates the notions of evolutionary economics and chaos theory. With respect to our objectives we developed a conceptual model of organizational evolution which has been further tested. Firstly, a desk research covering a time span of ten years (19932003) has been accomplished. The main research goal was to identify and to evaluate the key external drivers of organizational evolution in Bulgaria. Then a detailed representative study among the managers/CEOs of Bulgarian firms has been conducted in years 1999 and 2001. Based on the research results several conclusions about the applicability of the proposed conceptual model have been drawn.     

Conceptual Framework of Coalitions in an Organizational Context

Summary

Organizations are forming coalitions in their struggle to survive with fewer resources. Under the “Contract With America,” funds for human services are expected to be increasingly cut back. Organizational actors will continue to coalesce because of their compelling interests to serve disadvantaged populations in our communities. This article uses the political-economy perspective in presenting a conceptual framework of coalitions in organizational settings. We need access to various perspectives and models of coalition building in order to provide direction for organizational groups as they attempt to change the sociopolitical structures in which they must operate.