THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE, KNOXVILLE COLLEGE OF SOCIAL WORK

Transcription

1 THE UNIVERSITY OF TENNESSEE, KNOXVILLE COLLEGE OF SOCIAL WORK SW 547 Advanced Organizational Theory and Practice Section credit hours Fall, 2017 Instructor: Suzanne Shatila, MSSW Phone: (612) Class Time: Online sshatila@utk.edu Office Hours: By appointment Prerequisite(s): 510, 512, 513, 519, 522, 537, 538 and 539. Code of Conduct It is the student's responsibility to have read the College of Social Work Ethical Academic and Professional Conduct Code that is in the College of Social Work MSSW Handbook ( Students are also expected to sign and adhere to the Social Work Field Placement Code of Conduct. The Honor Statement An essential feature of The University of Tennessee is a commitment to maintaining an atmosphere of intellectual integrity and academic honesty. As a student of the University, I pledge that I will neither knowingly give nor receive any inappropriate assistance in academic work, thus affirming my own personal commitment to honor and integrity. (Hilltopics). University Civility Statement Civility is genuine respect and regard for others: politeness, consideration, tact, good manners, graciousness, cordiality, affability, amiability and courteousness. Civility enhances academic freedom and integrity, and is a prerequisite to the free exchange of ideas and knowledge in the learning community. Our community consists of students, faculty, staff, alumni, and campus visitors. Community members affect each other s well being and have a shared interest in creating and sustaining an environment where all community members and their points of view are valued and respected. Affirming the value of each member of the university community, the campus asks that all its members adhere to the principles of civility and community adopted by the campus: Disability If you need course adaptations or accommodations because of a documented disability or if you have emergency information to share, please contact The University of Tennessee Office of Disability Services at 100 Dunford Hall (865) This will ensure that you are properly registered for services. Dimensions of Diversity The College of Social Work and the University of Tennessee welcome and honor all people. In accordance with the U.S. National Association of Social Workers (NASW) and the U.S. Council on Social Work Education (CSWE 2015 Educational Policy Statement), the dimensions of diversity are understood as the intersectionality of multiple factors including age, class, color, culture, mental or physical disability and ability, ethnicity, gender, gender expression, 1

2 gender identity, immigration status, marital status, national origin, political ideology, race, regionality, religion and spirituality, sex, sexual orientation, and tribal sovereign status. The College values intellectual curiosity, pursuit of knowledge, and academic freedom and integrity. A person s diverse life experiences may include oppression, poverty, marginalization, and alienation as well as privilege, power, and acclaim (CSWE 2015 Educational Policy Statement). The College of Social Work promotes social justice and social change, and strives to end discrimination, oppression, poverty, and other forms of social injustice. Course Rationale This course is a part of the required classes for the Organizational Leadership Concentration and serves a significant role in educating the student on how organizational theories can be applied to actual situations. This course is designed to examine leadership as it relates to organizations and provide a knowledge base of theories, research and practices necessary for effective organization grounded in the concepts of human rights and social justice. Topics will focus on: organizational leadership, culture, structure, relationships, change, and conflict. This course is designed for graduate students who are interested in positions of leadership within organizations and who want to learn more about making the organizations they lead more effective. Course Description This course will serve as an introduction to social service/nonprofit organizations through the lens of social, economic and environmental justice. The content provided will afford the student the knowledge/skill needed for entrance into management positions in human service/nonprofit/governmental/quasi governmental organizations. Topics addressed will include multi organization initiatives such as partnerships, community coalitions and alliances, theories in economic development such as how economic factors affect the social sector with particular attention to entrepreneurship/venture philanthropy, and collective impact. The course will consider aspects of governmental relations, operational best practices including practical skills such as running meetings, employee development, advanced strategic planning and futuring, understanding and incorporating accreditation standards, organizational culture and ethical practice in organizations. Topics such as nonprofit governance and accountability, human resource development, supervision, compensation strategies, management theories and employment law will also be addressed. Course Competencies By the completion of this course, the students are expected to be able to demonstrate: 1. Knowledge and awareness of multi organization initiatives partnerships, community coalitions and alliances. OL 2.1, 8.1 (Content: Participation in coalitions, how to ally with other organizations on projects and advocacy efforts, partnerships) 2. An awareness of theories in economic development such as how economic factors affect the social sector, with particular attention given to entrepreneurship/venture philanthropy and collective impact. OL 3.1, 3.2, 3.3 (Content: Social enterprise, on the job training, market factors affecting NPO, re investment strategies, development of innovative marketing concepts, Environmental factors as they relate to vulnerable populations, considerations of economic justice, how economic and environmental factors impact human rights protection) 2

3 3. Enumerate methods of working through and in bureaucratic systems including but not limited to governmental relations at the local, state and federal levels. OL 6.1, 6.2, 6.3, 8.1, 8.2 (Content: Define, analyze bureaucracy, distinguish between characteristics of governmental and private bureaucracy, intra agency advocacy efforts, engagement and intervention strategies to strengthen policies impacting individuals, families, and groups in an organizational context, theories of bureaucracy) 4. The ability to utilize practical skills of operational best practices such as running meetings, employee development, understanding and incorporating external accreditation standards and other regulatory standards. OL 4.2, 7.1, 8.1 (Content: Examine various accrediting bodies, assessment of an organizations ability to comply to external standards, staff assessment methods, define and give examples of regulatory bodies, effective use of meetings for effective interventions with individuals, families, groups, organizations and communities ) 5. An understanding of nonprofit governance and accountability and principal of subsidiarity, grounded in the concept of servant leadership. OL 6.1, 7.1, 7.2, 8.2, 8.3 (Content: Board structure best practice, development of boards of directors/advisory boards, committee structures and support, legal requirements) 6. A working knowledge of human resource development and employee/staff supervision, which includes an understanding of selected management theories, employment law. OL 7.1, 7.2, 8.1, 8.2, 8.3 (Content: Basics of FMLA, and how this impacts various forms of family, FLSA methods of staff training, organizational lines of communication, job design to maximize employee performance, staff motivation and reward strategies based on motivation theories, compensation and financial incentives, employee selection and retention practices, job analysis, descriptions, and specifications, performance appraisal, corrective action strategies, job appraisal, and employee termination) 7. The understanding and skills related to conflict resolution within organizations, work groups and other groups such as cross functional teams. OL 2.1, , 8.2, 8.3 (Content: Mediation, conflict management, power and the informal organization) 8. Demonstrate an understanding of advanced strategic planning and futuring involving organizational sustainability and succession planning. OL 6.1, 7.1, 7.2 (Content: Mission, vision, goals, strategies, objectives, contingency planning) 9. Knowledge of the ability to practice ethically and to implement the NASW Code of Ethics into an organizational culture. OL 1.1, 1.3 (Content: Distinguish between legality and ethical concepts, ethical decision making within organizations, ethical leadership) 10. Identify organizational issues related to fostering and managing organizational diversity. OL 2.1, 2.2 (Content: Working against racism, sex discrimination, sexual harassment, homophobia, ageism, and ableism and ways to counteract them as well as be able to describe elements of a culturally competent organization, which includes valuing a diverse workforce, types of diversity, recruitment) Required text 3

4 Other materials will be available on our class website. Other Helpful Resources National Association of Social Workers (2007). NASW code of ethics. Retrieved from Purdue (2010). General format. In Owl: Purdue online writing lab. Retrieved from Course Requirements Graduate level work includes an ability to synthesize one s experience and knowledge into an explanation that illuminates theory and an understanding of the course material. The writing of papers is expected to be organized, succinct in conceptualization and syntax and grammatically correct. Even if you use a word processing program with spell check, proof read your work. The usage of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association format including the use of headings/subheadings, reference list, and title page is expected to be used as a guide for writing and citing sources. The following criteria will be used for all graded assignments: Quality and clarity of writing and organization; Comprehensiveness; The extent to which course concepts, discussion and readings are reflected in the writing; and Submission of assignments on the dates specified within the guidelines provided. All class assignments are expected to be submitted on their specific due date. Any assignment NOT submitted on the specified due date is subject to a penalty of two (2) points per day until the assignment is turned in. Any assignment that is more than 7 days overdue will not be accepted. If you anticipate missing a deadline, please talk with me prior to missing the deadline. Assignments Discussion Boards....42% Executive Director/CEO Interview....18% Advancement Interview % Nonprofit Leadership Final Paper % The final course grade will be based on the following: A = (Superior performance, exceeds expectations) B+ = (Better than satisfactory performance) B = (Satisfactory performance, meets expectations) C+ = (Less than satisfactory performance) C = (Performance well below the standard expected of graduate students) D = F = <66 A note about plagiarism Don t do it! Any student who is found to plagiarize in this class will automatically receive a failing grade. Be sure to cite everything and anything that is not your original thought. This means using APA citations in papers and only submitting papers that are your original work. At UT we use Safe Assign, which means if you use a paper previously submitted for a class at UT or any other university, if the paper can be found online, etc., you will be caught, so just don t do it. Not 4

5 plagiarizing also means citing your sources on essay questions on quizzes as well as in your discussion board posts. If it looks like you are trying to pass the work of someone else off as your own, you will receive a failing grade. As social work students, you are expected to be ethical and honest practitioners. This means only submitting work that you have created on your own, using quotation marks, and citing the work of others. Course Assignments 1. Discussion Board Participation: Ongoing throughout the semester (42%) (Competencies 1 10) Dimensions of Measurement: Knowledge, Skills, Conative and Affective Processes As this is graduate school, I expect participation from students. Active participation will help students to engage fully in the material, which is a critical component of your social work education. Students are expected to participate in all on line discussions and demonstrate respect for beliefs and experiences of others in all course activities and interactions with fellow classmates. Additionally, students are encouraged as they read and as they work in the field to bring their reactions and questions to the class for discussion. A new forum will open each Monday and will close after Friday at 11:59 PM CST. Students are asked to post questions and comments in the forum. The forums will be left open through the end of the semester so that students may refer back to them. However, each week posts made after Friday night at 11:59 pm will not count towards the student s participation grade. Students are expected to post 4 to 5 times throughout the week and posts are graded on a 5 point scale. Students receive 1 point for posting before the last day and then a point for each substantial post they make throughout the week up to 4 posts. If you decide to wait to the last minute to post you will not receive full credit. Please also note that once a discussion is done there is no way to make up points if you have not posted during the week. 2. Executive Director Interview: Due by September 23 by 11:59 PM Central Time (18%)(Competencies 2, 5, 6 and 8) Dimensions of Measurement: Knowledge and Skills Conduct an interview with an executive director or a CEO of a local nonprofit. After you are done, submit a summary of the interview. The paper should be between 5 8 double spaced pages, with 11 point font, not including the title page, abstract, reference page, and appendix, using APA format. Students are expected to pay particular attention to diversity, social, and economic justice and ethical issues and concerns Include information on the following areas. a. Name of the agency, brief history of the agency, length of time interviewee has been Executive Director b. Board structure i. Who is on the Board? ii. How are Board members selected and recruited? iii. How is the Board involved with agency leaders and staff? iv. What are the Board committees? 5

6 v. Are there community stakeholders on the Board? vi. Are Board meetings open or closed? Do any staff members attend Board meetings? c. What is the leadership structure of the agency? i. Are different communities represented? ii. What is the process for hiring leaders? d. Does the agency have a current strategic plan? i. What was the process for developing it? ii. Is it current? iii. What is the format? e. How many staff members are employed at the agency? i. What is the employee to client ratio? ii. What are their qualifications? iii. Does staff makeup match the makeup of the communities served? iv. What professional development is available to staff? v. How is employee performance evaluated? vi. How often are staff members eligible for raises? vii. How often are meetings held with staff? viii. Is there high or low turnover? f. Are programs accessible for participants? g. What barriers do participants encounter when trying to access services and what is the agency doing to eliminate those barriers? h. What are the programs and services offered? i. Are the services able to address the needs of the community? ii. How are programs and services evaluated? iii. Does agency solicit community and stakeholder feedback on services? If so, what is the method for soliciting feedback and how often is feedback solicited? i. Does the technology meet the needs of the staff? i. If not, is there a plan for upgrading technology? j. Who handles communications with the public? i. Does the agency have a PR or Marketing Plan? k. Does the agency partner with other agencies or community stakeholders around initiatives? Why or why not? l. Does the agency have a legislative or advocacy plan? Is that public? i. Why or why not is the agency involved in advocacy? m. Does the agency have reserve funds? n. Does the agency conduct a annual financial audit? o. What are internal controls to ensure the absence of any impropriety? p. What are the qualities that the ED or CEO believes nonprofit leaders should possess? q. What is your personal leadership style? 3. Advancement/Development Interview Due by November 1 by 11:59 PM Central Time (15%) (6 and 8) Dimensions of Measurement: Knowledge and Skills Conduct an interview with a development officer, VP of Advancement, of Chief Development Officer of the same local nonprofit where you interviewed the CEO or ED. If the agency is not large enough to employ staff to fundraise, interview the person who is in charge of fundraising for the agency. After you are done, submit a summary of the interview. The paper should be between 5 7 double spaced pages, using 11 point font, not including 6

7 the title page, abstract, reference page, and appendix, using APA format. Students are expected to pay particular attention to diversity, social, and economic justice and ethical issues and concerns. Include information on the following areas. a. Who is in spearheads fundraising at the agency? b. How is the Board involved with fundraising? c. Does the agency rely on private donors, foundations, government funding? i. Are funds generated in other ways? ii. What percentage of the funding represents those categories? iii. Is funding diversified so that if one funder leaves, the agency can continue to operate? iv. How many grants are submitted each year? d. Is program staff involved in grant writing? e. What is the relationship between program staff and development staff? How do the two work together? f. What challenges does the fundraiser encounter? g. What constraints do funders place on programs that the interviewee wishes did not exist? h. Is there one employee responsible for marketing and PR? i. What is the relationship between fundraising and PR within the agency? j. What are some emerging trends or issues in fundraising for nonprofits? k. What is your personal leadership style? 4. Nonprofit Leadership Paper Due December 1 by 11:59 PM Central Time(25%) (Competencies 1 10) Dimensions of Measurement: Knowledge, Skills, Cognitive and Affective Processes Students will answer the following questions: What makes a good nonprofit leader? Does the student have the skills needed to be a good leader? What professional development activities are needed to help the student become a good leader and to build on existing skills? Using the articles provided to students on effective leadership, as well as what they have learned throughout the semester through discussions, interviews with local leaders, and the course materials, students are expected to write a paper detailing the qualities and skills nonprofit leaders must possess and develop a plan to become effective nonprofit leaders. The paper should be 8 to 10 pages in length, with 11 point font and double spaced. This does not include a cover page, abstract, or references. The paper should be free of spelling and grammatical errors and should be formatted according to APA guidelines. The paper must include two main sections and can include subsections and subtitles to help with clarity and paper organization. The first section should be 6 8 pages in length. In this section, students should reference the articles on nonprofit leadership and discuss the qualities of a nonprofit leader that are needed to lead, including during times of crisis, change, and growth. (70%) 7

8 The second section should be at 2 to 3 pages and should be an analysis of the student s own qualities that will result in him/her/them being an effective leader as well as what skills he/she/they will need to acquire to be an effective leader. o The section should include a thoughtful discussion and an honest look at personal attributes and deficiencies as well as 4 to 5 action steps the student will need to take to acquire the skills needed to be a good leader. This may include getting licensed, enrolling in training opportunities, finding a mentor, reading certain books, etc. The action steps should include a timeline. Think of this s being a personal strategic plan. (30%) Course Sessions Week 1: August 23 Introduction and Expectations This week review the syllabus. We will discuss course expectations during our Zoom session next week. An online session is scheduled for August 28 at 6:30 Central Time. Week 2: August 28 What makes a good leader? Chapter 1 Discussion Board 1: What makes a good leader? Discuss the following throughout the week, not just in one long post. Think about the organizations for which you have worked or volunteered. Were those organizations led by effective leaders? Why or why not? What were the characteristics of that person that led you to believe he or she was a good leader? Was there a level of transparency within the organization? Was the leader a good communicator? Did that person have a good reputation in the community? Were they affective at building relationships and community partnerships? Week 3: September 4 Strategic Planning Chapter 2 Ellis, R., Gould, M.Y., Mallory, K.C., Shatila, S.L. (2006). The Macro Practitioner s Workbook: A Step by Step Guide to Effectiveness with Organizations and Communities. United States: Thomoson, Brooks & Cole. Chapters 2 & 3 CTB, SWOT Analysis of contents/assessment/assessing community needs andresources/swot analysis/main Please watch the recorded lecture on strategic planning. 8

9 Week 4: September 11 Program Development Chapter 3 & 4 Lee, V. All right, we need to talk about nonprofit salaries. right you guys we need to talk aboutnonprofit salaries/ Discussion Board 2: Nonprofit professional compensation Do you think social workers and others who work in nonprofits are compensated fairly for their work? Should MSWs and others with advanced degrees be paid more? How do we advocate for ourselves? Use these questions to start to conversation about salaries for nonprofit staff members. Week 5: September 18 Internal Agency Leadership Chapter 5 & 6 Executive Director interview due September 23 Please continue to work on your final paper. Week 6: September 25 Evaluation Chapter 7 & 8 CTB, Putting Your Solution into Practice of contents/analyze/analyze community problems andsolutions/put solution into practice/main CTB, Developing an Action Plan of contents/structure/strategic planning/develop actionplans/main CTB, Identifying Action Steps to Bring About Community and System Change, can be found at of contents/structure/strategic planning/develop actionplans/main CTB, Action Plan Form of contents/structure/strategic planning/develop actionplans/tools or overlay context=en/table of contents/structure/strategic planning/develop actionplans/tools CTB, Evaluating the Initiative initiative Discussion Board 3: Think about the organization for which you currently work or an organization for which your worked in the past. Discuss the following throughout the week, not just in one long post Did the programs and services delivered by the agency address community needs? How did the agency determine or monitor if community needs were being addressed? Can you think of some 9

10 examples of services or programs created that do not address community needs or that create barriers for households trying to access them? What are some steps social workers can take as leaders and advocates to ensure that community needs are being addressed in a way that promotes equity and inclusion? Week 7: October 2 Communication Chapter 9 & 10 Why Employers need to talk about the police shootings of Black People shootings black employers/ CTB, Developing a Plan for Communication of contents/participation/promoting interest/communicationplan/main CTB, Handling Crisis in Communication. of contents/participation/promoting interest/communicationcrisis/main CTB, Obtaining Feedback from Constituents. of contents/structure/strategic planning/obtain constituentfeedback/main CTB, Using Principles of Persuasion. of contents/participation/promoting interest/principles ofpersuasion/main Optional: Cialdini (2012), Science of Persuasion on YouTube. Fall break No assignments this week other than reading. You could always use this time to work on your final paper.seriously, maybe just read some of the articles and take some notes. You ll be happy you did later, like over Thanksgiving weekend when you aren t trying to rush through the assignment. Week 8: October 9 Developing Relationships, Partnerships, and Powerful Coalitions Chapter 9 & 10 Ellis, R., Gould, M.Y., Mallory, K.C., Shatila, S.L. (2006). The Macro Practitioner s Workbook: A Step by Step Guide to Effectiveness with Organizations and Communities. United States: Thompson, Brooks & Cole. Chapters 4 & 5 Lee, V. Are you guilty of Fakequity? you guilty of fakequity if so what to doabout it/ CTB, Coalition Building I of contents/assessment/promotion strategies/start acoaltion/main Discussion Board 4: Think about a coalition in which you have participated or know about. You don t have to share the name of the coalition or any identifying details. 10

11 Discuss the following throughout the week, not just in one long post. What was the purpose of the coalition? Who was involved? Was there community or stakeholder involvement? Were any stakeholders shut out from the discussion? Was the input of those directly impacted by the issue valued? How was information communicated to stakeholders? Did the coalition hope to accomplish a specific task? Did all coalition members feel valued? Was it an effective coalition? Why or why not? What could have been done differently? Week 9: October 16 Engaging the Board of Directors Chapter 12 Ellis, R., Gould, M.Y., Mallory, K.C., Shatila, S.L. (2006). The Macro Practitioner s Workbook: A Step by Step Guide to Effectiveness with Organizations and Communities. United States: Thompson, Brooks & Cole. Chapter 9 Lee, V. 25 things awesome board members do. Can be found at things awesome board members do/#more 3460 CTB, Developing an Ongoing Board of Directors of contents/structure/organizational structure/board ofdirectors/main CTB, Maintaining a Board of Directors, of contents/structure/organizational structure/maintainboard of directors/main Discussion Board 5: What are the characteristics of a good Board and of effective individual Board members? Remember to discuss the following throughout the week and not just in one long post. Think about a program or agency in which you have been involved either as a staff member or as a volunteer? What are some aspects of the program or agency you wish board members would know? How would you train board members to effectively serve the agency? Would training be limited to orientation for new board members or would there be ongoing training? What would be involved in that training? Who would train new board members? How would you encourage interaction between board members and directors, managers, and direct service staff? How should new board members be recruited? How would you ensure that stakeholders are represented on the board? When would meetings be held to increase board member participation? 11

12 What are some barriers that exist that prevent stakeholder participation on the board? What can be done to break down those barriers? Week 10: October 23 Internal and External Resources Chapters 13 & 14 CTB, Developing a Plan for Financial Sustainability of contents/finances/grants and financial resources/financialsustainability/main Lee, V. We need to stop treating nonprofits the way we treat poor people relations/ Watch the online lecture about internal controls. Also, continue to work on your final paper. Week 11: October 30 Fundraising Chapters 15 & 16 CTB, Applying for a Grant of contents/finances/grants and financial resources/grantapplication/main CTB, Writing a Grant of contents/finances/grants and financial resources/writing agrant/main The Foundation Center (2015), Introduction to Proposal Writing on YouTube Advancement/Development Interview due November 1 Week 12: November 6 Ethics Chapters CTB, Ethical Issues in Community Interventions of contents/analyze/choose and adapt communityinterventions/ethical issues/main CTB, Adapting Community Interventions for Different Cultures and Communities of contents/analyze/choose and adapt communityinterventions/cultural adaptation/main CTB, Engaging Cultural Competence cultural competence Discussion Board 6: Discuss the following throughout the week, not just in one long post 12

13 How do we as social workers and emerging leaders ensure that the right players are involved in program planning, program evaluation, participant recruitment, coalitions, etc.? How do we ensure that we are not guilty of perpetuating fakequity? Can you think of some examples when a program was designed to help a population or community without members of the community being involved in the development of that initiative? What happens when some people are shut out of the planning process or when some populations and communities are not able to access funding for programs? Week 13: November 13 Lobbying and Advocacy Avner, M. (2002), The Lobbying and Advocacy Handbook for Nonprofit Organizations: Shaping Public Policy at the State and Local Level. St. Paul, Minnesota: Fieldstone Alliance. Chapters 1 & 4 Discussion Board 7: Why should organizations and nonprofit leaders engage in advocacy and lobbying? Can you serve people without addressing social issues? Can you serve people without advocating for them? What are the pros and cons of engaging in advocacy? What do nonprofit leaders need to keep in mind when engaging in lobbying and advocacy? Week 14: November 20 Class Break There are no assignments this week. Please use this time to work on your paper. Week 15: November 27 Conclusion Project paper is due no later than December 1 13