Chapter 7: Skills for Working in Communities Flashcards
What is a bureaucracy?
An organizational structure of government and its institutions, which are organized as a hierarchy, and within which multiple units with specific functions exist
True or false: bureaucracies are oppressive and social workers should never work within them
False: It’s important for social workers to understand bureaucracies; effective community work may require collaborating with bureaucratic systems or seeking changes to the way they operate. Many social workers also work in bureaucratic systems that they will need to navigate
What is the purpose of a bureaucracy?
To manage large and complex tasks through hierarchical division of labour, models of accountability, and impartial execution of tasks
In what 4 ways do bureaucracies “fall victim to their own success”?
-Overspecialization
-Rigidity
-Groupthink
-Catch-22
What is overspecialization?
In a bureaucracy, units or people can become so specialized that they fail to recognize the consequences or implications of their efforts on others
What is rigidity?
In a bureaucracy, policies and procedures can be applied so inflexibly that they make simple matters complicated and time consuming; this also makes it difficult to adapt to new situations
What is groupthink?
In a bureaucracy, the tendency toward conformity of opinions among members; worsened by staff loyalty and assumptions of organizational virtue
What is a catch-22?
When a bureaucracy grows in size and complexity, it becomes less coordinated and ends up with rules that are inconsistent or functions that get duplicated
How can social workers cope with bureaucratic environments and prevent burnout?
-Have a supportive base both within and outside the organization
-Be aware of your own work style and seek out like-minded people
-Understand the formal workings of the organizations to avoid power struggles and conflicts
-Identifying both formal and informal power structures within the organization and use them to your advantage
-Embrace compromise: make efforts to fit in, be accountable, and do what the organization expects while maintaining focus on the needs of the community and using the credibility you have built to advocate for flexibility/change
What 2 dimensions do community workers need to balance when running a meeting?
-Task dimension (accomplish goals and maintain a purpose)
-Relationship dimension (building and maintaining effective relationships)
What are the 4 phases of a community meeting?
- Planning (identifying a goal, inviting participants, setting an agenda ahead of time, preparing additional information, and anticipating group dynamics)
- Setting up (logistics: starting and ending on time, having people sign in, ensuring accessibility and comfort, etc.)
- Running the meeting (the chair asks members to introduce themselves and guests, presents the agenda, keeps discussion on track, encourages participation, monitors time, and remains neutral)
- Follow-up (getting feedback, providing a meeting summary, recording and distributing minutes)
What are the 4 main jobs of a chairperson during a community meeting?
-Providing support
-Mediating conflict
-Probing and questioning
-Reflecting feelings
What 5 pieces of information should be taken into account when evaluating a community meeting’s effectiveness?
-People (who was there, what they presented, and how they conducted themselves)
-Purpose (collective agreement on reason for the meeting, adequate preparation, whether important decision were made, equitable participation)
-Atmosphere (organization, clarity of structure, level of comfort/participation, shared sentiments/emotions)
-Place and space (accessibility, relevance, comfort, acoustics, etc.)
-Closure (orderliness of conclusion, clear understanding of action plan(s), tasks assigned, etc.)
What are the 4 major fundraising approaches used by grassroots groups?
-Institutional grants (low cost with high return, but often short-term and technical)
-Special events and product sales (highest risk)
-Direct marketing (mail, phone calls, advertisements)
-Major individual donors (individuals or small groups that are carefully selected and approached; potentially the most efficient and least utilized)
What are the benefits of team building activities in community work?
-Increased motivation and productivity
-Reduced personal and political barriers
-Opportunity for fun
-Potential for more creativity and innovation
-Stronger sense of competence
-Ability to get larger projects done
