1. Class 8: The Organization as Client
UTA SSW, Generalist Macro Practice
Professor Dick Schoech
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2. Summary of Classes 1-9 The organization as client §
Generalist macro practice history, change process, roles, levels of intervention
Theories, values, perspectives
The community as client
Conditions as problems/opportunities
Assessing social conditions/communities
Intervening--social action, planning & dev
The organization as client §

3. Remaining classes
Administrative practice overview
Assessing organizations
Supervising
Leading in Organization/Communities
Societal & Political practice
Integration & Synthesis §

4. Overview of session Organizations vs Communities
Goal of social work where organization is client
Characteristics of organizations
Contingencies of organizational practice
Difference between business production organization and HSOs §

5. Organizations Vs. Communities
Differences depends on org type, business, association, etc.
Organizations selected because of goal, career
Communities selected for association & interaction
The lines may be blurred, e.g., church community, GM §

6. Goal of soc wk where org=client
Building healthy organizations
Linking organizations (Coalition building, Weil, p. 41)
Building systems of organizations (services integration)§

7. Contingency view of orgs

8. Difference between HSO & Business organizations
Best seen by examining org contingencies
Purpose i.e., goals of the organization
People, e.g., professional, motivation, etc.
Tasks, e.g., nonrepetitive, nonprescribed,
Technology, e.g., procedures & tools
Structure, e.g., hierarchy, network, etc.
Environment (political, ecc, tech, sociocult)§

9. Purpose Mission based in profits Multiple goals, not conflicting
Production Org
Mission based in profits
Multiple goals, not conflicting
High accountability for product
HSOs
Mission based in society’s values
Many goals, often conflicting
High accountability for process §

10. People Most skilled at top Complex motivation Identity to organization
HSOs
Most skilled at bottom
Motivated by task
Identity to profession
Salaries are modest §
Production Org
Most skilled at top
Complex motivation
Identity to organization
Salaries can be high

11. Tasks Involve things Repetitive Programmable
Production Org
Involve things
Repetitive
Programmable
Easy to measure units of production
Easy to measure outcome & impacts
HSOs
Involve people
Non-repetitive
Non programmable
Hard to quantify unit of service
Difficult to measure outcome & impacts §

12. Technology High use of hard technology (machines)
Production Org
High use of hard technology (machines)
High use of soft technology (protocols)
HSOs
Low use of hard technology (machines)
Low use of soft technology (protocols) §

13. Structure Single management hierarchy Driven by profit
Production Org
Single management hierarchy
Driven by profit
HSOs
Dual professional and management hierarchy
Driven by accountability §

14. Environment Production Org Customer funded Influenced by market forces
One customer with well defined needs
Customers always voluntary
Customers have few rights
Advertising is key
Lobbying is good
HSOs
Taxpayer funded
Influenced by socio-cultural forces
Many clients with conflicting needs
Clients may be involuntary
Clients have many rights
Advertising is suspect
Lobbying is illegal §

15. Consequence of HSO uniqueness
Street level bureaucrats (Lipsky)
Workers make decisions with little management input
Difficult to control workers
Management information has little worker value
Survival is often not tied to client services, e.g., satisfying funders is more important that satisfying clients
Business practices may not work in HSOs §

16. Task Force Work Community Description Strengths & Needs
Evidence that community is experiencing the problem
How well the community currently functions
Forces that support and oppose change
Designate person/backup & times to cut and paste and submit
Stakeholders proclivity for and against intervening
List of capacities, needs, barriers from above

17. Conclusion HSO management is influenced by
Theory
Society’s values
Organizational contingencies
We must advocate the goal of effectiveness
Questions and discussion