Organization Culture[1]

Organization Culture –The Clash of the Personal

and the Professional

Theory and Practice of SupervisionUniversity of CincinnatiSchool of Social Work

Organization Culture

“… the set of key values, beliefs,

understandings and norms that

members of an organization share…”

Ashman and Hull 2006

The Cultural Pyramid

Interaction with Community

Interaction with Supervisor

Views on Autonomy and Independence

Language and Diversity

Personal Values and Religion

Procedures and Policies That Dictate Behavior

Theresa Yost







The Organization

Policy Procedure

What’s the Difference?

Dictating Behavior

Intra-Agency Conflict vs. Intra-Agency Cooperation

The standardization of language shared by other workers in the agency

Consensus of values

Uniformity of perspectives

Jason Noel







Employee as Valuable Asset with Unique Needs

How to Treat Hardworking People –

Each worker is unique and at the top priority

Actively create great work environment

Offer a quality of work life

Additional personal days to accommodate religion/culture

[Melymuka 2000]

Where Companies Place Values

Nancy Gray and the HSN How we treat hard working people Programs to value differences brought to the table

Welcome each new employee

Flexibility can be seen by employees with their managers

Important aspect of managing[Melymuka 2000]

“Our first task in approaching another people, another culture, another religion, is to take off our

shoes and walk gently, for the place we are approaching is holy.

Else we may find ourselves treading on another’s dream.

More serious still, we may forget...that God was there before our arrival.”

Author Unknown

“Living Together with Differences”

Quebec’s New Ethics and Religious Culture Program Goals

First: Have them look at (a) themselves, (b) actions, (c) opinions and (d) values

Second: Personal, cultural and social identity – Autonomy/ self-sufficiency of the individual to the community.

Encouraging students to take a stand on major social issues and to reflect on moral/spiritual tenets of their community

“Living Together with Differences”

Third: Student Empowerment

Give young people power over their lives

The Reaction = the majority believes it is beneficial

Helps live with differences

Important to distinguish between different moral systems expressed in both religious/secular traditions and goals of ethic education

[Bouchard 2009]

Religion and the Workplace

Author Douglas Hicks –

Respectful pluralism model

Leaders in corporate America skills to establish a respectful/ diverse working

environment

Embraces diverse religious traditions

[Wiles 2005]

Essential Components – Religion and the Workplace

Tolerance, respect, and acceptance

Pluralistic, non-coercive, non-degrading work environment

Religious and spiritual harmony in the workplace take priority over conflict and

divisiveness

[Wiles 2005]


Criteria to help leader develop respectful pluralism in the workplace –

1) Respect for diversity

2) Promote values and a common language

3) Respectful/diverse workplace

Religion and the Workplace: Pluralism, Spirituality, and Leadership. By Douglas A. Hicks. Cambridge UK: Cambridge University Press, 2003. $24.99


India and Singapore…

Great examples of religious pluralism

Legislation of both countries

Have overcome minor problems and have established effective policies in promoting religious/spiritual diversity in workplace

[Wiles 2005]

Annie Davis







The Stress & The Challenge

Supervisors may fear correcting a supervisee from a marginalized ethnicity or gender Because they may become

labeled a sexist or racist … therefore they may not

evaluate diversity or differing genders the same way

Find a balance between honoring and educating self and team about diverse supervisees without going overboard

[Kadushin & Harkness 2002]

The Problem The Solution

The Ultimate Goal

According the research, the most powerful predictor of satisfaction with supervision

received by a supervisee was

whether their supervisor liked them or not, regardless of race or gender

Such positive supervisor qualities are:RespectSupportWillingness to discuss differences


The Definition of Language

…within organizational culture, it can be as simple as a gesture, or as

complex as incorporating cultural norms into business protocol…

“what you do speaks so loud, others can hardly hear you…”

[Thiederman 2003]

Six Steps to Better Communication

1. In order to be heard, lower your voice

2. In order to overstate your point underemphasize it

3. Avoid dogmatic language

4. Maintain a high standard

5. Strive for creative communication

6. Really listen

[Thiederman 2003]

Use of Cross-Functional Diverse Groups

1. … is a way to develop negotiation skills to improve team dynamics

2. … it will incorporate problem solving and use the diversity to capture resources that contribute to

the overall success of an organization

[Northcraft, Polzer, Neale & Kramer 1996]

Elyse Burk







Kadushin and Autonomy

The culture of human service organizations constrain an individuals options in the workplace because values

determine parameters on behaviors


Conflict in Organizations

Functional Conflict systems within the organization

Preserving character against the norms

Roles and Functions job description/rivalry

Allow appropriate discretion in roles

Fuel voice between the streams of regulation

Even though there is a precise job description, there should be maximum freedom to execute work

[Pillari and Newsome 1998]

Types of Conflict The Resolution

NASW Survey

68% of social workers indicated they had a considerable amount of autonomy in their work

(a) relatively high degree of discretion (b) relative autonomy from organizational authority

NASW Code of Ethics

… asserts that professional employees generally should adhere to commitments made to employees and

employing organizations (3.09)

Autonomy = an ethical standard found in the NASW Code of Ethics which encourages social workers to promote the right of clients to self-determine (to identify/clarify their own goals)

“The critical point is not whether you happen to be struggling with personal questions, but how you

are struggling with them.

Do you recognize and try to deal with those issues, or do you invest energy in denying their existence?

In short, can you do in your life what you might challenge your clients to do?

Corey, Corey & Callanan 2007

Korie Frost








The importance of policies in the work place

Understanding supervisee’s noncompliance

What to do when personal values conflict with the agency’s

Peer Group Supervision

Policies and Procedures

Rules are necessary

Can be and should be used as a guide

General thoughts concerning policies and/or procedures

Why they are viewed unfavorably


Positive Concepts Negative Attitudes

Non-Compliance and Disciplinary Actions

Different reasons for non-compliance

When rules clash with personal beliefs i.e. receiving gifts

Reconciliation between worker’s beliefs and agency’s policies


Supervisors need to be understanding

Listen to supervisee’s explanation

Use it as a learning experience Focus on change for

betterment of agency

Dealing with Non-Compliance Disciplinary Actions

Peer Group Supervision

Benefits of this method for learning –

Allows for personal development

Participants gain new knowledge

Improves function within organization

[Tietze 2008]

Jawanza Salih







Overall Social Work Mission

To improve the lives of people, groups, and society by –

Enhance human wellbeing

Help meet the basic human needs of all people

Promote social justice and social change

Preventing Oppression

Preventing Poverty

End Discrimination

http://www.naswdc.org/pubs/code/code.asp


Broader Responsibility to Community

1) Social Welfare

2) Public Participation

3) Public Emergencies

4) Social and Political Action



The Cultural Pyramid







“The centrality of themes in social work such as self-determination and empowerment, respect for the

needs and interest of others, openness and mutuality…

It prescribes how human beings should interact with one another…”

Holloway and Brager 1989

References

Bouchard, N. (2009). Living Together with Differences: Quebec’s New Ethics and ReligiousCulture Program. Education Canada, 49(1), 60-62. Retrieved February 18, 2009From Research Library Database.

Corey, G., Corey, M. & Callanan, P. (2007). Issues and Ethics in the Helping Professions.Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing

Gotsis, G & Kortezi, Z. (2008). Philosophical Foundations of Workplace Spirituality: A Critical Approach. Journal of Business Ethics, 78(4), 575-600. Retrieved February 18, 2009, from ABI/INFORM Global database.

Holloway, S. & Brager, G. (1989). Supervising in the Human Services: The Politics of Practice.New York: Free Press.

Kadushin, A. & Harkness, D. (2002). Supervision in Social Work (4th Ed.). New York:Columbia University Press.

Kirst-Ashman, K. & Hull Jr., G. (2006). Generalist Practice with Organizations andCommunities (3rd Ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.

References (cont)

Melymuka, K. (June 19, 2000). Indulging our Differences; Whether Successful Diversity is the Goal of a Great Work Environment or Merely a By-product, the Action Plan is the Same -- recognize each employee as a valuable asset with unique needs. Computerworld, pg. 56(1). Retrieved February 18, 2009, from Expanded Academic ASAP.

National Association of Social Workers (2009). Code of Ethics. Retrieved on March 1, 2009 from http://www.socialworkers.org/pubs/code/code.asp

Northcraft, Gregory B., Polzer, Jeffrey T., Neale, Margaret A., and Kramer, Roderick M. (1996). Diversity, Social identity, and Performance: Emergent Social Dynamics in Cross functional teams.

Pillari, V. & Newsome Jr., M. (1998). Human Behavior in the Social Environment – Families, Groups, Organizations and Communities. New York: Brooks/Cole Publishing Company.

Spilerman, S. (2009). How Globalization Has Impacted Labour: A Review Essay. European Sociological Review, 25(1), 73. Retrieved February 20 2009, from Ohio LINK Electronic Journal Center.

References (cont)

Thiederman, Sondra B. (2003). Making Diversity Work – Chapter 13: Verbal Skills forDiversity Dialog. Chicago IL: Dearborn Trade.

Wiles, B. (2005). Religion and the Workplace: Pluralism, Spirituality and Leadership.Review of medium_being_reviewed title_of_work_reviewed_in_italics. Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies, 17(1/2), 195-196. Retrieved February 27, 2009, from Research Library Database.

Career

Organization Culture[1]