second practice theory course builds on SWK 501, Generalist Practice with Individuals, Families and Small Groups, extending the concepts of strengths based practice to work with organizations and communities. The relationships between communities and organizations and at risk populations are infused throughout the course. Knowledge, values and skills will be obtained throughout the course. These will be gained through readings, oral and written assignments, and videos.

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Chapter 7
Implementing Organizational
Change: Agency Policy,
Projects, and Programs
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Systems Involved in the Macro-Change
Process:
1. Macro Client System
2. Change Agent System
3. Target System
4. Action System

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Understanding Agency Policy:
Policies refer to an agency’s general guidelines
Changes in agency policy can be one of three
types:
• Changes in organizational goals
• Changes in personnel practices
• Changes in practice procedures

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Examples of Projects in Macro Practice:
Meeting clients’ special needs
Fundraising projects
Evaluating effects of agency or community
changes
Evaluation of new intervention approaches
Implementing internal agency changes
Providing internal services to agency staff

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7 Step Process for Initiating and
Implementing Macro Change:
1. Identify an innovative idea
2. Muster support and formulate an action system
3. Identify assets
4. Specify goals, objectives, and action steps to
attain them
5. Implement the plan
6. Neutralize the opposition
7. Evaluate progress

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The Planned Change Process

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After Identifying an Innovative Idea-

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Muster Support and Formulate an Action
System
• Articulate the proposed change’s purpose
• Clearly define and document the unmet client
needs
• Identify the clientele who will receive services
• State the services that will be provided
• Attend to the composition of the action system
• Ensure members of the action system are
committed to the purpose
• Attend to group leadership and group
participation skills

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Identify Assets
Prepare the agency for change
Consider undertaking a feasibility study
Solicit adequate financial resources

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Specify Goals, Objectives, and Action Steps
to Attain them
Goals provide direction
Objectives have greater specificity
Action Steps are tasks that must be completed
sequentially in order to achieve the objective.
They are behaviorally framed and measurable

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Implement the Plan
Describe how the changes will affect services
Anticipate target system receptiveness
Emphasize communications
Utilize a planning tool to achieve organizational
change
• PERT (Program Evaluation and Review
Technique) Chart

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PERT Chart
Depicts a series of tasks or activities visually in
either flow chart or time chart format
PERT Charts
• Illustrate objectives and action steps
• Portray specific tasks
• Depict task sequence
• Include necessary resources to complete the
plan
• Establish a time frame

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Neutralize Opposition to a Planned Change
Effort
Communication considerations before meeting
with decision makers
• Accuracy of information
• Amount of information
• Determining who will present
Logical administrative reactions
• Anticipate agency constraints
• Become knowledgeable about the agency

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Resistance
Understand the 4 phases of resistance
Develop a continuum of collaborative and
adversarial strategies to draw from

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4 Basic Steps in Persuasion, a Collaborative
Strategy
1. Initiate persuasion in any of the following ways
1. Establishing something you share in common
2. Sharing honest feelings
3. Using direct confrontation
2. Allow time for discussion, thought, and
answering decision makers’ questions
3. State your macro-change proposal clearly
4. Summarize any progress made with the
decision makers and any agreement on how to
proceed

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Neutralize Opposition
Monitoring before and during the implementation
Nurture the support of participating staff
Consider doing a “trial run” with a few clients for a
short period of time to identify flaws in the plan
Consider starting out on a smaller scale to begin
with
Formalize any contracts that might be needed
Anticipate a “honeymoon” period
Maintain administrative support

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Evaluate Outcomes in Macro Practice
Monitor daily activities and evaluate impact
Monitor your output
Perform an impact evaluation
Establish how services will be provided on an
ongoing basis

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Cultural Competence in Social Service
Organizations
• Workers may need to look at issues of cultural
competency in agencies. Some areas for
consideration are the following:
• The responsiveness of the agency to the needs of
culturally diverse people it services
• The level of empowerment the agency fosters in its staff
and the staff in turn foster in their clients
• Could the agency offer services in a manner which might
be more responsive to the cultural diversity of its clients?
• Does the agency have a mission and vision with respect to
fostering an inclusive workplace?
• How will one know that the goal of cultural competency
has been met within an agency?

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Memos and Email Communications
Potential issues with email communications:
• Confidentiality issues over sensitive content
• Leave internal trail
• Lack of a record interferes with efforts at
transparency

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Tips for Email Communication
Be as clear as possible
Check email addresses for accuracy
Do not flag unless it is truly important
Do not include information you would not want
your superior to see
Use formal communication protocols
Avoid strongly emotional language