From Simon & Schuster, Changing Human Service Organizations is George Brager and Stephen Holloway's exploration of politics and practice. Changing Human Service Organizations is concerned with the process of planned change with human service organizations. It's focus is on innovation initiated by staff at the lower and middle levels of hierarchy of the organization they wish to alter.
Organizations today { whether public or private { exist in environment s where the pace of change is dizzying. Human service organizations fa ce both external and internal challenges: The public demands better se rvices at more reasonable costs. Clientele is more diverse, more strat ified, and more vocal than ever. The organizations themselves must kee p up with rapid changes in technological innovation and labor-manageme nt relationships. Organizational Change: The Human Services Challenge looks at the context of organizational change, describes how individua ls and systems change, and pinpoints keys to successful change. Author Rebecca Proehl then presents a proven model of organizational change, built on lessons learned from both the public and private sectors, bu t tailored for human service organizations. Proehl also discusses in d epth labor union-management issues, the political strategies leaders m ust use to implement change, and how to build collaborative relationsh ips in human services.
Human service organizations (HSOs) are faced with challenges and opportunities ranging from improving effectiveness and efficiency to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion. However, organizational change can be a difficult process and does not occur without a catalyst. Organizational Change for the Human Services presents an evidence-based conceptual framework for planning and implementing change within HSOs. This book outlines the process for organizational change from identifying a problem to following a strategy for success. Thomas Packard presents discussions on various methods such as team building, employee surveys, cultural change, organization redesign, and intrapraneurship. Case examples demonstrate how individuals can put theory into practice within their organizations. Written for current and future HSO leaders, this book delves into the tactics and change methods that will help guide individuals to enact change within their organizations. Packard has created an invaluable resource for HSO leaders who aspire to provide the best services and care for the clients and communities they serve.
"It has been 17 years since the first edition of Navigating Human Service Organizations (Navigating) was published-and about twenty years since the Margaret Gibelman began working on a unique and engaging textbook that has been used in many dozens of classrooms. I did not participate in the initial writing of the book, I joined the project later. Yet shorty after it was released, I reviewed it for possible adoption for a practice class, so can semi-dispassionately reflect upon the initial notes I made about the latest book of the director of the doctoral program from which I graduated"--
Human service organizations are under increasing pressure to demonstrate that their programs work. Organization Practice, Second Edition helps students and professionals in human services and nonprofit management understand complex behaviors in organizations. This new edition provides a new, practical model for understanding cultural identities within organizations. Also, it is significantly revised to include numerous real-world cases, critical thinking questions, empirical support, and engaging exercises. Social workers, as well as public health and nonprofit administrators will benefit from the insights in this book.
Now in its Fourth Edition, Effectively Managing and Leading Human Service Organizations continues to provide invaluable creative ideas for achieving managerial success. Authors Ralph Brody and Murali Nair dissect and diagnose common workplace dilemmas, offering current and future managers the skills to implement positive changes in organizations large and small. Easy-to-read, this book connects a conceptual framework and essential managerial practices with hundreds of real-life examples and case studies of applied managerial skills in organizational settings.
Human services management occurs in nonprofit, governmental, and for-profit sectors and involves a wide variety of organizational structures. These diverse conditions shape the effort to produce and project services that directly affect the quality of life of individuals, families, and communities through social welfare, health and mental health, criminal justice, and educational services. David Austin begins with an examination of the historical development and distinctive characteristics of human service organizations, the variety of organizational and program structures at play, and the connection of individual service organizations with service delivery networks. He then examines of the roles and responsibilities of key stakeholder constituencies, including service users, service personnel (especially service professionals), funders, executives, and policy boards. The final two chapters discuss two organizational processes: accountability for effectiveness and dealing with organizational changes.
Here is a timely, insightful book that greatly increases the effectiveness of human service professionals and the organizations in which they function. Organization, Policy, and Practice in the Human Services is the first such text to bring together in a systematic fashion the concepts of organizational theory, policy, and practice in the human services. Offering a basic orientation to the structure and operations of social service organizations, Neugeboren addresses society’s need for the successful operation of these complex institutions in our highly organized society. He also calls for a re-examination of what is meant by “dependency” and postulates new methods of dealing with the social and personal problems confronting people in contemporary society. This book is indispensable for administrators, practitioners, and students. Practitioners gain instruction in “bureaucratic expertise,” enabling them to maximize opportunities, limit organizational constraints, reduce the likelihood of “burnout,’and otherwise become a “good bureaucrat” instead of an ineffective if well-intentioned one. Administrators will benefit from a model of organizational goals, practical guidelines for evaluating the effectiveness of an organizational structure, and methods for identifying and remedying the causes of organizational dysfunction. Neugeboren’s practical ideas make a significant contribution in preparing tomorrow’s social workers to deal more effectively with the world facing each of us. His theoretical insights are grounded in discussions of actual cases making them easy to apply to any human service organization.
