Hi, can anyone help me. I am writing an essay critically evaluating the culture of my orgnaisation - social services - and am being directed by our tutor to describe it as a role culture. Charles Handy describes how such cultures are slow to respond to change. I have worked for various SSDs for the last thirty years and me experience has been that we have taken on and often embraced the need to change in response to various bits of legislation starting with the '89 Children Act and most recently trying to understand and respond to the Mental Capacity Act. It seems to me we do see the need to change and do respond to that need pretty quickly. I am trying to think of other organisations that have been suject to as much change. Can anyone direct me to any research/articles etc published about this that will support my anecdotal experience?
Thanks
Hi Chirpy,
Are you doing the organisational essay for a portfolio? If so I have loads of articles saved from when I did something similar. If you like, PM or 'friend' me with your email address and I'll send them on, to see if they're any use (not on my own laptop at the mo so can't check off the top of head).
The NHS has been subject to many huge changes over the years and is just beginning to go through more massive changes under the upcoming Health and Social care bill. Plenty of coverage of this in papers such as the guardian and independent.
Thank you both of you. have sent you a friend request ntswlab whatever you name is, I can't see it whilst typing this reply, sorry!
lt s worth looking at Isobel Menzies paper on Institutional defences ...............explains one theory why big organisations are resistant to change or more pertinently , the people in it ,, ie social services ; think that s why some people are called dinosaurs and managers see them as past their sale by date !!!
Ring any bells ?
Thanks, I shall look at the article. The ones sent to me blodnytwas have been really useful, thanks again.
Workers labelled 'resistant to change' or 'dinosaurs' etc etc are often those workers who have seen repeated cycles of change where practices have been changed only to be changed back after a period of time to exactly how they were before. This happens often. It's no wonder people get jaded.
Yes, selks, I think that may be the case. I can't think of any othe industry that has been under such constant change. Some of the articles blodyntatws sent me suggest that is the case. It seems to me we are not resistant to change - you only have to look at the number of times we have done so but these changes, often resulting from government directives have not always been for the good of the people we seek to provide a service to.
I agree with daffie that the Isobel Menzies article is relevant but I think it better explains the basis of the whole profession. Anxiety and creating defences against it.
Hi again chirpy,
Another text that might be useful to you (if you're still writing!) is 'Safeguarding Childhood: Early Intervention and Surveillance in Late Modern Society' by Nigel Parton. It will surely be in your uni library or on Amazon. It discusses the development of defensive and risk-averse practice with reference constructs of childhood - might be handy for looking at how this has influenced SW at organisational and practitioner level.