Professionalism and the Human

Resources Frame

Dr. Bob BarcelonaDr. Jason Bocarro

HEHD 803

November 15, 2011

My Introduction of Dr. Bocarro• Hardest worker ever (seriously – this guy proves the myth of the lazy

tenured professor isn’t true…)• Diligent researcher who investigates areas of practical utility – things

that can be USED by practitioners in the field• Work centers around physical activity promotion, and access and

barriers to physical activity resources• Prolific grant-writer who has developed a pipe-line of funded projects

through the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation’s ALR• Award-winning teacher who always provides me with new ideas and

pushes me to do better• The absolute worst driver you’ve ever met (esp. w/o his glasses)…• And last but not least…..

My Introduction of Dr. Bocarro

When Graduate school became too much, he decided to take some

time off and earn a living as a stand-up comedian!

Jason Bocarro, Ph.D.Associate Professor, Youth Development and Physical activity

The two loves of my life: Arsenal and my wife

Background on Me• Originally from London, England• BSc from University of Birmingham• After College

– Worked as a fraud officer for Welfare– Sports development officer / Leisure centre

• Masters degree from Dalhousie University, Canada– Worked in outdoor experiential education field

• Program Director of Outdoor Education Center• Ph.D. from Texas A&M University – youth development

– City of Austin PARD• 5 years as a faculty member at the University of New Hampshire• 6 years as a faculty member at NC State University

Big Question/s of the Day (BQOD)• Youth development is a service-oriented profession. Knowing that – what

can (or should) we do to hire, train, motivate, and engage staff to deliver youth services more effectively?

• If you were hiring a front-line, entry level youth worker for your organization – tell me what you would look for (e.g. competencies, skill sets, personal qualities, educational background, etc.)

• Do you consider youth development to be a profession? Why or why not? What are some of the consequences of professionalizing youth work?

• Did anything strike you as interesting from the readings or the professionalism assignment this week that you want to comment on to start?

A ScenarioTo address the “youth crisis,” the mayor has called a meeting with representatives from all organizations that work with youth. She begins the meeting by asking these representatives what they do for young people.

•The pediatrician says: “I make young people healthy and treat them when they are sick.”

•The probation officer says: “I make sure youth don’t get into trouble and go to jail.”

•The school principal says, “My job is to provide quality instruction and make sure that youth graduate from high school.”

•The employment counselor says, “I help youth prepare for careers.”

The mayor turns to the youth worker from the local Positive Youth Development Organization (e.g. Y, BGC, 4-H, P&R Dept) and says, “Now, I know lots of young people come to your programs at all hours. They seem to like them, so I hear, but what is it you do exactly? What do you accomplish with young people?

YOUR TASK:Lets have a discussion and try to reach consensus on

these three questions:

1. What is it that positive youth development programs accomplish with young people?

2. From young people’s perspective, how are their experiences participating in your programs different from those experiences they have elsewhere (school, employment center, religious institution, health clinic)?

3. If you had to answer the question – what is it you do for young people – how would you answer?

What Constitutes a Profession?

Do you consider youth development to be a profession? Why or why not?

What are some of the consequences of professionalizing youth work?

What Constitutes a Profession?• Core element of work is based on mastery of a distinct body of

knowledge and set of skills• Knowledge and competence can be obtained through relevant

academic preparation programs and through professional training and development opportunities

• Governing or other professional associations of like-minded professionals that help to set standards, certify competence, formulate ethical principles, etc.

• Code of ethics or acceptable ethical standards that are adhered to and valued by members

• A vocation where accountability is primarily to those served and/or to the larger society

Core Assumptions• Organizations exist to serve

human needs rather than the reverse

• People and organizations need each other

• A good fit benefits both• When the fit between

individual and system is poor, one or both suffer

Bolman & Deal (2008).

Do you agree? Why?

“Individual performance is the foundation of organizational performance”

(Ivanecivich & Matteson, 1996, p. 14).

Importance of HR• Staff characteristics are critical to high quality YD programs (Astroth

et al. 2004)• Jim Collins in Good to Great suggests that if we want to develop

great organizations, we need to “get the right people on the bus”

“Youth serving agencies, religious youth groups, sports programs, parks and recreation services, and libraries all report that the (staff)… in their systems, whether serving on a paid or volunteer basis, are the most critical factor in

whether a program succeeds, but do not receive adequate training, ongoing support and supervision, or public recognition”

- Huebner et al., 2003, p. 205

“Many youth workers come to this work with energy and good intentions but little training or knowledge of child and youth development. As a result, staff

turnover can be high, as high as 100 percent per year” (National Collaboration for Youth, as cited in Astroth et al., 2004)

Get on the Bus!

So – who are the people that we need to “get on the YD bus”? What are the desired competencies, skill sets,

personal qualities, professional education, etc. that we are looking for?

What about the people who are already on the bus? The people that we thought had all the competencies and good qualities but are now burnt out, unmotivated, under stress,

in conflict with fellow employees, etc.?

Three Critical Questions1. What are the best ways to

motivate employees to achieve peak work performance?

2. What obstacles do we face in this process?

3. How might we overcome these challenges?

Human NeedsJohn Gardner (On Leadership):

“In recent years, a good many American corporations have concluded that workers who make commitments to their work and find meaning in it

perform more effectively. The likelihood of such commitments is increased if they come to see quality of product as a source of self-respect and

ultimately respect from the community; if they see service to customers as a source of pride…if they feel proudly involved in decisions concerning

their work” (Gardner, 1990, p. 190).

Frederick Herzberg (1968) – Work MotivatorsAchievement, Recognition, Work Itself, Responsibility, Advancement, Growth

How does this apply to the needs/motivators found in human services settings, like youth development?

Sam is a 30 year old youth worker for her city’s large YMCA. Sam has worked in her job for the past eight years. She is in what would be considered to be a front-line management position which requires her to work nights and most weekends. She supervises two interns and numerous part-time paid staff, contract workers, and volunteers. She generally has a good rapport with her staff, and her colleagues think she is a pleasant person and someone they enjoy working with. Sam had a great relationship with the manager who hired her. She trusted Sam, and gave her considerable freedom in her job. The boss who hired her left the Y three years ago, and Sam doesn’t have a great relationship with her current boss. She thinks he’s a micromanager who can’t seem to keep his nose out of her business. If you asked Sam, she’d tell you she’s dissatisfied with her job. She hasn’t received a raise or cost-of-living increase in three years. She has been doing essentially the same job since she started with the Y eight years ago. She continues to do her job satisfactorily, but doesn’t go out of her way to do more than what her job description requires. Budget and political realities always seem to put her job on the chopping block (although her position seems to survive these challenges). She wouldn’t mind staying with the Y, but would entertain other offers if they came her way. She’d even consider positions outside her field if they interested her. Sam doesn’t know it yet, but you have been hired to replace her current manager. Based on what we’ve talked about, what strategies would you use to increase her motivation? Consider any and all potential strategies that you can think might help.

Some Thoughts• The field of youth development is, at best, an emerging profession

– or at least a group of people within the field who are talking about professionalization (my take)

• The lack of professionalization has a negative impact on the quality and quantity of the youth development workforce (again, my take)

• We need to focus on getting the best people on board from the start (admittedly difficult with poor pay, transient nature of certain positions, high stress work environments…)

• Getting rid of people is hard – need to have accountability and high standards (for staff as well as volunteers!)

• Remember – organizations exist to satisfy human needs – not the reverse – so how can we do better to support the needs of the YD workforce? If not increased pay, what else?