September 5, 2012

Reclaiming Futures Anti-Oppressive Practice Training

Class 4: Organizational Issues and AOP

Objectives for Today

Move our thinking from personal or small group ideas about anti-oppressive practice, to the larger realities of organizational practice.

Apply AOP frameworks to organizational development.

Core Competencies

1. Identify tensions between social services and social change.

2. Learn about how various organizational tools: diversity plans, disparity reduction plans, job descriptions can be used to increase racial equity.

3. Explore organizational/cross-organizational contextual history regarding efforts to build racial equity and diversity.

Overview of Today

Discuss organizational theory and practice from an AOP perspective.

Learn about common tensions between social service/social change – and – social service vs. social control.

Reflect upon your own agency practice from an AOP perspective.

Discuss several different organizational tools useful to advance AOP practice at the agency level.

Reflecting on Pre-Work for Today

What did you identify by way of organizational diversity or cultural competence plans?

Briefly discuss your observations of the quality, depth, and “living presence” of these tools in your experience of your agency.

Organizational Context for RF

Most organizations serving youth are:- Under enormous pressures – financially,

EBP’s, turnover and staff training, legal issues, measurement and accountability

- Fragmented and hierarchical- Loosely coupled linkages across multiple

coalitions- Most often disconnected from social change

in practice though frequently included in mission statements

Organizational Context for RF (continued)

- Challenged to find (and retain) staff representative of the community

- Struggling with disparities- Often unaware of (or unable to) address

conflicts between the social service/social change dilemma

Social Service/Social Change Dilemma

- Most agencies formed, positioned and funded to provide social services rather than social change

- Social service: To remediate/address a problem faced by individuals (sometimes families) by providing a predominantly individualized, micro-focused individual issue.

- Social change: To address and strategically impact social and structural issues that either directly or indirectly contribute to the need for social services.

Tensions

- To be anti-oppressive, one cannot only address the individual process that a person in a state of crisis or experiencing difficulty…one has to address and seek to impact (in alliance with effected groups and individuals) the social problems that enhance, encourage, reinforce the presence of individual distress and inequity.

- Organizations are often prevented from engaging in “social change” work due to their funding structure.

- Yet to boost anti-oppressive organizational capacity is to find a way utilizing tools and strategies specifically for this purpose.

OrganizationsOrganizations MovementsMovements

Implementing programs and standards

Development of capacity to meet organizational mandates

Organizational change

Professionally-driven (managed)

Building program excellence to achieve mandates

Coalescing to a plan

Implementing and improving

Implementation /organizational science

Action on social problems

Development of advocacy

Social change

Grassroots-driven (managed)

Building networks and alliances to achieve community goals

Disrupting disparities and oppression

Agitating and mobilizing

Political science

Juxtaposting Goals of Organizations Vs. Movements

Reflecting on Social Service vs. Social Change

- Describe with one another the focus of your organizational work from a social service as well as a social change perspective. Share your mission statements if possible.

- Discuss with one another examples of each from your agency – which is easier, which is harder? Keep a focus on organizational parameters.

Systems Change

Increasingly, many challenges are bigger than the purview of one organization. Cross organizational efforts are needed to change systems not merely programs.

Systems changes are a combination of organizational changes, community changes and policy changes (Straul & Blau, 2008).

Implementation of new policies, programs and infrastructure to support desired outcomes (Kreger, et al, 2007, p. 7).

Process of transformation in the existing structure and/or culture of a system” (Perison, et al, 2011, p. 308).

Doesn’t happen simply because it is needed – requires a committed process (Kenrick, et al, 2006, p.5).

Requires a combination of foci to rational and non-rational aspects of organizational or cross-organizational culture (Kendrick, et al, 2007, p. 5).

Discussion

- Process results of pre-work you’ve brought to session regarding organizational balance of social service/control vs. social change.- Reflect on process of attempting to evaluate agency/organization in this manner.- Share your observations and insights about the “social service/social control” vs. “social change” dilemma in your own organizational contexts.- Highlight the advice you have for us.

Three Possible Tools to Deepen/Expand AOP Organizational Capacity

The tools presented in this session will encourage you to consider your own organization as the “site” of your projects.

There are three possible tools we’ll consider:- Organizational Diversity Plans- Disparities Analysis and Action - Job Description Analysis and DevelopmentNote: Often all three of these may be present in one organizational plan however for

purposes of clarity and learning, we’ll consider them each separately.

Organizational Diversity Plans

- Goals tend to focus on recruiting, hiring and retaining diverse staff who are more representative of community.

- Activity option here involves a deep analysis of hiring history and practices and engaging key stakeholders in a candid assessment of perceived barriers to success in this area and devising a plan to improve.

Disparities Analysis and Action

Goals tend to focus on comparison of epidemiological information about need for service/action and actual successful completion of programs by proportional members of the community (or conversely overrepresentation of marginalized groups where there should not be)

Activity option here involves a deep review of this comparison/review and assessment of organizational awareness/satisfaction with plans to improve in the area

Job Description Analysis

Goals tend to focus on analysis of key job descriptions from an explicitly AOP perspective.

Activity involves utilizing social service/control vs. social change tool to explore actual proportions of work time dedicated to each sector, and development of articulated strategy to increase range of skills and resources to achieve a better balance or to fundamentally change the balance.

Other ideas…

• Examine organizational strategic plans and audit for social service vs. social change language and activity

• If broader vision cannot be realized (for a variety of reasons) do a community mapping exercise to identify key partners and allies who CAN engage in social justice/change work and devise new alliances for strengthening success and justice

Homework and follow-up

- Review example – Sisters Diversity and Anti-Oppression Policy.

- Review 2-3 articles and tools on AOP issues from organizational perspectives.

- Interview a local key leader who works on diversity/racial equity issues to broaden your own understanding of community history on this issue.

For Next Class

Action plan session – September 10, 2012Bring preliminary ideas using any

combination of tools or materials for your local projects.