Monday, September 30, 2019

Communication Style Paper

AA Professor Course 6315 Feb 26, 2013 COMMUNICATION STYLES: ANALYSIS OF THE INTERACTION This paper analyzes a specific interaction. The purpose is to see how changing the communication style according to the subjects involved can have different outcomes. The topics covered in this paper are (1) Subjects Involved, (2) The Specific Interaction and Analysis, and (3) Conclusion. Subjects Involved The nature of the two subjects involved in the study makes the analysis interesting due to their opposite communication styles. Any miscommunication between the two can result in undesired outcomes.The following paragraphs describe the two subjects and their communication styles followed by the discussion of the particular interaction and its analysis. Subject 1: The Candidate â€Å"Sales Manager† The one thing that separates the Sales Manager, Brian, from everyone else in the office is his desire to be liked by everyone. Brian cannot handle rejection of any kind. He is the person to appr ove any changes in Sales recommendations to the investors. Convincing Brian to do anything other than what he wants is quite a task. Each time one is about to convince Brian, something magically appears that takes him away to a different task.Subject II: The Noble â€Å"Me† I am the second subject. Being a â€Å"Noble,† getting into long discussions over rather straight forward issues is difficult for me. Arguments are pretty simple for me. The solution is either this or that. I have a need to make a decision and move on to the next task with the least amount of time wasted. The Specific Interaction and Analysis Brian has been the Sales Manager for the last five years. The office environment is open and democratic. All important issues are discussed in weekly friday morning meetings.Agendas for monday morning sales meetings are finalized on friday along with the recommendations for different investment properties to be presented to the investors the following week. In the weekly discussions, Brian’s job is to listen to the recommendations of the Sales Team which is led by me. Every time, when we need to finalize the recommendation, the discussions get heated and Brian just changes the topic and starts discussing something else. Each week, we end up with an argument trying to convince each other of the investment pick of the week, without coming to an agreement.Every argument leads to Brian discussing a completely different topic. It became a real problem for the sales team, as we left the meeting without a clear understanding of to present to our investors in the coming week. Once I understood Brian’s communication style, I discussed our course of action with my team. Under no circumstances were we to start an argument. Our tone of voice was to remain calm and in control at all times. We offered our views as an alternative without trying to direct or control him. The discussions were longer than what I would have liked but the resul ts were ncouraging. After weeks of unclear outcomes, we were able to come up with clear investment recommendations for our sales team to present to our investors. Conclusion I learned that knowing the other person’s style of communication makes the communication process a little easier. I always knew about the differences among people but never gave it the required thought to help me communicate better. I now alter my communication style depending upon the person I am dealing with resulting in more effective communication.

Sunday, September 29, 2019

Forced Ranking Essay

Would you recommend that an employer use a forced distribution approach to performance appraisals? I would recommend a forced distribution list to organizations that are large in size and are looking to create a process oriented approach. About 20% of Fortune 1,000 companies and growing are using this approach. â€Å"Some say forced ranking is not only the best method, but an essential practice to turn a struggling company into a market-dominating one.† (Bates, 2003) This approach is the best way to identify your high performing individuals and also the bottom performs who should be helped out. The high performers should be given promotions, financial incentives and training to grow within the company. A leadership development program can also be started after identifying the high performers. The low performers should be put on a performance improvement plan to get help. Low performers are not automatically fired for being in one bracket – warnings should always be given first. It should be looked at as a development tool. Forced ranking engages the manager to provide assessments of employees and forces them to communicate the tough stuff with their employees. It holds the managers accountable for their workforce. â€Å"The great value of using a forced ranking process doesn’t result merely from plunking people into different buckets,† he says. â€Å"The payoff comes from the action that is taken with each person following the assessment sessions.† (Bates, 2003) What are the Pro’s and Con’s? Pros: Creates and sustains a high-performance culture. Employees know where they stand at all times and if they are not performing well they can be given the opportunity for improvement using a performance appraisal system. For the high performing employees they are rewarded and motivated to continue performing. â€Å"Lets employees know where they stand. One of the common complaints from employees is about the lack of feedback on their performance. Forced ranking sends a clear message as to how people stand, or fall† (Sprenkle, 2002). The systems forces managers to have tough conversations with direct reports they may have been avoided. There is a  more disciplined approach to the management process. Managers cannot ignore performance issues with this approach. Can easily match employee performance to compensation and year-end bonus. Can motivate employees to increase their performance if they know that their compensation depends on this. (Lipman, 2012) Cons: Employees are going to want feedback more regularly to make sure they are performing well. â€Å"Some companies really do have a lot of high performers, so forced ranking eliminates great people and damages the culture.† (Bersin, May) If an employee is surprised by their rating they will most likely be demotivated. â€Å"A study by Drake University professor Steve Scullen, shows that forced ranking loses its effectiveness after a couple of years, since the average quality of workers increases and there are fewer â€Å"C† players to identify.† (Alsever, 2008)Can create a competitive environment that does not encourage team work. More likely to have discrimination lawsuits References: Alsever, J. (2008, May 1). CBS Money Watch. Retrieved from What Is Forced Ranking?: http://www.cbsnews.com/news/what-is-forced-ranking/ Bates, S. (2003, June 1). SHRM. Retrieved from HR Magazine: Forced Rankling : http://www.shrm.org/Publications/hrmagazine/EditorialContent/Pages/0603bates.aspx Bersin, J. (May, 6 2013). Forbes. Retrieved from Time to Scrap Performance Appraisals?: http://www.forbes.com/sites/joshbersin/2013/05/06/time-to-scrap-performance-appraisals/ Lipman, V. (2012, July 19). Forbes. Retrieved from The Pros And Cons Of Forced Rankings: A Manager’s Perspective: http://www.forbes.com/sites/victorlipman/2012/07/19/the-pros-and-cons-of-forced-rankings-a-managers-perspective/ Sprenkle, L. (2002, June 20). Workforce. Retrieved from Forced Ranking – A Good Thing for Business?: http://www.workforce.com/articles/forced-ranking-a-good-thing-for-business

Saturday, September 28, 2019

Managers’ Encouragement Essay

ACADEMIC INTEGRITY DECLARATION Breaches of academic integrity (cheating, plagiarism, falsification of data, collusion) seriously compromise student learning, as well as the University’s assessment of the effectiveness of that learning and the academic quality of the University’s awards. All breaches of academic integrity are taken seriously and could result in penalties including failure in the course and exclusion from the University. Students should be aware that the University uses text-matching software to safeguard the quality of student learning and that your assignment will be checked using this software. I acknowledge and agree that the examiner of this assessment item may, for the purpose of marking this assessment item: reproduce this assessment item and provide a copy to another Griffith staff member; and/ submit this  assessment item to a text-matching service. This web-based service will retain a copy of this assessment item for checking the work of other students, but will not reproduce it in any form. Examiners will only award marks for work within this assignment that is your own original work. I, hereby certify that: except where I have indicated, this assignment is my own work, based on my personal study and/or research. I have acknowledged all materials and sources used in the preparation of this assignment whether they be books, articles, reports, lecture notes, or any other kind of document or personal communication. I have not colluded with another student or person in the production of this assessment item unless group work and collaboration is an expectation of the assessment item. this assignment has not been submitted for assessment in any other course at Griifith, or at any other University or at any other time in the same course without the permission of the relevant Course Convenor. I have not copied in part or in whole or otherwise plagiarised the work of other students and/or other persons. I haven’t made this piece of work available to another student without the permission of the Course Convenor. Providing this declaration falsely is considered a breach of academic integrity. I have retained a copy of this assessment item for my own records. Acknowledged by: Enter nameDate:       (Signature) Where the item is submitted electronically Clicking â€Å"I Agree† constitutes an electronic signature for the purpose of assignment declaration compliance. STUDENT CONSENT (to be completed by the student before their essay, assignment or other work is uploaded to an internal/online learning University website or used for the purpose of moderation (not to be used if there is to be public access to the work) At Griffith the use of assessment exemplars by academic staff is encouraged to inform students’ understanding of the performance standards associated with learning and achievement in the course. An assessment exemplar is an authentic example, actual sample or excerpt, of student work that has been annotated to illustrate the ways in which it demonstrates learning, achievement and quality in relation to the intended learning outcomes (including graduate outcomes) for the course. Assessment exemplars may be made available in a range of ways. In order to collect assessment exemplars students are asked to consent, on every assessment item submitted, for their work, without disclosure of the contributor’s identity, to be used, and reproduced as an assessment exemplar for standard setting and moderation activities. I acknowledge that for the purpose of standard setting and moderation activities the examiner of this assessment item may wish to store, reproduce, annotate, and communicate my work to others, including future students, without disclosure of my identity. I consent to my Work, Enter title of Assignment itemwithout disclosure of my personal details, being stored, reproduced annotated and communicated within the University’s secure online learning environment. I do not consent to my Work, Enter title of Assignment itembeing stored, reproduced annotated and communicated within the University’s secure online learning environment. Acknowledged by:  Date:       (insert name here) Where the item is submitted electronically Clicking â€Å"I Agree† constitutes an electronic signature for the purpose of assignment declaration compliance. Several studies have been conducted on how managers’ encouragement of employee voice can lift well being and productivity. Do managers really help open the door for employee voice? ‘Managers’ encouragement’ is seen to be the support or direction given to employees from co workers who regulate worker behaviour. Through this professional relationship, managers may behave in a way that deters employees from engaging with their managers and their work, decreasing productivity and well being. Other issues within the contemporary workplace, such as job scarcity or the diminishing union presence, may also affect the well being of employees and may have a negative effect on businesses. Today’s work environment is very evolved. We live and work in a recognisably equal and fair society with very few big issues troubling workers. Or so it seems. Although that with the presence of unions and established organisations such as the FWC, a workplace without any idiosyncrasies is still, unrealistic. Competition for jobs is a pressing issue that may lead to a lack of confidence within the workplace. This lack of confidence can cause workers to feel invaluable and may, in-turn, suppress employee voice. â€Å"Many individuals do not work in an environment where they where they see it safe to speak up†(Millican, Morison and Hewlin, 2003: Ryan and ostrich, 1998) Although it may be beneficial for an organisation to receive feedback and knowledge from an employee, employees simply see ‘ the risks outweighing the benefits’.(Academy of management Journal 2007, Vol. 50, No 4, p869-884). In recent years, the number of unionised workplaces has slowly faded , along with the presence of unions themselves. In the UK alone, over the past 30 years, the percentage of union members has fallen from 58% down to 28% of the total workforce(Barrat 2009). Does this lead us to believe that the role of trade unions and unions alike also fade? (J Benson, 2002). Trade unions and similar organisations (such as the FWC) were put in place over 150 years ago to aid the working class citizens to stop employers from creating inhumane working conditions. In today’s work environment the role of unions is to negotiate with employers over terms and conditions of employment as well as employee salary. Unions also continue to help provide fair working conditions for employees and maintain economic interests for employees’ (Tannenbaum 1964). Will employee voice be further suppressed due to lack of union presence? ‘Employee voice can be describes in many ways, however in this case, Employee voice is: â€Å"A whole variety of processes and structures which enable, and at times empower, employees, directly and indirectly, to contribute to decision-making in the firm† (Boxall and Purcell, 2003: 162) A Managers professional obligation towards their company is their personal responsibility to assist in allowing their co-workers perform to the best of their abilities. Businesses and corporations are represented and established by their people, thus managers are upheld by their corporate social responsibility to perform (Ali M. Quazi, 2003 (D. J. Wood, 1991)). Managers’ utilize employees’ skills knowledge and efforts in an attempt to create the most efficient form of productivity. (R.Loudoun, RMcPhail, Awilkinson p27) The fact that this obligation to the business takes priority may alter Managers’ behaviour towards employees. Without the correct understanding of the employee, this can easily negatively affect the well being and productivity of the employee. â€Å"Engagement is about establishing mutual respect in the workplace for what people can do and be, given the right context, which serves us all, as individual employees, as companies and organisations and as consumers of public services.† Employee engagement is one of the fundamental pieces of a functional business and is a by product of successful employee voice. . â€Å"A ‘Good manager’ should be empathetic and open minded towards their co workers.† (Says R.McMaster – Employee @City beach DC) It is known that if a person takes time to invest an interest into another person, that person feels valued. (article by Cath Everett) The same goes for the workplace. As managers become closer to their co workers, a relationship of trust is formed, making the communication of information more efficient, therefore increasing productivity. Can employee voice within the workplace lift well being and productivity? It has been discussed whether or not employee voice is heard and/ or promoted along with other aspects of working conditions within the work place; However, does managers’ encouragement of employee voice lift well being and productivity? It is obvious that managers’ encouragement for employee voice positively effects well being and productivity. With the encouragement of employee voice, employee engagement is also lifted. With the correct management approach, ‘Performance and profitability can be transformed by employee engagement’(D McLeod, N Clarke). As an engaged member of a work force, an employee would be able to conduct themselves in a more efficient manner. With engagement comes interest and motivation, with that behind them, employees can work at their best to produce results. â€Å"Employees who are more engaged with their work are said to be more likely to behave in positive and cooperative ways† (Rees, C., Alfes, K. and Gatenby, M. (2013) ) The heightened engagement of employees positively effects all parties involved; better quality of work and a statistically greater productivity throughout the workplace can be achieved. References: http://www.hrzone.com/topic/managing-people/encouragement-managers-increases-staff-engagement/110457 . 2014. . [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.sagepub.com/wilton/Chapter%2010%20-%20Employment%20Relations.pdf. [Accessed 28 September 2014]. Rees, C., Alfes, K. and Gatenby, M. (2013) Employee voice and engagement: connections and consequences, International Journal of Human Resource Management, 24:14, 2780-2798. Wood, D.J. (1991), â€Å"Corporate social performance revisited†, Academy of Management Journal, Vol. 16, pp. 691-718. David MacLeod, Nita Clarke Engaging for success: enhancing performance through employee engagement. A report to Government Page 7, paragraph 2: http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/1810/1/file52215.pdf JAMES R. DETERT Cornell University ETHAN R. BURRIS University of Texas at Austin Academy of Management Journal 2007, Vol. 50, No. 4, 869–884 John Benson December 2002 Employee Voice in Union and Non-union Australian Workplaces 16 DEC 2002 Tannenbaum, F1951, Philosophy of labour, Alfred Knopf, New York. -1964, the true society: a philosophy of labour, Cape, London.

Friday, September 27, 2019

Reaction Paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 7

Reaction Paper - Essay Example Barber’s argument has attracted criticisms from democratic and capitalistic due to the insufficiency of evidence in support thereof. However, it is necessary to tame the pressures of Jihad and McWorld – as Barber argues – for democracy to thrive. Capitalism is a system of economics grounded on the private ownership of production inputs and capital. Goods and services are produced principally for profit. Goods and services are produced based on the demand and supply in the market (market economy) as opposed to central planning (planned economy). Competition between producers is the main characteristic of capitalism. Barber conducts an examination of the pressures of capitalism, communication systems, and advertising campaigns on the global scale. The world has become such a small village that governments have lost their authority to regulate the affairs of citizens. Barber uses the term â€Å"McWorld† to describe the scenario. Transactions today are concluded with such amazing efficiency and speed that no government of the present day can purport to control (Barber 4). Alongside these international pressures exerted by capitalism and associated practices, individual nations have suffered pressures from within as groups struggle to break free from the regimes in place. Determinism is at its peak in individual nations. The author gives the example of Quebec that has struggled for a long time to break out of Canada. Barber uses the term â€Å"Jihad† to describe this scenario. This term includes both religious factions determined to exert influence in certain regions and ethnic groups struggling to break free from nation-states to whose regimes they are subject. Rebellious movements with no political or religious ambitions are also included in the term. The two terms – McWorld and Jihad – are unbearable forces that the author believes are spirited attempts by the individual to define his or her place in a

Thursday, September 26, 2019

Regultion of Public Utilities Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Regultion of Public Utilities - Essay Example It is worth while t the outset to distinguish clerly between the specil control over public utilities nd the regultion of industries in generl. Under the police power, stte hs the right to regulte ny business. This sort of regultion hs to do with sfety devices, conditions of helth nd well being of employees, nd, with more or less defined limittions, the generl welfre of the public (King, 2000). The regultion of public utilities, however, is of different sort ltogether. It embrces the right to control the very orgniztion nd conduct of the enterprise. It is concerned not only with sfety nd welfre, but with the rtes chrged the public nd the returns or profits relized by the business, s well s with the products or services furnished. In the so-clled unregulted business the right to such interference is not recognized. fter ll resonble provisions for the public welfre hve been mde, ordinry business is still free to furnish such services or products s it desires, chrge such prices or rtes s it is ble to exct, nd conduct its finncil mngement ccording to its own purposes or contrctul rrngements. The right to regulte in the specil sense ws first recognized in the celebrted cse of Munn v. Illinois, decided by the Supreme Court of the United Sttes in 1876. This cse involved the right of the Illinois generl ssembly to prescribe mximum chrges for the storge nd hndling of grin by Chicgo elevtors. The new power ttempted by the stte ws rdicl deprture from existing policy. The ct ws shrply contested nd crried to the Supreme Court of the United Sttes. The power ws upheld, nd the bsis lid for public utility regultion. The principle itself hs never been questioned since. bout the time when the Illinois wrehouse sttute ws encted, there ws widespred legisltion throughout the country, especilly through the newly developed western sttes, for the regultion of rilrods. This ws the period of so-clled Grnger legisltion, when lmost spontneously new sttutes for rilrod regultion were encted. Of the seven Grnger cses decided by the Supreme Court in 1876, ll but the Munn cse concerned rilrods. 1 Thus, ctive regultion t tht time chiefly centered round the rilrods. It finlly resulted in the pssge by Congress in 1887 of n ct to Regulte Commerce, or, s it is clled, the Interstte Commerce ct (Morgn, 2003). During the 1880's serious problems developed lso in connection with other public utilities, prticulrly street rilwys. The rpid growth of cities creted demnd for dequte trnsporttion t resonble rtes. Similrly other services becme importnt, nd demnd for the extension of regultion developed. Consequently, fter 1900, the policy of regultion expnded rpidly, nd in the succeeding decde public utility sttutes with commissions were provided in most of the sttes. The bsis of regultion, s estblished by the Munn decision, nd repeted in ll of the leding cses where the sme question rose, ws the specil public interest in the prticulr industries. It is worth inquiring into this specil interest. Wht re the prticulr qulities, or the extrordinry conditions, which set n enterprise prt from others not subject to regultion Wht constitutes the specil interest which trnsforms business into public utility Vrious nswers hve been mde from time to time to these questions. In court opinions, sometimes one view is reflected,

Ethical Case Analysis Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Ethical Case Analysis - Essay Example It defines the organization’s role as the promotion of availability of information, freedom of speech and transparency. Hacktivism, however, does not necessarily mean criminal ventures as it includes application of websites’ links to publish information on social networks. Posts such as like a particular page for facebook to make donations towards a cause are examples. The author however simplifies its definition to application of the internet to facilitate an objective (Carter, p. 1). Anonymous is the illustrated example of hacktivist group that breaks into websites whose opinion the organization does not agree with. The group also applies its high level of skills to close down websites such as those of governments and other organizations as counter attack initiatives for actions that are offensive to its objectives. Its reaction to the temporary closure of the Wikileaks website is the recent example. The group is also involved in other mass action movements. The author however notes that most internet users in social network unknowingly participate in hackivism through following hacktivists’ directives to publish links on their social network pages (Carter, p. 1). The article identifies two moral agents. Anonymous group is identified as a specific moral agent and the social network users who engage in the type of publications as general moral agents in the case. This is because the parties’ initiatives that involve conveyance of information to the public can be determined as either right or wrong. The act can be right to the effect of truthfully criticizing an evil or advocating for a beneficial initiative but can be bad if the criticism is not based on the truth, leading to harm. Anonymous for example advocates for freedom of expression and acts in defense against authoritarian initiatives. Depending on the consequences of their actions, they can be judged as either good or bad. Actions of individuals in

Wednesday, September 25, 2019

The management of change in Hampton Roads Sanitation District Essay

The management of change in Hampton Roads Sanitation District - Essay Example Organization Development (OD) is one of the chief concepts that relates to the organizational change management. It can come under definition as â€Å"Organization development is a system-wide application of behavioral science knowledge to the planned development and reinforcement of organizational strategies, structures, and processes for improving an organization's effectiveness† (Boonstra, 2004). In other words, enterprises implement the process of organization development through proper and careful planning in order to improve and benefit their business processes, functions, employees and other stakeholders (Cummings & Worley, 2008). The process of improvement through organization development can be for either the entire organization and its processes or a smaller portion of the enterprise. This process starts from collecting the information and identification of the problems/concerns in order to create an understanding about the existing state of affairs of the organization. An appropriate solution, strategy, or guiding principle comes under establishment based on the recognized opportunities for change (McLean, 2005). The organizations focus and give emphasis to productivity, profitability, and quality of work since the company’s accomplishments and success lies behind these factors. Due to this reason, organizations are now investing maximally on their employees, as this has become an escalating trend in the contemporary business environment. (Jones  & Brazzel &  NTL Institute for Applied Behavioral Science, 2006). Likewise, the attitudes of the employees have also changed as they work to get a feeling of accomplishment and recognition. In the same way, the customers are also demanding quality products or services, fast delivery, competitive prices and other attributes compatible to innovation and complex environment that add the worth of the product. With all these aspects of organization, employees, and the customers, the importance of organization development or an organization has augmented, as the efficient organization wants to meet the current and future challenges in order to s urvive and sustain (Kondalkar, 2009). Several organizations have already experienced and still in the process of undergoing the organization development and change process. Amongst numerous enterprises, Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) is one of the organizations that have undergone the process of organization development. Company Background Hampton Roads Sanitation District (HRSD) is an organization with more than 650 employees at the wastewater utility with a huge customer base where the billing system is direct to the customers without involving any third party. HRSD is a regionally based organization in Virginia that supplies to several cities, counties and military facilities in the region of southeast of Virginia. Moreover, HRSD supplies the facility to an area that comes under the population of more than 1.5 million natives. The utility operates on a system with various major and few smaller treatment plants where it treats and transports

Tuesday, September 24, 2019

An Exploration of womens role in the construction industry Essay

An Exploration of womens role in the construction industry - Essay Example typically one of the most male dominated areas of the labour market, with women working in the industry making up only 10 percent of the UK construction workforce; in the general population, this workforce amounts to about 45 percent. The importance of the female worker will be noted, as ideas aimed at bringing women into construction work are examined. There is more awareness in the general population that women are an asset to professions such as architecture, and the construction organisation needs to address how to recruit women into the industry, and retain them within the workforce for as long as possible. An examination of how women are recruited and retained throughout the labour market, and comparison with the construction industry, may provide some answers. The construction industry is one of the most important industry sectors in terms of economic growth and employment. This sector is also crucial in producing goods and investment opportunities, with around 58 percent of the EU’s production depending directly or indirectly, upon the construction industry. However, the sector’s performance in the spheres of research and innovation is poor, with less than one percent of its turnover being returned for use in research and development funding. Some research considering the position of women within science and engineering has been done, but very little is known about the role of women within construction research, and the factors which hinder the equal participation of men and women within the industry. There appears to be a lack of awareness, or acknowledgement within the profession of issues that specifically relate to women within the workforce, and towards female architects in particular. Women’s accomplishments in the architectural field are not well-known, and are also not well publicized through university programmes, awards, or other promotional materials and events. Women entering the architectural practice after completing their degree

Monday, September 23, 2019

A Physician Is Immune from Liability When a Patients Actions Assignment

A Physician Is Immune from Liability When a Patients Actions Contribute as Much to His Own Harm as the Physicians - Assignment Example In cases of medical liability, informed refusal often arises in instances when patients claim that they were not fully made aware of the fact that by not following the doctors’ suggestions for either a screening regimen, appointments or taking their medication as ordered. Instead, they claim that doctors and nurses were not either clear or assertive (Martin et al, 2005). These patients seemingly agree to follow the doctor’s recommendations and then do not. Thereafter, these patients allege that the physician did not provide them with a full picture of the potential harm that could come to them from not following the recommendations put to them by the doctor (Lerner, 2014). The role of the physician in patient care is to actively determine what the most appropriate treatment for a patient is based on their medical problem determined by the physician’s knowledge, medical judgment as well as experience (Furrow et al, 2013). Thereafter, his job is to present these recommendations to the patient for their consideration and ideally to gain consent that they will follow through on the treatment plan. As a general rule, the patient is the one who makes the ultimate decision with regard to their medical care and therefore has the final word on whether or not to carry on with the treatment recommended (Hoffman, 2011). If the patient elects to follow the recommendations put forward by the physician, then essentially the only thing that the physician can do is to provide helpful advice and to follow up on the missed appointments. Non-compliance is an issue that is well known and in many instances inevitable (Hoffman, 2011).  

Sunday, September 22, 2019

Review of the Child Protective Services Investigation Process Essay Example for Free

Review of the Child Protective Services Investigation Process Essay In the beginning of 2004, the tragic death of a young boy in San Antonio, TX raised concerns about Texas Department of Protective and Regulatory Services (TDPRS) procedures relating to the investigation of the child protective services (CPS) process, including responding to telephone reports and assessing the risk of maltreatment accurately. TDPRS is currently under investigation ordered by the Governor, Rick Perry. The Governor stated, there is enough evidence from various parts of the state to suggest that some of our most vulnerable children are not receiving the protection they need from abusive situations. The evidence leads me to believe we have a systemic breakdown in the safety net that must protect abused children (www.governor.state.tx.us July 1, 2004). This paper examines current procedures in the investigation process and provides recommendations for improvement related to several of the details and feature of the operations process. Reinventing government initiatives draw heavily on supply chain management, total quality management, business process reengineering, and just-in-time delivery concepts that fall under the Operations Management umbrella.(Chase, 2003). Because this review is narrowly focused on the CPS investigation process, there are several essential elements of child welfare services that are not addressed in this paper, including substitute care and permanency services. OVERVIEW OF FUNCTIONAL AREAS The overall goal of CPS is to protect the unprotected children from abuse and neglect. This report focuses on specific CPS functions and crosscutting themes. These functions are those that comprise the child protection response to allegations of abuse and neglect. Operational definitions described in this report include: * Screening and Intake the process by which CPS receives a referral and a report concerning allegations of child abuse or neglect, and decides whether or not to respond to the referral and report. * Investigation the process by which CPS determines whether child maltreatment has occurred or if a child is at risk of maltreatment, and the decisions and actions that are needed to ensure the childs safety. * Other CPS Response and Alternative Response a response to an allegation of abuse or neglect that assesses the needs of the child or family with or without requiring a determination that maltreatment has occurred or that the child is at risk of maltreatment for the purpose of providing the family with services. For each function, there are several different features. The workflow of these functions is described in Table 1. SCREENING AND INTAKE Receiving community referrals, which includes those from mandated professional reporters and the population at large, is the gateway to CPS. Features of the intake procedures include the availability to receive reports, methods for documenting reports, and timeframes for accepting and forwarding a report. Intake is available 24-hours a day 7 days a week, and centralized in Austin, TX. Referred reports are generally categorized into two groups. In the first group, CPS caseworkers are dispatched immediately for children believed to be in imminent risk of harm. In the second group, investigations are usually initiated within 10 days. The policies indicate that a decision protocol for forwarding cases for investigation. The hotline workers conduct quality assurance (QA) reviews on each case and decision to forward a case to investigation is made with supervisor approval. In case of sexual abuse and serious abuse, the case must be notified to law enforcement. INVESTIGATION The investigation function addresses the process of determining whether a child has been maltreated or is likely to be maltreated, and if services are needed to ensure the child will not be harmed in the future. TDPRS implemented the use of risk and safety assessment (IRA) as tools to guide decision-making as to when and how to intervene to keep children safe in the immediate future and to reduce long-term risk. The result of IRA was included at case closure, during case planning at any major decision point, or whenever circumstances suggest a childs safety is at risk. Investigators usually check if the childs family has had a prior validated report of abuse or neglect. Investigators then visit and interview the family, including initiating face-to-face contact with the children, and begin collecting information about the alleged maltreatment incident. If an investigator, during the initial investigation, believes that a child has been maltreated and needs the court to protect the childs safety, the investigator must initiate judicial oversight of the case, which can be time-consuming and complicated. While the investigator is following the procedures involved in investigating the alleged maltreatment, he or she is also developing a tentative plan to address those conditions in the home that CPS believes contributed to the maltreatment of the child. This plan ultimately becomes the case plan that outlines treatment services for the child and the family. The plan described what actions are required of all the parties involved to correct the condition that caused the maltreatment. OTHER CPS RESPONSE AND ALTERNATIVE RESPONSE The overall goals of alternative response are to provide a response option to those families whose situations did not meet the mandate or criteria for CPS involvement, to serve low-risk or low-severity situations, or to improve family situations. This is to emphasize partnering the families with the community and creating a network for the family, protect children and assist parents to recognize and remedy conditions harmful to their children, provide preventive services before the need of CPS involvement is required, and prevent the family from potentially being re-referred. The causes of child abuse and neglect are complex, and a case plan can involve referrals to an array of individuals, including caseworkers from other units in the agency, private service providers such as mental health and counseling professionals, other public agencies such as housing and transportation services. CURRENT WORKFLOW Documenting business process flows visually not only helps in ISO and QS initiatives, but it is the first step toward continuous improvement. (Gould, L. 2000) A good way to start analyzing a process is with a diagram showing the basic elements of a process (Chase, 2003) Table 1 describes the overview of current workflow from the time the report of maltreatment was reported to CPS until the completion of the investigation. Table 1 UNDERLYING PROBLEMS Because child protection is a critical service and because of the seriousness consequences of errors, CPS must seek to insure the quality, timeliness, and accuracy of the process both through detailed specifications (laws, regulations, and policy) and thorough supervisory oversight. However, the process must be balanced with systems that give workers and supervisors sufficient flexibility to apply sound professional judgment. Increases in the number of maltreatment cases, the changing nature of family problems, and long-standing systemic weaknesses have placed the CPS system in a state of crisis and undermined its ability to fully carry out the responsibilities for abused and neglected children. First, child maltreatment reports have risen steadily across the state. The caseloads of CPS have grown correspondingly, and CPS cannot keep pace with this workload. Second, these caseloads are increasingly composed of families whose problems have grown more troubling and complicated, with substance abuse a common and pervasive condition. Finally, systemic weaknesses, such as difficulty maintaining professional and skilled workforce, inconsistently implementing policies and procedures, and poor working relationships with outside resources has created a long-standing problems. The combined effect of difficult caseloads and systemic weaknesses may endanger the lives of children coming to the attention of CPS. In CPS, the staff sometimes deal with life-and-death issues, the knowledge of and consistent application of appropriate policies and procedures are critical. However, CPS staff is unable to consistently apply existing policies such as inadequate safety assessment. This is because policies change frequently, no procedures manual exists, and information is inconsistently distributed to all staff. By necessity, CPS should work efficiently and effectively with outside resources to protect children. However, the outside resources, like CPS, also face problems associated with the large volume of increasingly complex cases, budget cuts, and Medicaid reform. Unnecessary time spent to transfer or refer cases diverts the investigator from performing investigative activities on other open cases and create congestion in workflow. COMPARE AND CONTRAST WITH OTHER PRACTICE In 1994, Missouri developed a new strategy to handle the overwhelming number of reports coming into its CPS system. Missouri recognized that state government, acting alone, had neither the resources nor the local community, neighborhood, or family base to effectively alter the cycle of abuse and neglect. The agency and local CPS offices have turned to the broader community of churches, schools, mental health providers, and others to expand their reach. By developing partnerships with these community groups, CPS is able to quickly increase the number of people available to serve children and their families, without increasing CPS staffing levels. The model in this state is also based on the premise that not all CPS cases require the same traditional approach. Instead, the models incorporate a flexible response, whereby CPS cases can be grouped according to the nature of the allegation, recognizing that different types of allegations required different responses. RECOMMENDATIONS Build Community Partnership Different types of maltreatment require dramatically different prevention and treatment strategies. It is critical for CPS to form partnerships between CPS and community service providers. This will allow the cases to be referred and transferred more smoothly and in a timely manner. However, ultimate success will depend on the CPS staffs ability to overcome certain challenges, such as developing willingness within the community to become more active in protecting children from maltreatment and to adapt to new roles and responsibilities. Refine the Key Performance Requirement Key Performance Requirements How to Achieve These Requirements Report Receipt (Intake) * Community awareness of when and how to report * Minimal wait to reach the intake workers * Effective use of the CAPS (agency computer system) * Enhanced phone system that provide real time information, manage call distribution to available workers, and support estimation of staffing requirements Screening * Immediate response to high risk situations * Reasonable timeliness of decisions on other situations * Sound screening decisions * Screening guidelines that provide consistent direction * Immediate access to relevant information system * Real-time consultation from experienced supervisors Assessment (Investigation) * Sufficient thoroughness; reasonable and prudent efforts made to obtain relevant information * Timeliness of decisions * Decisions consistent with information and with policy * Assessment guidelines that provide consistent direction * Assessment timeliness requirements that balance thorough information gathering with responsiveness * Reasonable caseloads and adequate number of staff * Accessible consultation from experienced supervisors Management Reporting * Information that enables management to make sound judgments regarding overall performance and other matters, such as staffing requirements * Information that enables supervisors to manage caseloads and monitor quality and timeliness * Use of the information to identify targeted improvements where needed * Real-time information about on-going cases * Reports on both the detailed (by worker) and summary (by unit) level on caseloads and case status (pending, deadlines, overdue, etc.) * Reports of quality assurance findings * Designation of specific performance measures that will be tracked and monitored with comparisons across local offices * Management reports on overall program performance including workload, timeliness, quality assurance results, investigation outcomes, list of outside resources, etc. CONCLUSION TDPRS is facing increased reports of child abuse and neglect, as well as a disturbing increase in the number of families with severe and multiple problems. The burden to improve the ways CPS responds to children at risk of abuse and neglect falls on state and local governments. When a process is operating at capacity, the only way to take on more work without increasing the waiting time is add more capacity (Chase, 2003) CPS management must recognize that the traditional approaches to child protection cannot keep pace with the demand for services. CPS needs to reach out to communities to establish partnerships among service providers, as well as our citizens. Furthermore, the CPS management team must look at the entire workflow of the operations process and recognize long-standing systemic problems. It is critical to seek ways to correct deficiencies and to build and maintain the personnel that will support the operations management strategies. REFERENCES: Chase, R. (2003). Product design and process selection. Operations Management for Competitive Advantage, Tenth Edition. The McGraw-Hill Companies. Chase, R. (2003). Operations strategy and management change. Operations Management for Competitive Advantage, Tenth Edition. The McGraw-Hill Companies. www. tdprs.state.tx.us www.governor.state.tx.us Gould, L. (2004) Designing a better business. Gardner Publications, Inc. Retrieved from www.autofieldguid.com on 8/23/04 McDonald W. (2001). National study of child protective services systems and reform efforts Literature review. Retrieved from www.aspe.hhs.gov.hsp/protective01/ on 8/22/04. http://www.gao.gov/archive/1997/he97115.pdf

Saturday, September 21, 2019

Learning From Interprofessional Collaboration In Practice Social Work Essay

Learning From Interprofessional Collaboration In Practice Social Work Essay Interprofessional working (IPW) in health and social care is essential for effective service provision and is a key driver of modern healthcare. In a changing and more pressured working environment, health and social care professionals need to be partners in delivering services, embracing collective accountability, be flexible and adaptable and have shared goals in integrating care around service users (Fletcher 2010a, Pollard et al, 2010). According to Tope and Thomas (2007), analysis of policies from as early as 1920 in health and social care have recommended professional collaboration, improved communication and teamwork to improve outcomes for service users. There have been similar recommendations in government policy since this time (Tope and Thomas, 2007). High profile investigations since 2000 highlight deficiencies in IPW across health and social care. Inadequate communication between professionals in cases of the Bristol Royal Infirmary Inquiry (HM Government 2001), the Victoria Climbie Inquiry Report (Laming, 2003), and The Protection of Children in England: A Progress Report (Laming, 2009) have caused nationwide concern beyond the professions and services involved, causing a frenzy of media comment and public debate. Core recommendations are for professionals to improve communication between agencies, to have an ethos based around teams and working together and to improve professional accountability. The investigations provide evidence that collaborative working can only improve outcomes and underpins the real need to find out how best to develop a work force that can work together effectively (Leathard, 1994, Anderson et al, 2006 and Weinstein et al, 2003). Policy also recommends putting service users at the forefront of care and coordinating services across the authorities, voluntary and private sector organisations (DoH, 1997, DoH, 2000a, DoH, 2000b, Doh, 2001a, DoH 2001b, DoH 2001c, DoH, 2002a, DoH, 2006, DfES, 2006, HM Government 2004, HM Government 2007). Literature suggests that IPW improvements begin in interprofessional education (IPE) (DoH 2000b, DoH 2002b, Fletcher 2010a, Freeth et al 2002, Higgs and Edwards 1999, HM Government, 2007 Reynolds 2005,). IPE has been defined as learning which occurs when two or more professions learn from and about each other to improve collaboration and quality of care (CAIPE, 1997). The need to produce practitioners who are adaptable, flexible and collaborative team workers has focused attention on IPE, which aims to reduce prejudices between professional groups by bringing them together to learn with and from each other to enhance understanding of other professional roles, practice contexts and develop the skills needed for effective teamwork (Barr et al. 2005; Hammick et al. 2009, Parsell et al, 1998). At our interprofessional conference, we worked in teams of mixed student professionals. We introduced ourselves, our disciplines and our course structures, elected a chair and a scribe and set about to complete our tasks. Cooper et al (2001) identify one of the benefits of IPE as understanding other professional roles and team working. In their study, they found evidence to suggest that early learning experiences were most beneficial to develop healthy attitudes towards IPW (Cooper et al, 2001). None of the members of my group knew what a social worker did and I explained my training and professional role to them. McPherson et al (2001) describe how a lack of knowledge of the capabilities and contributions of other professions can be a barrier to IPW. In our discussions, we talked about our preconceived ideas. Social workers were described as hippies and doctors described as arrogant. Leaviss (2000) describes IPE as being effective in combating negative stereotypes before these develop and become ingrained. Atwal (2002) suggested that a lack of understanding of different professionals roles as well as a lack of awareness of the different pressures faced by different team members could make communication and decision making problematic. The conference provided an opportunity for us to interact with each other and was conducive to making positive changes in intergroup stereotypes (Barnes et al, 2000, Carpenter et al, 2003). Barr et al (1999) describe how IPE can change attitudes and counters negative stereotyping. The role play exercise gave us an understanding of differing pressures faced by each professional. Our team worked well together, taking turns to let each other speak, listening, challenging appropriately when needed and creating our sentences by the end of the conference. I feel that our friendly and motivated characters made communication and thus teamwork easy in the group. Weber and Karman (1991) found that the ability to blend different professional viewpoints in a team is a key skill for effective IPW. Pettigrew (1998) emphasises that the ability to make friends in a group of other professionals can reduce prejudice and encourage cooperation in future IPW. We agreed that teamwork was essential to IPW and can assist in the development and promotion of interprofessional communication (Opie, 1997). We felt that IPE allowed us to teach each other while encouraging reflection on our own roles (Parsal et al, 1999). We were very clear on how we worked as a group and effective as meeting our tasks and I feel we reached the Tuckmans performing stage (Tuckman 1965). Baliey (2004) describes team members who are unable to work together to share knowledge will be ineffective in practice. Although, there is an argument that this is more likely to happen in teams where the concept of IPW is new and team members lack skills to understand the benefits of IPW or adopt new ways of working (Kenny, 2002). Being in our second year of study and having all had experience of working in an interprofessional setting, we were very motivated at the conference and in achieving our objectives. It is noted that personal commitment is important for effective IPW (Pirrie et al, 1998). We acknowledged the issue of power in our professional social hierarchies. In our role play exercise, we found that we all looked to the doctors first for management of the service users treatment and they commanded the most respect. We agreed that medicine was the most established out of all the healthcare professions (Page and Meerabeau, 2004, Hafferty and Light, 1995) and that other professions have faced challenges in establishing status (Saks, 2000). I felt this was especially relevant to social workers who have recently extended their professional training to degree status to bring it in line with other professions. Reynolds (2005) suggested that hierarchies within teams could contribute to communication difficulties; for example, where input from some of the team members were not given equal value. Leathard (1994) describes that rivalry between professional groups especially in terms of perceived seniority are a barrier to IPW. The Shipman Report (2005) noted the importance of ensuring all team members are valued, recommending less hierarchy in practice, more equality among staff, regardless of their position. We talked about valuing and respecting each others professional opinion. Irvine et al, (2002) discuss how IPW can break the monopoly of any single profession in providing sole expert care, promoting shared responsibility and accountability. We discussed understanding, supporting and respecting every individual in the workplace to promote diversity and fairness. We also concluded that institutions and differing professional pressures could be a barrier to IPW. Having previously worked in an interprofessional HIV team for Swansea NHS Trust, I found that team members were given priorities from their managers which impacted on their availability to attend team meetings. Wilson and Pirrie (2000) suggest that a barrier to IPW can be a lack of support from managers and the workplace structure. Drinka et al (1996) describe how during times of work related stress, individuals can withdraw from IPW. We acknowledged that institutional support would be essential to effective IPW. Dalrymple and Burke (2006) discuss that different professionals have different priorities, values, pressures and constraints, obligations and expectations which can lead to tension, mistrust and go on to cause to discriminatory and oppressive practice in IPW. In light of the above learning, we all felt that IPW had occurred naturally in our first year placements, where it was considered the norm in our working environments and where the concept was understood and encouraged. The conference had highlighted some of the barriers to IPW and we will take this knowledge into our practice settings. Word Count 1348 Section 2 How would you take what you have learnt about IP working into practice? The conference highlighted some key issues about IPW that I will take into practice. One of the most significant developments in health and social care policy in recent years has been the move away from the professional being the expert with the power and knowledge to the patient centred care with professionals applying their knowledge to the needs and rights of the service user (Barrett et al, 2005). The social model of care identities issues of power in the traditional medical model approach to care and looks at how dependency on the professional can be a side effect of the helping relationship and be disempowering for service users (Shakespeare, 2000). Informing, consulting with and incorporating the views of service users and carers is critical to effective interagency interprofessional practise. There is a drive in recent policy for service users and carers to be engaged in service provision and the recent white paper Liberating the NHS (HM Government, 2010a), calls for more aut onomy for service users, making them more accountable through choice, being able to access services that are transparent, fair and promote power and control over decisions made. Nothing about me without me ( HM Government, 2010a, page 13) is a commitment that will shift power from professionals to service users, a huge change in current culture. The service user is the central vision, a team member involved in decisions made about their care, transforming the NHS to deliver better joined up services, partnerships and productivity (HM Government, 2010) My learning has reiterated the importance of service user involvement and I have reflected on ways to implement this in practice. In previous employment, I helped to run a patient public involvement group at the HIV service, Swansea NHS Trust. This enabled service users to give feedback and make suggestions for improvements (i.e. having evening nurse led clinics, introducing the home delivery of medication). In my experience, service users were actively involved in shaping services in their communities and it was very successful. In my practice, I will continue to value the service user as part of the interprofessional team as well as encourage this practice in my places of employment. In my placement at a supported housing charity for young mothers, ways to achieve service user involvement were being introduced. One of my roles was to carry out a questionnaire with the aim of getting feedback and empowering the service users. Reflecting on this, I can now see how valuable this exerc ise was and I will continue to see the value in gaining service user feedback and always aim to do this in practice. I discussed this with my group and this added to our learning. Informal unpaid carers, the voluntary and private sector are also essential team players and the value of their contribution is being acknowledged increasingly as the success of an interprofessional workforce (Tope and Thomas 2007). In my role within the HIV service, Swansea NHS Trust, I coordinated an interprofessional team and ran a support group for African women living with or affected by HIV in conjunction with social services and the Terrence Higgins Trust. I understand the value that the third sector organisations can be for service users, often filling gaps in statutory services. The Terrence Higgins Trust were able to provide funding for activities as well as support sessions, training opportunities and counselling. Social Care Institute for excellence (2010) in a response to the white paper, Liberating the NHS (HM Government, 2010a) discuss how around 90% of direct social care services are delivered in the private and voluntary sector. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation, a soci al policy research and development charity, discuss that the state is withdrawing from many welfare functions and increasingly relying on the voluntary sector to fill gaps in care (Joseph Rowntree Foundation, 1996). The recent strategy document, Building a Stronger Civil Society (HM Government, 2010b) discusses how integration with the voluntary sector will be essential to meet the challenges faced by the health and social care provision. The report focuses on our society being able to access wider sources of support and encourage better public sector partnerships, shifting the power from elites to local communities. The government are also keen to support and strengthen the sector and promote citizen and community action (HM Government, 2010b) . My learning has made me aware that future teams will include professionals across all sectors and communication with these sectors will be essential to our professional roles. Working with the voluntary and private sector as well as statutory services, will require skills to acknowledge different agencies focus on care. Petrie (1976) acknowledges that each profession holds a direct focus to care and it can be challenging to communicate. Laming (2003) called for the training bodies for people working in medicine, nursing, housing, schools, the police etc to demonstrate effective joint working in their training. I feel that it would be useful in the future to incorporate more of these professional groups in IPE conference. Fletcher (2010a) discussed how he would hope this could be achieved in future IPW programmes at UWE. I feel that the addition of these extra professions would really add to the learning. Fletcher (2010b) discusses the central dilemma in ethics between health and social care professionals about having a different focus and the best angle for patient care. These value differences can cause conflict (Mariano, 1999). I feel, in practice, it will be important to take time to find out what each agency/ professional does and I will always remember that in IPW, we have a common goal providing a good service for the service user. Leathard (2003) identities that what people have in common is more important than difference, as professionals acknowledge the value of sharing knowledge and expertise. In my practice, I will uphold professional responsibility and personal conduct to facilitate respect in IPW. Carr (1999) explained that the professional has to be someone who possesses, in addition to theoretical or technical expertise, a range of distinctly moral attitudes and values designed to elevate the interest and needs of service user above self interest. According to Davis and Elliston (1986), each professional field has social responsibilities within it and no one can be professional unless he or she obtains a social sensibility. Therefore, each profession must seek its own form of social good as unless there is social sensibility, professionals cannot perform their social roles (Davis Elliston, 1986). The conference highlighted the benefits of professional codes of ethics, setting of standards for our professional work, providing guidance as to our responsibilities and obligations and obtaining the status and legitimacy of professionals (Bibby, 1998). I feel that is in im portant to always uphold our values and ethics to create respect in our communities and with this comes respecting each others roles. I believe that shared values will underpin this in practice. Darlymple and Burke (2006) discuss that we have a shared concern that the work we do makes society fairer in some small way and we have a commitment to social justice. I feel that IPE has facilitated respect and mutual understanding across our professions. It has made me aware of the importance of professional development, about how we are part of the wider team of health and social care services and how our common values can underpin effective partnership working. It reinforces that collaboration is required as not one profession alone can meet all of a services (Irvine et al. 2002). My social work degree is a combination of theory and practical learning. It is through combining this learning and by reflecting on my experiences throughout the course, that will set my knowledge base, allow me to relate theory to practice, allow me to test my ideas and thinking while identifying areas that need further research becoming a reflective practitioner (Rolfe Gardner, 2006 and Schon, 1983). As a group we discussed that there we all value continued professional development, reflection and awareness and personal responsibility for our learning (Bankert and Kozel 2005). 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