Human Services According to Unit 6\'s Analysis

Human Services

According to Unit 6's analysis entitled "A Blended Approach," an example of a top-down approach within an organization might be that of managers offering tuition reimbursement to workers who were studying for advanced degrees in a relevant field. Top-down approaches begin in the leadership of the company, and the spirit and practical implications trickle down to the lower levels of the organization. A bottom-up approach begins at the lower levels and trickles up. For example, nurses might decide to schedule their rotations so that no nurse received more than one night shift and one double shift per week. When managers notice this results in fewer errors, they might make it company policy.

Q2. A policy gap is the gap between what politicians promise and actual policies that are enacted. A good example of this is the frequent promise of politicians that they will not raise taxes. However, budget shortfalls and unexpected economic or political circumstances can cause a demand for government services that cannot be met without the additional revenue generated by taxation.

Q3. One contentious aspect of human services research is what motivates individuals within an organization. One school of thought stresses the need for worker autonomy as a source of motivation, and underlines how individuals who feel empowered to make an input are more apt to serve the organization in a dynamic and loyal fashion. However, other schools stress the need for clear directives and charismatic management to shape worker behavior.

Q4. In an organization with a strong culture "staff respond to stimulus because of their alignment to organizational values," not simply because they are told to do so (Dileep 2010). In an organization with a weak culture "there is little alignment with organizational values and control must be exercised through extensive procedures and bureaucracy" (Dileep 2010). Aggressive behavior of workers towards one another; a lack of cohesive mission and irrational ways of coping with difficulties; idleness because of uncertainty of task objectives; rigidity in behavior by managers or employees; low motivation, and low competency are all part of an environment over which managers have little control.

Q5. Risk assessment instruments are designed for a more refined and targeted use of scarce organizational resources. It allows direction to be concentrated upon specific communities when needed and provides a relatively simple heuristic to use for all assessors, even with those with little experience. Risk assessment usually involves screening and identification of potential high-risk groups. However, individuals who are not statistically identified within that demographic can 'fall through the cracks.' For example, a male with an eating disorder might not be identified simply because males are not part of the typical 'profile' of a person having that psychological illness.

Q6. There will always be a need for community organizations. Even in the absence of state-based community services and greater integration, private organizations will provide sources of information and support specifically tailored to community needs and the needs of specific demographic groups.

Q7. A citizen-centered delivery service analyzes the efficacy from the 'outside in.' The government analyzing the service asks how he or she would experience that service if he or she were a citizen, rather than assesses the service from an insider's bureaucratic perspective. However, the frustrations that citizens often express when using single-service windows to access human services indicates that this 'citizen-centeredness' is not fully integrated throughout the system.