Models as related to organizational structure

¶ … Homeless Youth in Minnesota:

The Leadership Challenges

To effectively develop and implement leadership initiatives such that these drives may be utilized in efforts to confront issues of homelessness as experienced by youth in Minnesota, HMIS must capitalize on its internal resources.

Background of Homeless Youth in Minnesota

Every three years, Wilder Research Center conducts a one-day study, revealing the approximate number of people experiencing homelessness throughout Minnesota. This massive project constitutes the largest and most comprehensive study of its kind in the United States (U.S.). When the Center conducted its latest study, October 26, 2006, researchers concluded that on any given night, nearly 9,000 Minnesotans may be homeless, with almost 11,000 more estimated to be "precariously housed" - typically doubled up with friends or relatives. In addition to the 2,700 children experiencing homelessness with their parents, more than 600 youth, 17 years old or younger, are reportedly homeless and surviving on their own (Wilder Research, 2007). Young people on their own comprise some of the least visible, yet most vulnerable of the homeless population. They less likely stay in shelters than do adults. More often, homeless youth stay temporarily with friends or in places not intended for habitation.

Homelessness depicts a composite of a myriad conditions and events, such as poverty; changes in residence, schools, and services; loss of possessions; disruptions in social networks; and exposure to extreme hardship. From an early age, a number of youths experiencing homelessness regularly face serious and challenging situations. They frequently experience conflicts with parents, abusive relationships, unreliable housing, and mental health issues. Over one third of homeless youth (35%) reported their parents neglected to provide food, shelter, or medical care, and/or consistently ignored their physical or emotional needs. Over half of homeless youth (54%) have been physically and/or sexually abused. Nearly one third (32%) of these youth reported they have remained in an abusive situation because they had no other housing options (Wilder Research, 2007).

Youth Homelessness Factors/Issues

In the journal article, "Youth Homelessness: A Call for Partnerships between Research and Policy Homeless," Sean a. Kidd, and Larry Davidson (2006) assert that the gripping need exists for researchers and policy-makers to exert collaborative efforts to improve social policy; informed by research findings. Factors/issues contributing to youth experiencing homelessness include "…young people being thrown out of, or running away from, homes in which abuse and neglect are occurring. Also frequent are histories of domestic violence, parental criminality and substance abuse, and poverty" (Kidd & Davidson, ¶ 2). Although no accurate estimates regarding the extent of youth homelessness, statistics indicate their numbers are increasing and that a minimum of one million youths were perceived to be homeless in North America during 2006.

Significance of Youth Homelessness

Beyond the toll homelessness takes on the youth themselves, the cost to the community proves substantial. The financial liabilities include the costs associated with of out-of-home placements, juvenile corrections, child protection services, lost future workforce, along with a potential tax base lost to the community. Nevertheless, according to E. Hart-Shegos, E. (1999) in "Homelessness and its effects on children," the Family Housing Fund found that the cost of supportive housing for a chronically homeless family, which depicts a step toward alleviating the problem, totals less than half the cost of the aforementioned public services required if these youth remain homeless (Hart-Shegos). Although a myriad of myths surround homelessness, with some discounting its significance, this critical issue proves significant. The reality purports that unless those empowered to counter the contemporary crisis start acting today, the concerns and impact of the issues associated with homelessness will only intensify and become literally and figuratively more costly tomorrow.

Research Questions

Research questions this paper addresses include:

1. What leadership challenges exist for Minnesota HMIS?

2. What strategies might leaders implement to better confront the issue of homeless youth in Minnesota?

II. Aspects of leadership as specifically applied to HMIS goals, mission and vision with respect to confronting the issue of homeless youth in Minnesota

Leadership in Context. Shared Leadership and Power

The leader who focuses on building shared-power arrangements enhances the strength of the group and contributes to achieving external agency goals. Barbara C. Crosby and John M. Bryson (2005), two public affairs professors associated with the University of Minnesota proffer their concept of public leadership in their book, Leadership for the common good; tackling public problems in a shared-power world. As they detail how their approach may be implemented to develop coalitions that solve problems, Crosby and Bryson explain the dynamics of a shared-power, "no-one-in-charge" world. The shared leadership and power approach, they stress, may be utilized to help advance the efforts of those committed to resolving the crisis (Crosby & Bryson, chapter 3). Personal Leadership

Tom Rath and Barry Conchie (2007) stress that leaders possess their own unique style and each individual leader may develop leadership strengths. The greatest leaders recognize their natural talents. Even though they realize they are good at what they do, however, they still invest time to improve themselves in their areas of expertise. For leaders to be effective, they need to recognize that developing people and developing strategies are both vital. An effective leader will be successful in each of the four domains of leadership strength: Executing, influencing, relationship building, and strategic thinking. These components constitute critical components of the individual's personal leadership abilities.

Effective leaders also make a point to leverage their natural talents. As they practice what they know to work best, they also and add knowledge and skills to their base of skill. They are not only naturally gifted in particular areas; they invest effort to hone their skills. Talent without effort proves about as useless as a great amount of effort with diminutive talent. One minus the other reflects a waste. To become a great leader and develop strong leadership, one needs both a great amount of effort and talent (Rath & Conchie, 2007).

For optimal organization, organizations require strong leadership, as well as strong management. In the journal publication, "Team leadership: Concepts, roles, strategies & attributes," P.C. Bansal (2008) points out that collaboration and cooperation drive leadership, while they simultaneously demonstrate a deep faith in the interdependence of individuals, as well as, their creative/innovative abilities. Time, perceived as a finite source and flexibility, serves as a vital ingredient of the recipe for success.

Bansal (2008) identifies the three general categories of skills that prove to be relevant to leaders. These include:

1. Conceptual skills

2. interpersonal skills, and

3. Technical skills.

Alongside having a memory for detail, other skills complementary to help leaders be successful in a variety of situations include their analytical ability and their speaking ability. Sill other pertinent competencies a leader may benefit from include the ability to learn and adapt to change, as well as, emotional and social intelligence. Obtaining information about a person's traits and skills helps identify training needs for the organization's current jobs or to help prepare leaders to serve in to higher level positions.

Team Leadership

Teams constitute a central focus in new systems of organization. For a team to be effective, it must consist of both membership and team leadership (Bansal, 2008). The team's capacity to create synergy constitutes its most critical characteristic. Leaders build their teams by making them responsible for different tasks, allocating resources they need, recognizing the significance of team work, and in turn implementing team rewards. Attaching high value to team in performance appraisal systems and instituting particular programs helps reduce conflicts and increases collaboration.

Conflict management -- moving beyond the common ground of compromise to higher ground of creativity and innovation is necessary to move a team forward and build cohesiveness (Gerzon, 2006). This mandates that the leader nurtures an environment conducive to team work and pulls people together when conflict strikes in the organization or community. Mark Gerzon, author of Leading Through Conflict…, regularly works with leaders of conflicted groups and fragmented organizations. Gerzon encourages leaders to utilize the following eight tools to convert conflicts or challenges into progress: Bridging, conscious communication, dialogue, innovation, integral vision, inquiry, presence, and system thinking. He explains that leaders may be perceived as:

1. Those implementing a fear-based leadership strategy, who establishe a win/lose mind set;

2. those who mean well but operate only within their department, not perceiving the big picture, but denoting issues as us/them;

3. those who think systemically and see the entire picture; who identify each of the significant elements relating to the conflict; who understand the relationship between these various elements.

Tools for Effective Team Building

Great leaders recognize not only their strengths but also note their deficiencies. They reportedly excel in only a relatively limited number of leadership areas, however they successfully identify other individuals who compensate for those particular deficiencies. Rather than mimicking others, they understand their strengths and develop their way of leading. To build their teams, leaders may draw from a number of effective team building tools, including StrengthFinder, Thomas-Kihlman Conflict Management, and MBTI (Rath & Conchie, 2008). StrengthFinder

One specific tool leaders may utilize to help build an effective team, the StrengthsFinder gauges the presence of the 34 talent themes depicted in Table 1. Talents are noted as an individual's naturally recurring patterns of thought, feeling, or behavior that may be applied productively. The more dominant a theme in an individual, the more that particular theme will likely influence that person's behavior and performance (Strengthstest 2009).

Table I: Thirty-four Talent Themes (Strengthstest 2009).

Achiever®

People strong in the Achiever theme have a great deal of stamina and work hard. They take great satisfaction from being busy and productive.

Activator®

People strong in the Activator theme can make things happen by turning thoughts into action. They are often impatient.

Adaptability®

People strong in the Adaptability theme prefer to "go with the flow." They tend to be "now" people who take things as they come and discover the future one day at a time.

Analytical®

People strong in the Analytical theme search for reasons and causes. They have the ability to think about all the factors that might affect a situation.

ArrangerTM

People strong in the Arranger theme can organize, but they also have a flexibility that complements this ability. They like to figure out how all of the pieces and resources can be arranged for maximum productivity.

Belief®

People strong in the Belief theme have certain core values that are unchanging. Out of these values emerges a defined purpose for their life.

Command®

People strong in the Command theme have presence. They can take control of a situation and make decisions.

Communication®

People strong in the Communication theme generally find it easy to put their thoughts into words. They are good conversationalists and presenters.

Competition®

People strong in the Competition theme measure their progress against the performance of others. They strive to win first place and revel in contests.

Connectedness®

People strong in the Connectedness theme have faith in the links between all things. They believe there are few coincidences and that almost every event has a reason.

Consistency®

People strong in the Fairness theme are keenly aware of the need to treat people the same. They try to treat everyone in the world fairly by setting up clear rules and adhering to them.

Context®

People strong in the Context theme enjoy thinking about the past. They understand the present by researching its history.

Deliberative®

People strong in the Deliberative theme are best described by the serious care they take in making decisions or choices. They anticipate the obstacles.

Developer®

People strong in the Developer theme recognize and cultivate the potential in others. They spot the signs of each small improvement and derive satisfaction from these improvements.

DisciplineTM

People strong in the Discipline theme enjoy routine and structure

Fairness TM / EmpathyTM

People strong in the Empathy theme can sense the feelings of other people by imagining themselves in others' lives or others' situations.

FocusTM

People strong in the Focus theme can take a direction, follow through, and make the corrections necessary to stay on track

Futuristic®

People strong in the Futuristic theme are inspired by the future and what could be

Harmony®

People strong in the Harmony theme look for consensus

Ideation®

People strong in the Ideation theme are fascinated by ideas

Inclusiveness® / Includer®

People strong in the Inclusiveness theme are accepting of others

Individualization®

People strong in the Individualization theme are intrigued with the unique qualities of each person

Input®

People strong in the Input theme have a craving to know more

Intellection®

People strong in the Intellection theme are characterized by their intellectual activity

Learner®

People strong in the Learner theme have a great desire to learn and want to continuously improve

Maximizer®

People strong in the Maximizer theme focus on strengths as a way to stimulate personal and group excellence

Positivity®

People strong in the Positivity theme have an enthusiasm that is contagious

Relator®

People who are strong in the Relator theme enjoy close relationships with others

Responsibility®

People strong in the Responsibility theme take psychological ownership of what they say they will do

Restorative®

People strong in the Restorative theme are adept at dealing with problems

Self-Assurance®

People strong in the Self-assurance theme feel confident in their ability to manage their own lives

Significance®

People strong in the Significance theme want to be very important in the eyes of others. They are independent and want to be recognized.

StrategicTM

People strong in the Strategic theme create alternative ways to proceed

Woo®

People strong in the Woo theme love the challenge of meeting new people and winning them over

Thomas-Kihlman Conflict Management

The Thomas-Kilmann Conflict Mode Instrument (TKI), another tool for teambuilding, assesses how varying conflict-handling styles influence interpersonal and group dynamics. The TKI measures the following five modes inherent in conflict-handling (ways to deal with conflict)

1. Accommodating

2. avoiding,

3. competing,

4. collaborating,

5. Compromising. (Practical Tools…, 2009)

These five modes may be illustrated with the two dimensions of assertiveness and cooperativeness. Assertiveness denotes the extent one tries to satisfy personal concerns, and cooperativeness, while cooperativeness relates to the degree one attempts to relieve the concerns of another person. Competing does not equal assertive; is not cooperative. Being accommodating depicts being cooperative; albeit but not assertive. Avoiding, on the other hand does not depict being either assertive or cooperative. Collaborating includes simultaneously being assertive and cooperative. Compromising embraces both assertiveness and cooperativeness (Practical Tools…, 2009).

During in the 1920s, Carl G. Jung introduced the theory of psychological type. In the 1940s, Isabel Briggs Myers developed the MBTI tool. The original research conducted in the 1940s and '50s is ongoing, however. Each year, more than two million individuals throughout the world reportedly take the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) (…Myers & Briggs…N.d.).

According to the Myers & Briggs Foundation (N.d.), the MBTI personality inventory attempts to simplify the theory of psychological types C.G. Jung describes; consequently making them more relevant and useful to the individual. The theory basically asserts that what may appear to be seemingly random variation in the behavior actually constitutes something consistent. The differences materialize from fundamental differences in how individuals choose to implement their judgment and perception. The following, Table 2, adapted from excerpted information from the MBTI® Manual: A Guide to the Development and Use of the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, identifies basic preferences of each dichotomy implicit in Jung's theory.

Table 2: Four Dichotomies in Jung's Theory (adapted from & #8230;Myers & Briggs…N.d.).

Favorite world: Do you prefer to focus on the outer world or on your own inner world? This is called Extraversion (E) or Introversion (I).

Information: Do you prefer to focus on the basic information you take in or do you prefer to interpret and add meaning? This is called Sensing (S) or Intuition (N).

Decisions: When making decisions, do you prefer to first look at logic and consistency or first look at the people and special circumstances? This is called Thinking (T) or Feeling (F).

Structure: In dealing with the outside world, do you prefer to get things decided or do you prefer to stay open to new information and options? This is called Judging (J) or Perceiving (P).

Your Personality Type: When you decide on your preference in each category, you have your own personality type, which can be expressed as a code with four letters.

From the MBTI, an organization may categorize an individual into one of the 16 personality types noted by the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, typically related in what is known as a "type table." The benefit from using this tool is to gain knowledge about the leader's personality type, as well as, to better understand and appreciate the differences individuals reflect. No best type personality, according to this theoretical tool, surpasses another. Type tables may also be utilized to garner and aid in the analysis of information relating to teams or particular groups of individuals (…Myers & Briggs…N.d.).

Political Leadership

To challenge executive and administrative policies, Bryson and Crosby (2005) assert organizations must overcome bureaucratic resistance. To fulfill this objective, it is necessary to develop an appreciation for the use of coalitions and pay attention to a variety of arenas. In the book, Leadership and futuring: Making visions happen, John Hoyle (2006) purports that new visionary leaders "are needed to help build a future where social justice is more the lofty words tossed about by social reformers and political hopefuls" (p. 2). As leaders in organizational or community positions advocate or implement needed changes in society, they may gain career rewards, such as formal contracts being extended, or receiving job offers due to their accomplishments. Those in positions of political leadership and power, however, need to ensure that their actions positively and the organization's they represent. As the organization is externally justified by what it does, those in positions of leadership need to practice behaviors that enhance the legitimacy and support for the organization.

Organizational Leadership

During the strategic planning phase/s, organizational leadership could benefit from relating to the following ten steps of effective strategic planning Bryson (Overview: Bryson-type Model…, N.d.) presents:

1. Planning to plan

2. Review of informal & official mandates

3. Development of Mission/Values

4. SWOC (internal & external analysis)

5. ID key strategic issues

6. Develop strategies based on issues

7. Strategy review & adoption

8. Vision for the future

9. Implementation process

10. Reassessment of strategies & process (follow through & evaluation) (Overview: Bryson-type Model…, N.d., slide 3)

Figure 1 portrays the strategy change cycle Bryson developed.

Figure 1: Strategy Change Cycle (Overview: Bryson-type Model…, N.d., slide 4)

Engaging stakeholders in the strategic planning process is vital and needs to be an organizational priority. To actively engage individuals and intra-organizational cohorts, Branscome (2008) recommends organizations utilize the following 11 ideals of management excellence:

1. Provide an environment that ensures the continued existence and effectiveness of representative local government and promotes the understanding that democracy confers privileges and responsibilities on each citizen.

2. Recognize the right of the citizens to influence decisions that affect their well-being; advocate a forum for meaningful citizen participation and expression in the political process; and facilitate the clarification of community values and goals.

3. Respect the special character and individuality of each community while recognizing the interdependence of communities and promoting coordination and cooperation.

4. Seek balance in the policy formation process through the integration of the social, cultural, and physical characteristics of the community.

5. Promote a balance between the needs to use and to preserve human, economic, and natural resources.

6. Advocate equitable regulation and service delivery, recognizing that the needs and expectations for public services may vary throughout the community.