Anat Freund

Commitment and Job Satisfaction as Predictors of Turnover Intentions Among Welfare Workers

ABSTRACT High commitment expresses willingness to contribute to the environment as part of a belief in common values and goals. In the world of labor, job involvement expresses a partnership of values and organizational goals and a desire to support the organization in order to achieve the same goals. Welfare organizations serve as an example of the importance of job involvement and organizational commitment to promote professional and effective work. This study has a dual focus. First, it examines the concepts of organizational commitment and job involvement in welfare organizations in Israel. Second, it studies the influence of these factors on job satisfaction and on withdrawal intentions in the context of welfare organizations. The study population included 330 employees in a welfare organization that provides community services. There were 220 respondents. The findings of the study show that continuance and affective organizational commitments affect job satisfaction. Both career commitment and job satisfaction have a significant influence on withdrawal intentions and on thinking of quitting the organization. These results are discussed in relation to the complex and changing structure of welfare organizations, in general, and community centers, specifically.

Work commitment, job satisfaction, and job performance: an empirical investigation

This study examines the relationships between joint work commitments, job satisfaction, and job performance of lawyers employed by private law firms in Israel. Based on Morrowʼs (1993) concept of five universal forms of commitment, their interrelationship was tested with respect to the commitment model of Randall and Cote (1991), which appeared to show in previous studies (Cohen, 1999, 2000) a better fit compared to other models. In addition, the study examined the relationship between the commitment model and work attitude and outcome, namely, job satisfaction and job performance. The results show that the commitment model of Randall and Cote was almost fully supported, except for the relationship between job involvement and continuance commitment. This relationship is better understood via career commitment. An interesting finding of this study is that job satisfaction has a mediating role in the relationship between joint work commitment and job performance. The article concludes with suggestions regarding further investigation of the interrelationships between work commitment constructs, and the relationship between joint commitment forms, job satisfaction, and job performance.

An empirical assessment: reconstructed model for five universal forms of work commitment

This study examined the relationships between five work commitments: Protestant work ethic, career commitment, job involvement, continuance commitment and affective commitment. Based on Morrows concept of five universal forms of commitment, their inter‐relationships were tested in regard to a population of lawyers either employed by, or partners in law firms. The results presented a reconstructed model. The following findings were unique to this reconstructed model: job involvement and career commitment appeared as mediating variables, although, unlike previous models, job involvement was found to be directly related to affective commitment. Furthermore, career commitment was shown to be directly related only to continuous commitment and not to affective commitment. The significance of these findings is discussed in regards to the studied population as well as to further investigations.

Work Attitudes of Social Workers Across Three Sectors of Welfare Organizations: Public, For-Profit, and Third Sector

Abstract The main aim of this research was to trace the impact on the social services sector in Israel of the accelerating process of privatization and the massive increase in non-profit organizations by comparing work attitudes of social workers in the three organizational groups that today make up the field of the social services: (1) public, (2) for-profit, and (3) third sector. Traditionally, public organizations primarily covered the existing social services needs of the population, with private organizations gradually developing in parallel. Over the past 20 years a third organizational form has entered the field with the move toward privatizationi.e., the significant shift from public toward private management with public supervisionand the emergence of non-profit organizations, i.e., the third-sector services. Participants were chosen randomly from the list of social workers in Israel. They were asked to report their work and workplace attitudes. ANOVA results showed that type of organization had a strong effect on work and workplace attitudes. Suggestions for further investigation of the relationship between work and workplace attitudes and type of organization are offered.

Organizational (role structuring) and personal (organizational commitment and job involvement) factors: do they predict interprofessional team effectiveness?

Teamwork in community clinics was examined to propose and test a model that views the different kinds of commitment (job involvement and organizational commitment) and the potential conflict between them, as mediators between personal and organizational factors (mechanistic structuring and organic structuring) and the effectiveness of interprofessional teamwork. Differences among the professional groups became evident with regard to their views of the goals of teamwork and the ways to achieve them. As for mechanistic structuring, although the clinic members saw their mechanistic structuring in a more bureaucratic sense, the combination of mechanistic structuring and organic structuring led to effective teamwork. In terms of commitment, while staff members were committed primarily to their job and not the organization, commitment to the organization produced effective teamwork in the clinics.

A group supervision model for broadening multiple-method skills of social work students

Abstract This article describes a comparative model of group supervision of social work students in their second and third years in the Undergraduate Social Work Programme at the University of Haifa School of Social Work. The model is designed with the purpose of offering group supervision to all students in the programme and takes into account the complexity of multicultural students. Under this model, second-year students receive group guidance in their individual casework in the field; third-year students are guided in group and community field-work. During these 2 years, students receive supervision appropriate to the methods demanded by the field situations they encounter. The model presents group supervision in terms of the content, process and function of supervision with regard to both individual treatment and group and community work.

The Doctor is Just a Messenger: Beliefs of Ultraorthodox Jewish Women in Regard to Breast Cancer and Screening

Screenings for the early detection of breast cancer greatly improve survival odds. Studies of minority groups have shown lower attendance of screenings; however, these studies seldom focused on religious minorities. This study examines perceptions of cancer and cancer screening among healthy ultraorthodox women in order to gain insight about ways to promote screening. In this qualitative-phenomenological study of two focus groups, three main themes were found: faith in God; the Rabbi as a guide; one’s relationship with the community. The study’s findings point to the importance of studying the unique needs of members of certain religious groups.

Professional Commitment in Novice Social Work Students: Socio-Demographic Characteristics, Motives and Perceptions of the Profession

The article attempts to define the characteristics of students at the beginning of their social work studies in institutes of higher education in Israel, including demographic characteristics, motives for choosing the profession, perceptions about the profession, and commitment to the profession. The study was conducted among a sample of 450 students, all beginning their first academic year, at four social work schools in Israel. Study findings show a demographic range, such as: nationality, level of religiosity, and political attitudes. Findings indicate that three of these socio-demographic variables predict commitment to the profession at the onset of academic studies: psychometric score, level of religiosity, and previous academic learning experience. Findings indicate two profiles of novice students: students who choose to study social work out of a desire to bring about social change; and students who choose to engage only in clinical social work. The latter are not committed to the profession in its essence, but rather recognize the importance of its professional individual activities only. The article discusses these findings and implications with regard to both the social work profession and social work training.

High quality diabetes care: testing the effectiveness of strategies of regional implementation teams

PURPOSE The purpose of this article is to identify and test the effectiveness of work strategies employed by regional implementation teams to attain high quality care for diabetes patients. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH The study was conducted in a major health maintenance organization (HMO) that provides care for 70 per cent of Israels diabetes patients. A sequential mixed model design, combining qualitative and quantitative methods was employed. In-depth interviews were conducted with members of six regional implementation teams, each responsible for the care of 25,000-34,000 diabetic patients. Content analysis of the interviews revealed that teams employed four key strategies: task-interdependence, goal-interdependence, reliance on top-down standardised processes and team-learning. These strategies were used to predict the mean percentage performance of eight evidence-based indicators of diabetes care: percentage of patients with HbA1c < 7 per cent, blood pressure < or = 130/80 and cholesterol < or = 100; and performance of: HbA1c tests, LDL cholesterol tests, blood pressure measurements, urine protein tests, and ophthalmic examinations. FINDINGS Teams were found to vary in their use of the four strategies. Mixed linear models analysis indicated that type of indicator (simple process, compound process, and outcome) and goal interdependence were significantly linked to team effectiveness. For simple-process indicators, reliance on top-down standardised processes led to team effectiveness, but for outcome measures this strategy was ineffective, and even counter-effective. For outcome measures, team-learning was more beneficial. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS The findings have implications for the management of chronic diseases. ORIGINALITY/VALUE The advantage of allowing team members flexibility in the choice of the best work strategy to attain high quality diabetes care is attested.

Teaching Successful Community Practice in Social Work

ABSTRACT This article identifies and addresses a severe problem in the management of community practice projects of students in their second and third year in the Undergraduate Social Work program at the University of Haifa School of Social Work; namely, the current binary evaluation method based on total success or failure of the project. Using a systems approach, this study creates a framework by which to ensure effective and positive outcomes for community practice projects carried out by undergraduate social work students (Freund, Arkin & Saltman, 1999). This framework is unique in that it draws on knowledge gained from organizational and community theories, as well as instructional theories for teaching social work practice. The proposed framework includes three components that describe the factors necessary to help transform the students learning experience: the organizations characteristics, the students resources, and the evaluative measures. This inter-conceptual approach enhances the ability of the instructor, the student, and the organization to build an appropriate organizational foundation for students operating communal programs. The underlying assumption is that an integrative approach promotes a better understanding of the components essential for building and evaluating social plans conducted by social work students.