Karen M. Hopkins

Supervisor Intervention with Troubled Workers: A Social Identity Perspective

Supervision has evolved from managing anddirecting workers to supporting workers. Supervisors arekey people that workers go to for assistance withpersonal problems. This article reviews thecontributions of various theoretical models to ourunderstanding of supervisor intervention with troubledworkers and identifies factors that have been leftunexplored in the research. From this analysis, Iexplain how social identity theory may provide a frameworkthat overcomes many of the limitations of the existingknowledge in this area. Social identity theory has thepotential to capture the more personal aspects of the helping process between supervisors andworkers that go beyond workers job performance andproductivity, including supervisors beliefs andattitudes, personal experiences, and socialidentification with the organization and the workgroup.

Organizational Inclusion, Commitment, and Turnover Among Child Welfare Workers: A Multilevel Mediation Analysis

This study focuses on an attitudinal variable (organizational commitment) as a mediator and examines why turnover intention among child welfare workers would be affected by workers perception of inclusion, at the organizational level, at different organizations using multilevel analysis. The results of the study showed that individual workers organizational commitment plays a mediating role between organizational inclusion and individual turnover intention. The findings suggest that intervention aimed at reducing turnover and retaining quality workers may be more effective with a combined approach of targeting individual attitudes with changing organizational structures.

The Human Service Managerial Dilemma

Abstract The purpose of the study was to explore 115 human services managers responses to current challenges, and determine whether or not managers engaged in the kind of administrative practice that has been advocated for in the human service management literature. Interview data revealed that the primary concerns among managers appeared to be related to resource development and organizational climate, and the solutions included staff development, resource development through fundraising and grant writing, staff recruitment, and some strategic planning. Binary logistic regression was used to predict the occurrence of identified challenges and solutions based on agency type, size, and location. Overall, the findings reflect a disparity between current management practices and expectations for more visionary and innovative responses. Often, solutions did not match with the identified challenges. The findings indicate that human service managers have to move beyond solving systematic problems with symptomatic solutions, and recommendations were discussed.

Leadership Challenges Facing Nonprofit Human Service Organizations in a Post-Recession Era

The nonprofit sector has been the fastest growing segment of the U.S. economy in the last decade, primarily due to growth in the economy’s service fields of health care, education, and social servi...

Voice and Community in the Corporate Academy: A Collective Biography

This article is the story of the simultaneous feminization and corporatization of universities, themes that emerged in a test of a collective biography, a qualitative research method. Organizers brought together 12 macro social work academic women across generations and, through sampling, attempted to avoid the intergenerational splitting that seems to be leaving junior faculty to be socialized by administrators while simultaneously isolating senior faculty from their generative role. Our analysis identified several trends developed from our collective experiences including changes in faculty governance, formalized mentoring, intergenerational faculty relationships, and shifting expectations. With these changes, we sense a reduction in what we used to think of as a collegium, now in danger of becoming an historical artifact.

Exploring Collaboration Among Urban Neighborhood Associations

ABSTRACT This paper examines collaboration among geographically close neighborhood associations to determine whether they share similar priorities, if they have collaborated on specific projects, and to what extent they desire collaboration to help achieve their goals. Structured interviews/questionnaires were used to gather information about ten neighborhood associations clustered within an urban community. Results show that all ten associations are struggling to address the same community issues with a small number of active members. There is no evidence of joining forces with each other to resolve their common problems. The data illustrate that even when members of community associations recognize the value of collaboration and express interest in collaborating with others, they have difficulty translating that desire into actual collaborative projects.

Child Welfare Workers’ Personal Safety Concerns and Organizational Commitment: The Moderating Role of Social Support

This study examined the association between child welfare workers’ safety concerns and organizational commitment, with specific attention to the possible cross-level interaction effect of leader-member exchange (LMX) on the relationship between workers’ safety concerns (organizational level) and organizational commitment (individual level). Results suggested that frequent exposure to unsafe working environments were associated with lower levels of organizational commitment. Cross-level interaction of LMX was found, which indicates that as the quality of leader-member exchange improves, the negative relationship between unsafe climate and organizational commitment decreases. The importance of workplace safety and its relevance for administrative practice are discussed.

Training Social Workers and Human Service Professionals to Address the Complex Financial Needs of Clients

ABSRACT In social work and other community-based human services settings, clients often present with complex financial problems. As a need for more formal training is beginning to be addressed, evaluation of existing training is important, and this study evaluates outcomes from the Financial Stability Pathway (FSP) project. Designed to prepare professionals with the knowledge, attitudes, and skills to effectively assess and respond to clients’ financial problems, we evaluated the FSP using a one-group pre-, post-, and follow-up design. Results suggest that with training and ongoing booster sessions including peer support, professionals’ preparedness and confidence increased, which strongly predicted the use of practice behaviors learned during training. Implications for professional education and training are discussed.

Increasing Both Organizational and Client Capacities During Tough Economic Times: An Examination of the Consumer and Incentive-Based Ambassador Volunteer Program

Various economic and societal conditions are making it more difficult for community-based agencies to sustain volunteer programs. Therefore, concerned managers have to become creative in designing their volunteer programs. This article examines an innovative consumer and incentive Ambassador Volunteer Program designed to meet the dual goals of building the employment capacities of consumers and the volunteer capacity of the agency in a disadvantaged urban community. Survey, focus group, and interview data help detail the structure of the program, assess its benefits to volunteers, and examine its strengths and limitations as viewed through the experiences of both the volunteers and staff.

A Validation Study of the Revised Personal Safety Decision Scale

Objective: The purpose of this study is to examine the reliability and validity of an 11-item Personal Safety Decision Scale (PSDS) in a sample of child welfare workers. Methods: Data were derived from a larger cross-sectional online survey to a random stratified sample of 477 public child welfare workers in a mid-Atlantic State. An exploratory factor analysis and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) were used to examine the construct validity of the revised scale. Results: Results indicated the presence of a two-factor structure in PSDS. CFA resulted in a revised 7-item, two-factor structure. The revised PSDS internal consistency reliability was .78. Conclusions: A valid and reliable measure can be useful for assessing the level of perceived home visit risks that child welfare social workers may experience. The scale can be used to explore the risk and protective factors and worker behaviors that surround workers’ safety concerns.