Organnizational Analysis
The following research paper analyzes the organizational design and management of Temple University, an institution based in Montgomery, Philadelphia. The research narrows down to the institution’s Master of Social Work (MSW) program. Essentially, the discussion revolves around the general methodology that the organization uses to evaluate itself, as well as its programs. Further, the paper presents the researcher’s proposed problem-solving skills within the institution. Also, the discussion analyzes the potential positive or negative contributions of the institution’s members towards organizational problem-solving. Later, the paper discusses ways in which the organization either solves or causes the problem of equal treatment to its members or customers who normally experience social discrimination. Lastly, the paper presents summarized findings and recommendations.
Accountability
Temple University has a multi-dimension approach towards evaluating itself and its programs. According to a publication on the institution’s website, the main objective of the University is to maintain high-quality standards in its academic offerings (Temple University, 2016). Therefore, the institution regularly evaluates itself through the examination of the effectiveness of the school curricula, its teaching capacity, the quality of services offered internally and externally, and the nature of its programs. Occasionally, the University retains copies of students’ presentations such as research papers, exam sheets, creative works, or portfolios submitted in the course of the academic journey. The submissions aid the institution in evaluating and assessing the progress in the following classes within the particular degree programs (Temple University, 2016). Besides, the University not only reviews the students’ work, but also summarizes the results towards improving the various programs and improving the quality of learning. Beyond the internal performance evaluation, the assessment aids the institution in attaining the desired standards by external courses’ accrediting bodies. After the comprehensive internal and external evaluation, Temple University presents the assessment results in a generic summary format. Student names are omitted unless the works require identification of individuals behind certain academic works for educational purposes (Temple University, 2013).
Summary/Opinion
Proposed Problem-Solving Skills within the Institution
Teamwork brings different mindsets together for a collaborative work atmosphere (Lee & Chang, 2008). In the context of problem-solving, as a team player, I would urge my colleagues to embrace the spirit of teamwork. Despite the usual misunderstandings and disagreements that arise in formal organizations, I believe working as a team would minimize the undesired issues such as neglected duties and poor organizational performance. Besides, teamwork relieves individuals of stress and enables them to cope with organizational pressures. Also, one can develop trust in the people they work with and thereby records a remarkable increase in emotional health (Hutchison, 2010). Moreover, working as a team increases organizational efficiency as less time is taken completing a given task as compared to an individual handling the same quantity of work (Salmon, 2008). In Texas University, for example, I would encourage students to work in groups towards the achievement of better grades. Essentially, group work aids the students in exchanging their different unique ideas. In the long run, the students’ collaborative efforts are bound to yield improved performance in the various courses. On a broader scale, the University’s overall academic weighted Grade Point Average (GPA) values are likely to skyrocket.
Apart from teamwork, open communication is an necessity in problem-solving. The key to successful interpersonal relationships is communication (Knapp, Vangelisti, & Caughlin, 2014). Similarly, organizational members ought to be free to open up to each other about issues that are tearing them apart. As a mediator, I would call the conflicting parties and urge them to lay down the particular issues of concern they have with their counterparts. I would then request each party to own their mistake (s). If one party, is innocent I would urge the guilty party to humble themselves and apologize. However, the unwillingness to cooperate with the conflicting parties makes communication a major challenge in solving organizational problems (Cheney et al., 2010). In a learning institution’s context, the communication problem might be encountered between student leaders and University administration. For instance, the students, through their representatives, might request for an urgent address of their social welfare. Any delay or failure on the part of the administration is likely to lead to a student demonstration. As a problem solver, I would urge all the parties involved to convene a meeting, discuss the matters arising, and reach a consensus on the way forward.
In addition to open communication, I would advocate for a regular review of the organization’s code of conduct. In the case of Texas University, potential problems include unethical behavior between the lecturers and the students. For instance, a female student may be lured into having an illicit affair with her male lecturer for the award of good grades regardless of failure or excellence in a particular course. In the long run, the student ends up graduating with unethically-earned grades. Looking at the bigger picture, the female student ends up incompetent in the workplace as the academic degree was not acquired through the right means. Therefore, in a bid to counter the problem before it escalates to such outcomes, I would urge the University’s administration to review the institution’s code of conduct frequently. Apart from the review process, the entire school fraternity should be informed of the possible consequences of a breach of the set ethical standards. Such includes the expulsion of the students and firing of the lecturers found guilty of the offenses.
Contributions of the Institution’s Members towards Organizational Problem Solving
The different stakeholders within an institution have the ability to escalate or de-escalate the magnitude of a problem. The personality of an individual determines how they handle problems. For instance, the outspoken extroverts usually tackle a problem head on by talking it through. On the contrary, the relatively reserved introverts prefer holding back an issue despite how it affects them (Turel & Zhang, 2010). In the organizational context, the former is a useful asset as they can spot an issue and present it to relevant heads for discussion. Conversely, introverts might be viewed as a limitation to the organization’s problem-solving agenda. Essentially, the persons are likely to identify a problem and either shy away from talking about it or just assume the issue is of no much significance. Unfortunately, the lack of communication, as mentioned earlier derails progress and change in an organization (Cheney et al., 2010).
Besides personality, personal values influence the direction of problem-solving in an organization. For instance, a polite school administrator is likely to attract a cooperative relationship with the teachers and students. On the contrary, a rude and arrogant manager is bound to receive a relatively equal response from their respective subordinates. Therefore, upholding desirable personal values is necessary for a healthy working relationship within a given organization (Berman et al., 2012). In essence, possessing admirable personal values minimizes the number of conflicts encountered amongst personnel within an institution.
An individual’s school of thought coins the concept of philosophy. In the organizational context, some people believe in the teamwork philosophy while others prefer going solo. As discussed earlier, embracing teamwork simplifies the problem-solving process as less time and energy are involved (Lee & Chang, 2008). On the other hand, working alone consumes one’s much time and energy thus derailing the problem-solving process. Besides, the philosophy of teamwork opens opportunities for new ideas and solutions to a variety of problems.
The placement of an individual’s needs also determines how far a problem goes (Cummings & Worley, 2014). For instance, if a student prioritizes attending parties rather than completing a class project, there is bound to be a problem. Primarily, the student will have a case to answer to the respective course instructor. On the other hand, a student who puts their studies before their social life is likely to encounter minimal problems with their tutors. Besides, their academic performance is bound to be better than their colleagues who have misplaced priorities.
Lastly, the level of motivation in any person contributes to the manner in which a problem is managed. Taking an example of Texas University, a highly motivated teacher is not discouraged by the poor performance of his students. Rather, the teacher thinks of ways of addressing the problem towards improved performance in the consequent assessments. On the contrary, a course instructor with low motivation is likely to give up on his students upon failure in a given academic subject. Unfortunately, if the school administration does address the cause of low motivation among the teachers, then a chain of problems is bound to follow including deteriorating student performance.
In summary, the personality, values, philosophy, needs, and motivations of the organizational members either contribute positively or negatively towards problem-solving. Therefore, it is the responsibility of each member to work on their problem-solving skills lest the organization fails to realize its objectives. Nevertheless, an organization’s management ought to look into the issues affecting its staff to have a symbiotic relationship with minimal problems to solve.
Organization’s Contribution to the Problem of Equal Treatment to its Customers who Experience Social Discrimination
Temple University’s School of Social Work boasts of its mission that entails teaching, researching, and offering services in the field of social and economic justice. Master of Social Work graduates serve the community by providing guidance and counseling to HIV/AIDS patients, as well as advising the people on mental health issues, and offering health services. Moreover, the graduates advise the youth on the dangers of substance abuse. Further, the MSW graduates tackle issues of homelessness by appealing to the government to address the issue on behalf of the homeless (Temple University, 2016). Also, the institution instills relevant knowledge to its students on seeking justice for juvenile offenders. Besides, the graduates handle matters related to child welfare and teenage pregnancy. Also, the institution teaches its MSW students on how to campaign against gender violence especially towards women and mistreatment of the elderly. Moreover, the graduates participate in community capacity building activities such as the development of economic projects. Essentially, the institution plays a major role in fighting poverty across the region. Also, the MSW course teaches the students on the importance of organizational diversity (Temple University, 2013). In essence, the graduates are aware of the need to embrace cultural and racial differences in the workplace.
The above practical illustrations clearly show that Temple University has been at the forefront of solving problems both within and outside the institution. Through the MSW program, the University has facilitated equal treatment to its members and the consumers of its services. The institution teaches its students on the importance of non-discriminative treatment to people living with Disabilities (PLWDs), women, homosexuals, young or old people, and different cultural groups. Besides, the graduates understand the nature of their work. Essentially, social work involves serving the community without bias towards any religion or people from different socio-economic backgrounds (Thompson, 2016).
Findings and Recommendations
Regular organizational evaluation guides the members towards achieving the set goals. As shown by the Temple University analysis, the institution constantly evaluates the quality of its academic programs. Successful evaluation involves a look into the input of key stakeholders, the resources required, and finally the nature of the outcome. In the case of Temple University, the high quality of the curricula and experienced teaching staff yield excellent performance among the students. The available resources imply that evaluations keep the organizational members alert as no one wishes to be the reason for a poor track record. Therefore, organizations should emulate the example of Temple University. Primarily, the management should decide on how often the evaluations should be done. Pure evaluations may not yield consistent results. Therefore, the administrators should think of ways to award the outstanding department regarding increased performance indicators.
There are different ways of solving problems within the organizational context. This research paper has summarized several counter solutions to conflicts that arise within a given institution. First, teamwork is essential. As the literature suggests, working as a team makes tasks easier and faster to accomplish. Consequently, the organization’s performance increases. Also, there are minimal, if any, cases of neglected duties. Fundamentally, different heads combine to produce brilliant ideas and come up with solutions to seal any underlying loops within the organization.
Besides teamwork, open communication minimizes conflict as members can express their grievances. Concerned parties respond to the issues and work through the problem towards reaching a consensus. However, a mutual level of willingness to participate in the communication process is required from both warring parties. Finally, the research proposes the need for a regular review of the organization’s code of conduct. Primarily, some organizational problems arise from negligence on the part of the staff members. However, observation of the desired ethical and moral standards eliminates the potential for conflict between the employees and their employers. The failure to observe such standards is likely to attract undesirable outcomes including job loss. Therefore, personnel within a work environment ought to familiarize themselves with the set code of conduct rules and principles.
The research paper has also observed that there are both positive and negative contributions of an organization’s members to problem-solving. First, an individual’s personality determines whether they are open to facing problems head on or they would rather assume everything is fine (Lavalette, 2011). Similarly, personal values, philosophies, needs, and motivations play a major role in determining how a person handles problems within the organization. The common phenomenon among the different factors is that the desire and ability to solve a problem is mainly influenced by internal experiences. However, motivations rely on external occurrences. Essentially, some persons are only able to offer solutions to a problem if they feel motivated by the past outcomes. Therefore, individuals ought to do personal assessments to know what their different attributes are. Most importantly, one should be able to cope with social pressures towards solving a particular problem (Hutchison, 2010).
Equal treatment of the diverse groups within a given locality solves many problems that may arise in the organization. Temple University sets a good example for other organizations to emulate. Though the Master of Social Work program, the institution’s graduates fairly handle HIV/AIDs cases, mental health issues, homelessness, child welfare, teenage pregnancy, and gender discrimination among others (Temple University, 2016). The lack of discrimination improves the relationship between members, as well as the institution’s customers. Besides, the University offers useful knowledge to the students on organizational diversity. Consequently, the graduates embrace the socio-cultural differences among their colleagues at work. Also, the MSW course covers topics on gays and lesbian rights movement. The graduates, therefore, learn to respect the normally socially-criticized sexual orientation. Therefore, the probability of conflict as a result of unfair or unequal treatment is minimal. Similarly, organizations should avoid biased treatment to individuals based on their age, religion, gender, sexual orientation, cultural background, and socioeconomic status. Equal treatment solves problems that may otherwise arise from inequalities (Lavalette, 2011).
References
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