Organization Practice

Mary Katherine O'Connor, PHD, is a Professor in the School of Social Work at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she teaches in the PhD and MSW programs. F. Ellen Netting, PHD, is the Samuel S. Wurtzel Endowed Chair and Professor of Social Work at Virginia Commonwealth University, where she teaches in the PhD, MSW, and BSW programs.

"The most impressive aspect of this book is that the authors chose to present the complexity of social work organization practice over a more simplistic description. This book provides a framework useful for thinking about how to be a social worker at the organization level, moving towards the incorporation of difference and diversity as an avenue towards social justice both within the organization and in the organization’s relationships with the greater community. Developing the self-awareness and critical thinking necessary to navigate such paradoxical realities is the focus of this extraordinary book." (Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work Newsletter, June 9, 2009)

• Preface ix Acknowledgments xvORIENTATION AND OVERVIEW1 Human Service Practice in a Diverse Organizational Landscape 32 Frameworks for the Organization Practitioner 41PART I STRUCTURE AND CONTROL3 Traditional Organizations 914 Practice in Traditional Organizations 119PART II CONSCIOUSNESS RAISING FOR CHANGE5 Social Change Organizations 1536 Practice in Social Change Organizations 179PART III CONNECTION AND COLLABORATION7 Serendipitous Organizations 2138 Practice in Serendipitous Organizations 239PART IV INDIVIDUAL EMPOWERMENT9 Entrepreneurial Organizations 27310 Practice in Entrepreneurial Organizations 299CONCLUSION11 Multiparadigmatic Practice 327Appendix A: Organization Assessment 365Glossary 375References 385Author Index 401Subject Index 409