Social Work: Leveraging Communities, Organizations, and Political Systems

1. Social Work:Leveraging Communities, Organizations, and Political Systems Marc McAleavey Ellen Holland

2. Goals of Presentations • Develop a common understanding of community • Explore current communities available to/for social workers • Explore our MSW Program community • Increase knowledge of Appreciative Inquiry (AI) and AI process • Conduct focus group with class to explore joint vision for creating a social work community • Provide closure and summary

3. What is Community? • “No matter what definition is selected, concepts such as ‘space,’ ‘people,’ ‘interaction,’ and ‘shared identity’ are repeated over and over again” (Netting, Kettner, McMurtry, 2004, p. 126). • “The most cited definition of community is a combination of social units and systems that perform the major social functions relevant to meeting people’s needs on a local level” (Netting, Kettner, McMurtry, 2004, p. 127).

4. What is Community? • According to Homan, “A community consists of a number of people with something in common that connects them in some way and that distinguishes them from others” (2004, p.9). • He contends the “common connection could be a place where members live – a city or a neighborhood. It may be an activity, like a job, or perhaps their ethnic identification provides the connection” (p. 9).

5. What is Community? • “Community is where the individual and the social environment come together” (Schriver, p. 490). • Traditional Perspectives • Community based on: • Geographic location • Function • Way of relating • Social system (Schriver, 2004)

6. What is Community? • Alternative Perspectives “More holistic and comprehensive approaches to understanding many interrelated elements of community life than in the past” (Schriver, 2004, p. 497) • Alternative perspectives bring us… • Community building and community renewal regarding people and places, the physical environment, and economies • Community initiatives • Views of financial capital, human capital, social capital • Diversity • Nonplace Communities • Communities based in the spiritual, cultural, ethical, justice, intention, religion

7. Our MSW Community • Our connections • Work/Play • School • Code of Ethics • Social Work Values • Resources within our academic community • Faculty and Staff • Libraries • MSW Listserv • Introduction to field of Social Work

8. MSW Community Resources • National Association of Social Workers • The Clinical Social Work Assocation • The National Network for Social Work Managers • The Global Social Work Network • THE NEW SOCIAL WORKER Online

9. MSW Community Resources • The Council on Social Work Education • Global Social Work • Social Work World • Association for Community Organization and Social Administration • Major universities: • Washington University in St. Louis

10. Building From Our Foundation • Recreating the “Hallway Experience” • Caring Together • Acting Together

11. Appreciative Inquiry (AI) • Definition: Rooted in the simple act of asking positive unconditional questions, AI is a process of discovery to find the best in individuals, organizations and systems. The process seeks to find a constructive union between an identified group of people to pave the way to future positive action (Appreciative Inquiry Commons, n.d.). *

12. The 4 D’s: Discovery, Dream, Design, & Delivery/Destiny (Child and Youth Network, Denmark, n.d.)

13. Theoretical Background and Underlying Assumptions of AI • Social Constructivism • The 8 AI Assumptions (1) In all types of communities, something works. (2) Our focus IS our reality (3) Our reality is created NOW, there are many realities. (4) Asking questions as a group, a community, a person affects us in some way. (5) We gain confidence and support in our journey into the future (the unknown) when we bring with us parts of our past (the known). (6) We should bring the best parts of the past with us as we move towards the future. (7) Differences are important and should be valued. (8) Our language creates our reality. (Appreciative Inquiry Commons, n.d.)

14. The 5 Principles of AI • Constructionist Principle • Principle of Simultaneity • Poetic Principle • Anticipatory Principle • Positive Principle (Appreciative Inquiry Commons, n.d.)

15. Applications of AI • Business - Psychology/Therapy • Community - Healthcare • Non-Profit & NGO - Social Service • Educational/School - Religious • Manufacturing - Industry • Environment - Government (Appreciative Inquiry Commons, n.d.)

16. Our Focus Group • Discovery:What aspects of our Social Work Profession/Community currently help support, empower and connect each another together as social workers? • Dream:What are all the possibilities for supporting, empowering and connecting us together? • Design:What are the necessary elements for creating all of the possibilities for supporting, empowering and connecting social workers together? • Delivery/Destiny:How can we fulfill these possibilities and implement the necessary elements for supporting, empowering and connecting social workers together?

17. Moving Forward • What’s Next for Us? http://inthehallway.wordpress.com

18. Appreciative Inquiry Resources • Appreciative Inquiry Commons. (n.d.) AI in Organizational Sectors. Retreived April 3, 2007 from http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/practice/organization.cfm • Appreciative Inquiry Commons. (n.d.) What is AI. Retreived April 3, 2007 from http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/practice/organization.cfm • Barrett, F. J., Cooperrider, D. L. (2001). Generative Metaphor Intervention: A New Approach for Working with Systems Divided by Conflict and Caught in Defensive Perception. Appreciative Inquiry: An Emerging Direction for Organization Development (First Edition ed.). • Bosch, L. (1998). Exit Interviews With An "Appreciative Eye". Lessons from the Field: Applying Appreciative Inquiry. • Bushe, G. (1999). Five theories of change embedded in appreciative inquiry. In Appreciative Inquiry: Rethinking human organization toward a positive theory of change. • Bushe, G. R. (1998). Appreciative inquiry with teams. Organization Development Journal Vol. 16. 41-50 • Bushe, G. R. (1995). Advances in appreciative inquiry as an organization development intervention. Organization Development Journal Vol. 13. 14-22

19. Appreciative Inquiry Resources • Child and Youth Network, Denmark. (n.d.) AI as a methodology. Retrieved April 3, 2007 from http://www.redbarnet.dk/Approaches/Appreciative_Inquiry/Methodology.aspx • Cooperrider, D., Srivastva, S. (2000). Appreciative Inquiry in Organizational Life. Appreciative Inquiry: Rethinking Human Organization Toward a Positive Theory of Change. • Cooperrider, D. L. (2000). Positive Image, Positive Action: The Affirmative Basis of Organizing. Appreciative Inquiry: Rethinking Human Organization Toward a Positive Theory of Change. 29 - 53 • Cooperrider, D. L., Whitney, D. (1999). Collaborating for Change: Appreciative Inquiry. Berrett-Koehler Publishers. • Cooperrider, D. L. (1996). Resources for getting appreciative inquiry started: An example OD proposal. Organization Development Practitioner Vol. 28. 23-33 • Cooperrider, D. L. (1996). The Child as Agent of Inquiry. Organizational Development Practitioner Vol. 28. 5-11 • Cooperrider, D. L., Barrett, F., Srivastva, S. (1995). Social Construction and Appreciative Inquiry: A Journey in Organizational Theory. Ashgate Publishing: In- Management and Organization: Relational Alternatives to Individualism. • Gergen, K., Anderson, H., Hoffman, L. (1996). Is Diagnosis a Disaster?: A Constructionist Trialogue. Chapter draft for F. Kaslow (Ed.) Relational Diagnosis, Wiley, 1996.

20. Appreciative Inquiry Resources • Hammond, S. (1996). The thin book of appreciative inquiry. Thin Book Publishing. • Ludema, J. (2001). From Deficit Discourse to Vocabularies of Hope: The Power of Appreciation. Appreciative Inquiry: An Emerging Direction for Organization Development (First ed.). • Watkins, J. M., Cooperrider, D. L. (2000). Appreciative inquiry: A transformative paradigm. Journal of the Organization Development Network Vol. 32. 6-12 • Whitney, D., Cooperrider, D. L. (2000). The appreciative inquiry summit: An emerging methodology for whole system positive change. Journal of the Organization Development Network Vol. 32. 13-26 Appreciative Inquiry Commons. (2007). Retrieved April 7, 2007 from http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/intro/classics.cfm

21. References • Appreciative Inquiry Commons. (2007) AI in organizational Sectors. Retrieved April 3, 2007 from http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/practice/organization.cfm • Appreciative Inquiry Commons. (2007) What is AI. Retrieved April 3, 2007 from http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/practice/organization.cfm • Child and Youth Network, Denmark. (2007) AI as a methodology. Retrieved April 3, 2007 from http://www.redbarnet.dk/Approaches/Appreciative_Inquiry/methodology.aspx • Appreciative Inquiry Commons. (2007) Classic articles. Retrieved April 7, 2007 from http://appreciativeinquiry.case.edu/intro/classics.cfm • Homan, M. (2004). Promoting community change: making it happen in the real world. Belmont, CA: Thomson Learning. • Netting, E., Kettner, P., & McMurtry, S. (2004). Social work macro practice (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson. • Schriver, J. (2004). Human behavior and the social environment: shifting paradigms in essential knowledge for social work practice (4th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson.