Introduction
The case study of a residential treatment facility mostly serving Hispanic-American children emphasizes the necessity of enacting macro change to address the systemic problems that influence vulnerable communities. The facility’s director supported the use of physical punishment, disregarded the emotional needs of the residents, and failed to give the staff enough training, which put the employees in a terrible situation. The inhabitants’ physical and emotional needs had to be protected, which was a difficult decision.
Implementing macro change is a systematic and purposeful approach to identifying and addressing problems at the macro level regarding problem-solving and decision-making. This could entail gathering stakeholder input, assessing needs, creating and executing interventions, and monitoring the results (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2018). This essay discusses executing macro change to address the systemic problems at its core, the difficulties involved, and the possible results of such change.
The Goal and Action Steps
To implement change in an organization, it is essential to identify social structures and systems first. This entails looking at the organizational power structures and hierarchies and the social norms, values, and beliefs that guide its principles (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2018). In the residential treatment center case study, the director’s position of authority allowed her to create a toxic workplace where the needs of the patients were disregarded. The employees made an internal effort to resolve the problems, but they needed help to persuade the director to take action. This reveals a power disparity within the company that prevented substantial reform from happening.
Secondly, the staff must develop a mission statement, vision statement, and measurable goals and objectives to guarantee that the changes are effective and sustained. A vision statement outlines the organization’s long-term objectives, whereas a mission statement outlines the organization’s overall purpose (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2018). It is important to set measurable goals and objectives to monitor the development of changes. The staff decided to take some steps, including telling the press media about the conditions at the facility, to bring about change in this scenario. This course of action was taken after unsuccessfully attempting to persuade the director to make modifications.
Creating a plan outlining the strategies and tactics to carry out the vision and mission is the third step in implementing change. Residents, staff members, directors, superiors, and the media are involved. Determining the necessary resources is fundamental in this step material. For instance, financial resources can be needed to hire a new director or teach staff how to properly deal with residents’ emotional issues.
The fourth phase is implementing the plan by executing the required steps. In this case, the staff told the media of the center’s circumstances, leading to the director’s departure and adopting new procedures. The fifth step assesses the plan to see if it successfully reaches the desired goals and outcomes. In this situation, evaluating the residents’ emotional health and safety after implementing the new rules would be a good way to gauge the plan’s performance.
Neutralizing Opposition
This methodology reduces resistance to change or new initiatives inside organizations or communities. This strategy has several potential drawbacks and adverse outcomes. One way Neutralizing Opposition can generate opposition is the inability to communicate reasonable concerns or disputes (Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2018). People may become more resistant to the proposed change or project and even actively reject it if they believe their thoughts or viewpoints are not acknowledged or appreciated. Furthermore, the repression of opposition can result in a loss of confidence in the leadership and a decline in the morale of workers or community members. In this instance, the workers at the treatment facility used the neutralizing opposition tactic by embarrassing the director and her superiors in front of the media, making it difficult for them to continue ignoring the issues at the facility.
Neutralizing opposition can also prevent innovative thinking and creativity, which is another drawback. If dissident opinions are hushed, they may not be heard, which could restrict the potential success of the suggested change. Furthermore, neutralizing opposition might give the impression that something is unfair or unjust. People or organizations may believe that the process is biased or that their interests are not represented when they perceive their concerns as being disregarded or silenced.
Neutralizing Opposition – Current Day
The current #MeToo movement, a social media campaign that revealed multiple instances of sexual harassment and assault, is one instance. This movement used public humiliation to hold people and organizations responsible for their behavior and demand change. The #MeToo movement had a good effect in raising awareness of sexual harassment and assault and sparked crucial discussions about consent and workplace culture (Eboch, 2020). Additionally, it resulted in some well-known people being held responsible for their deeds and several businesses putting new sexual harassment prevention and response policies into place. Negative effects, however, also occurred, such as people being wrongly accused or unfairly judged in the court of public opinion. The campaign also raised awareness of the need for fair and unbiased investigations and the problem of due process. The movement does not sufficiently represent women in several minority groups and social circles.
Conclusion
To sum up, macro change implementation entails extensive changes to systems and structures that impact a wide population. The employees at the residential treatment center used a macro change strategy to draw attention to the issues by involving the media. Significant adjustments were made due to this choice, including the director’s dismissal and the implementation of new regulations. Collaborative efforts and partnerships are important components of macro change. To develop and implement solutions to social problems, social workers engage in macro practice and frequently collaborate with various stakeholders, as seen by the #MeToo Movement.
References
Eboch, M. M. (2020). The #MeToo movement. In Google Books. Greenhaven Publishing LLC. Web.
Kirst-Ashman, K. K., & Hull, G. H. (2018). Generalist practice with organizations and communities generalist practice with organizations and communities. (7th ed.). Cengage Learning.