ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT IN SOCIAL SERVICES’ ORGANIZATIONS-

IMPLICATIONS FOR THE NEED OF NEW SKILLS

LAIMUTĖ ŽALIMIENĖ The role of Organization in Enhancing Development of “the 21st century Skills” of Social ProfessionalsWIT Seminar, Vilnius, 26th of June 2014

With financial support from the European Union

European Commission as contracting Authority

REPORT CONTENT

Organizational support: concept, types

Organizational support specifics in the social service institutions in Lithuania

What management skills demand can be noticed while analyzing the organizational support research results?

ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT (OS) CONCEPT AND IMPORTANCE

Organizational support - is the support experienced by the employee, a degree to which employees believe that their organization values their contributions and cares about their well-being. (Eisenberger, Huntington, Hutchison, Sowa,1986, 501).

The OS theory states that the employees undoubtedly believe that the organization has a general positive or negative attitude towards them which includes the acknowledgement of their input and the care for their well-being. (Eisenberger, Stinglhamber, Vandenberghe, Sucharski, Rhoades, 2002, 565).

The organizational support has a positive impact on the employee's attitude towards work, on the employee loyalty, work results...

The organizational support research help assess the organization management features and quality as well as recommend the new or improved management skills that are needed.

TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT (1)

formal support, provided based on laws, organization rules, e.g....

and informal support (optional), however, it still reflects the care of the organization for the employee's needs, e.g.…

According to support sources: management, colleagues, supervisors, labour unions… support.

According to support types (Rhoades, Eisenberger,2002):

salary and work conditions, supervisors' support, procedural justice (freedom, autonomy, the manager's acknowledgement, career opportunities, possibility of adjusting the family obligations).

TYPES OF ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT (2)

Kahn, Antonucci (1980):

Emotional support (respect, sympathy, love)

Instrumental support:confirmation (acknowledgement of the moral and factual correctness of activity and statements, their confirmation, e.g., penalties, responsibility delegation, premium, etc.)

direct aid at work (salary, team work, information, etc.) .

Kim, Stoner (2008):

emotional,

instrumental (assistance with transport, assistance in childcare, etc.)

and informational support (advice, work-related, problem-solving information, etc.)

EMOTIONAL SUPPORT

Respectful relationship between the management and the employees

Stress level

Psychological climate

Respect, relationships based on dignity ensuring:

Ave. 75 %, 62 :78:91 (St: MUN:NGO)

-Disrespectful relationships in retirement and disability care homes are 2-3 times more frequent.

-A considerably more frequent reason for stress in stationary institutions - offensive management behaviour (10%), violence (5%) (identified in the literature sources as a problem of low morals at work; (Coffey et al., 2009).

Good psychological climate: ave. 61%, 84% child day care centres; in orphanages and disability care centres 53-43%.

INSTRUMENTAL SUPPORT- ACKNOWLEDGEMENT (ACKNOWLEDGEMENT OF THE CORRECTNESS OF ACTIVITY AND STATEMENTS, FORMAL- INFORMAL CONFIRMATION

Autonomy at work

Management style

Disciplinary measures

Can make decisions corresponding with the clients' needs: ave. 53 per cent

Approx. 10% of employees work in autocratic management style environment.

23:10: 3 (ST:MUN: NGO)

23:19:4 (retirement, disability care homes, child day care centres)

Reprimands, notices often experienced by approx. 6% of employees; stationary care institutions - 8%; state - 18%.

WHY IS THE MANAGEMENT STYLE AN IMPORTANT ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT FACTOR IN SOCIAL WORK?

Altruistic activity motives are much more frequent in the social work, the social workers are motivated by a desire to help other people. E.g., 75% in this research state that the opportunity to help people is the main source of their job satisfaction.

The self-realization needs of such employees are more numerous, it is important to create conditions for their satisfaction.

In this case the management environment and style create (or do not) conditions for their realization.

INSTRUMENTAL SUPPORT - ACKNOWLEDGEMENT (2)

Inclusion in organization management

Support of initiative and creativity

Included in organizational decision-making: 55%

State: 52%; NGO 74%

Homeless shelter: 45; disability care homes 50 %

Encouragement of worker initiative and creativity: 62%

Homeless shelter: 38; disability care homes 58 %

State + municipality: 52%; NGO 84%

DIRECT SUPPORT

Remuneration

Equipping the workplace

Organizing team work

Provision of IT, sharing information

Supervision

Possibilities of qualification training

Subjectively experienced support of managers and colleagues

MONTHLY SALARY (LTL)

Average State Municipality

NGO

Up to 800 17.1

801-1200 42.3

1201-1600 20.0

More than 1600

8.7

Not indicated 11.8

Average "net" salary

1141 1350 1151 998

DIRECT SUPPORT (2)

Approx. 62% are satisfied with workplace equipment; dissatisfied mostly in homeless shelters, home assistance services.

79% work as a team; 53% in home assistance services.

16% are dissatisfied with provided IT equipment; day centres - 25; disability care homes -23%.

The growing practice of using IT in social work changes the nature of the specialist activities, more and more information is received digitally.

IT organizes the entire life logic and principles, as well as has a dramatic impact on human relationships (Castell, 1998).

ASSESSMENT OF INFORMATION SHARING

Main information sharing problems:

-Incomplete information provided 39,1%

-The information is late 27,5%

-The methods of information supply are not provided 14,3%

-The information is concealed 10,6%

Good, very good information sharing level: 55:66:76 (St:Mun:NGO)

Among the employees: 66%;

orphanages 54; disability care homes 53; homeless shelters 55; day centres 77.

Among the management and the employees:68 %

orphanages 63; disability care homes 55; homeless shelters 57; day centres 86.

SUPERVISION AS A FORM OF ORGANIZATIONAL SUPPORT

The indicator of need for supervision - burnout syndrome. The term burnout was introduced to explain the specific features of the social service workers related to significant emotional efforts.

What causes burnout? Paperwork increasing, heavy work load, emotional work type, value conflicts...

Burnout components: emotional exhaustion (e.g. the feeling of overwork), depersonalization or cynicism (negative, overemphasized response to different work aspects), decreased personal achievements (feeling incompetent, deficit of achievements at work). (Maslach, Jackson)

The homeless shelters are extremely marked by burnout risk; disability care homes, home assistance services.

BURNOUT SYNDROME SYMPTOMS AND SUPERVISION

Thoughts and feelings

Never experienced

Often, very often

The work irritates me

32.9 6.5

I hate direct work with the client

57.9 1.6

I feel powerless to help

17.7 21.2

I have no motivation for work

41.3 10.0

I am eager to quit my job immediately

56.2 6.0

Was supervision arranged for you and your colleagues

Yes 15.6

No, but I think it should have been done

29.0

No, it was not needed

22.6

I do no know 30.2

No answer 2.6

POSSIBILITIES OF QUALIFICATION TRAINING

On average an employee participated in qualification training courses (for longer than 3 hours) 3 times over the last two years.

The highest rate of non-participants - among the homeless shelter and home assistance services - more than 1/4.

Qual. Training possibilities were rated as good/very good by 58% (only 36% in the homeless shelters)

Institution type Times of participation

Retirement homes 2.8Child foster care homes

3.0

Disability care homes

4.7

Child day care centres

3.7

Homeless shelters 1.8Home assistance 1.8Social support centres

3.5

On average in each 3.3

POSSIBILITIES OF FAMILY AND WORK HARMONIZATION

The organizational support theory claims that work organization which helps harmonize-achieve the lifestyle/work balance encourages employee commitment in the organization. (Smith, 2005).

Possibilities are provided for this harmonization - as stated by 54% of employees. By subordination- ST- 47; MUN- 54%; NGO -66%

The lowest chances of harmonizing family and work obligations - in home assistance services, homeless shelters, child foster care homes.

SUPPORTS SOURCES, FORMAL-INFORMAL SUPPORT

Colleagues, managers, labour unions...

Support from colleagues received:in work-related issues 84 percentpersonal 82 percent

Support from management received:in work-related issues 78personal 76

Support experienced in the state institutions is slightly lower, the highest in NGOs.

Members of labour unions - ave. 25%; in disability care homes 60, homeless shelters 35, home assistance 30%

SOCIAL WORKERS' JOB SATISFACTION FACTORS (PEOPLE SATISFIED WITH THE JOB- 50; DISSATISFIED- 63)

Job satisfaction factors Satisfied

Dissatisfied

The job goals are achieved by 90-100 percent

35.2 24.2

Value conflicts are usual (employee-client values)

25.9 59.3

The institution is characterized by an authoritarian management style

5.4 15.1

The institution is characterized by a democratic management style

82.4 70.7

Have power to make decisions corresponding with the client's needs

63.4 47.8

Employee initiative and creativity supported

79.8 50.7

Proud of the organization they are employed in

87.3 60.0

Proud to be a social worker 86.3 55.6

WHICH MANAGEMENT PROBLEMS CAN BE NOTICED IN THE SOCIAL SERVICE INSTITUTIONS?

Which management functions included:

Management

Control

Motivation

Organization

Management style

Employee participation in organization management (inclusion in decision-making)

Psychological climate (stress environment, respectful relationship)

Employee control methods (direct control -altruistic activity motives)

Possibilities of family and work harmonization

Supervision

Importance of qualification training

Employee autonomy issues (possibility of independent decision-making)

Fostering the initiative-based, creativity environment

Sharing information (communication)

Organizing team work

WHAT SKILLS ARE REQUIRED?

Employee motivation strategies Inclusion of employees in organization management (decision-making, activity planning)Delegation of responsibilityEmployee activity planning and organizing (planning advantages and disadvantages); Indirect control strategiesImprovement of organizational culture (fostering of trust-based relationships)Development of communication skills (fostering the respectful relationships, etc.)Stress-coping skillsValue-based and other conflict solution strategiesTeam buildingInformation management and effective communication

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION

With financial support from the European Union – European Commission as Contracting Authority

This training material is supported by the European Union Programme for Employment and Social Solidarity - PROGRESS (2007-2013). This programme is implemented by the European Commission. It was established to financially support the implementation of the objectives of the European Union in the employment, social affairs and equal opportunities area, and thereby contribute to the achievement of the Europe 2020 Strategy goals in these fields.The seven-year Programme targets all stakeholders who can help shape the development of appropriate and effective employment and social legislation and policies, across the EU-27, EFTA-EEA and EU candidate and pre-candidate countries.For more information see: http://ec.europa.eu/progress.The information contained in this publication doesn’t necessarily reflect the position or opinion of the European Commission.The sole responsibility of this content lies with the author. The Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information here contained.