Summer 2016 Vol. 6

SOCIOLOGY AT WORK The Official Newsletter of the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology

Editor: Newman Wong, Midwestern State University

Greetings AACS members and friends, We are gearing up for a great conference this October in Denver, Colorado. “Creating, Building, and Designing with Sociology” is the conference theme. In addition to our growing community of AACS members, we want to open the conference to policy, program and project leaders, business, health care and government professionals who use sociology everyday (knowingly or not) to create new realities. This is a chance to move beyond the “Sociological Imagination” to “Sociological Creativity.” Our conference is also student friendly. Faculty members, we are currently soliciting participants for the 2016 Client Problem Solving Completion (CPSC). Consider bringing a student team to Denver to compete! You may see the work done by student teams in the competition on our website. This issue of Sociology at Work features undergraduate conference attendee, Megan Evans, in the “Member Spotlight,” where she testifies the friendly environment of our conference. The “2015 Conference Highlights” section will have reflections from those who participated in the last Client Problem Solving Competition (formerly Judith Little Problem Solving Competition). Sociology at Work publishes original essays, interviews, research and practice notes, teaching and mentoring notes, research reports, film and book reviews, and other items of interest related to the practice of applied, clinical and public sociology. In addition, we are also pleased to publish your announcements such as book releases, member news and accomplishments, calls for papers, and job opportunities. Please send submissions to me at NewmanCWong@gmail.com. Best wishes, Newman Wong Editor

CONTENTS From the Editor………………………….1 Message from the President………2 Member Spotlight………………………4 2015 Conference Highlights ……...5 2016 CPSC Info……………………..……7 AACS Org. Membership Info………9 Sociologist@Work.….........……….10 Committee Report……………………15 Member News………………...........19 Announcements ….………………….20 Call for Submissions…….….…..20 Calls for Papers…………..……….20 Call for Participation…………….22 AACS Leadership……………………...24

2016 AACS Conference October 6-8 Denver, CO

“Creating, Building, and Designing with Sociology”

Click here to join AACS or renew your membership

aacsnet.net

Sociology at Work Summer 2016 2

Season’s Greetings!

Hello, AACS Members and Newsletter Readers, The Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology has been on the move over the last few months. In my first letter to you I outlined five elements that were the cornerstones of my efforts as president this year. I would like to return to these five, reflecting on accomplishments and challenges as I move to the final four months of my presidency. Allow me to summarize each element and give a brief snapshot of our accomplishments to date. Let’s take these in turn.

1. We are so fortunate to have a professional, “working” Board!

2. We’re making a transition from the good work of our former CEO, Tina Quartaroli

It’s easy to lead when one has such great colleagues! Board members have been active

in taking on some significant challenges to the association. Any professional voluntary

board member is challenged to integrate the pro bono work of our organization into

their already busy professional lives. For the most part we have all been able to do this.

And for these challenges and sacrifices I am deeply thankful. Here’s a short list of Board

member activity so far:

Under the leadership of our Treasurer, Michael Fleischer, AACS is once again a

403(c) non-profit organization! This means that donations are tax deductible and

AACS is open to some tax exemptions. We (I) owe much to Michael!

With our contract with Sage Publications ending this year we were faced with

the challenge of selling our Journal (Journal of Applied Social Science) to Sage or

maintaining control of the journal with Sage as our publisher and distributor. Our

Board voted to maintain control, but this then required selection for a new

journal editor. Miriam Boeri and Michael Fleisher led a team that enacted and

implemented a strategy to find and select a new editor. As I’m sure you are

aware, James Lee, San Jose State University took the reins as editor of JASS in

January 2016! For their superior work, I had the honor of awarding Miriam and

Michael the President’s Award for Outstanding Service to the Association for

Applied and Clinical Sociology on February 5, 2016.

Our website and newsletter have been and continue to be skillfully maintained

by Newman Wong, Gina Castillo and Fonda Martin. This is an ongoing and never-

ending challenge and I’m grateful for their work.

Message from the President

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3. Within the tactical plan are strategies to enhance benefits and increase membership.

Kathy Stolley’s Marketing, Membership and Development team effectively

implemented a renewal strategy that has first quarter membership figures well

ahead of the first quarter for 2015. Plans are underway to attract more

organizational and departmental members. We’re looking for production of a

brochure and other marketing items over the next quarter.

Treasurer, Michael Fleisher, is working on improving our financial instruments.

While some time was dedicated to vision creation at the mid-year Board meeting

in February 2016, I have failed to provide sufficient direction for the ad hoc

planning team to move this effort forward. I hope the next cadre of officers will

move this important effort forward.

4. We’re ahead of the curve.

We’ve successfully completed (May 15, 2016) an electronic election of officers

for the organization’s future! You’ll find the announcement of the election’s

outcome elsewhere in this newsletter

The Board has successfully electronically solicited the names of candidates for

AACS annual awards from the membership and the Board ranks. Awardees have

been selected by Board vote. Winners will be announced at an appropriate time.

Once again, the finance committee under our treasurer, Dr. Michael Fleischer’s

lead, is in the process of “budget building” for 2017. Conference fees, other fees

and membership dues will be available early so a solid budget can be approved

at our October 2016 meeting. A sound fiscal structure will be placed in the

hands of our incoming President (Jim Wiest) and Treasurer (Michael Hirsch).

5. We can hardly wait to see you in Denver!

I’ve saved one of the best for last! Vice President (and incoming AACS President for

2016-17) Jim Wiest has the 2016 conference well on track. As a reminder, the theme is

“Creating, Building and Designing with Sociology.” Denver provides a great location for

our theme, and our organization’s well-known community warmth all in one place for

the convergence of learning and action. Look for a conference overview in this

newsletter… put Denver on your calendar NOW!

I enthusiastically look forward to finishing my 2015-16 presidency “strongly!” Sincerely,

Stephen F. Steele, Ph.D. President, 2015-2016

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President, AACS 2015-16

AACS 2015 Conference Student Experience Megan Michelle Evans Undergraduate Student Youngstown State University mmevans@student.ysu.edu My name is Megan Evans and I am in my last year at Youngstown State University with a triple major in Sociology, English, and Linguistics. This past year, I had the pleasure of being accepted to present at the AACS 2015 conference, which took place in Montgomery, Alabama. I submitted a research piece that I had been working on titled, “The Effects of Socioeconomic Status on Literacy Development Among Elementary School Students,” into the undergraduate paper competition. Being an undergraduate student, I was slightly nervous to enter a conference with some of the top academics in applied and clinical sociology. However, what I found at AACS was a conference where I felt welcomed into a group of people that were truly committed to ameliorating society’s problems. Despite my limited knowledge and experience, the professors, researchers, and practitioners I met were eager to share what they had learned with me and give me any advice I needed in a positive and constructive manner that would help enhance my future career in sociology. During and after my presentation, I was able to connect with other undergraduate students as well. This was a great opportunity to learn what they were doing at their universities and also to talk with fellow students that shared my passion for sociology. After my presentation, I was excited to find out that I had won the best undergraduate research award for my presentation. Between gaining the experience presenting at a national conference, the peers I was able to meet, and the current experts in the field I was able to connect with, I feel that the AACS 2015 conference was one of the most beneficial experiences I have had as an undergraduate student. The one thing from the conference that I believe rings true to the members of AACS and contributes to my excitement for all of the future work to come in the field of sociology, was something that the keynote speaker, Dr. Aldon D. Morris, said during the Friday Keynote Address. Upon addressing the audience, he said he was excited to be in a room full of “scholars who strive not only to understand the world, but also change it for the better,” and it is this statement that I believe rings true for all practicing sociologists. As I enter into the field of sociology in preparing to apply for graduate school, I know that I will always strive to not only understand the world, but also change it for the better.

Member Spotlight

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Topics, Tidbits, and Topics, Tidbits, and Tools

Doing Sociology Beth Lyman Chair and Associate Professor Department of Sociology Radford University elyman@radford.edu Last October, I had the good fortunate of taking four students to the AACS annual meeting in Montgomery, Alabama, to participate in the Judith Little Problem Solving Competition. I had never been to an AACS conference before, let alone have students participate in the JLPSC, so while I had experience in taking students to conferences, this was new territory for me. Taking students to conferences to do paper or poster presentations is, as it turns out, quite a different experience altogether. Going to the JLPSC still involved the long process of securing travel funds, filling out (lots of) paperwork, making flight plans and so on. It involved putting together professional outfits on shoestring budgets, traveling at odd hours in order to get cheap flights, and carefully squirrelling away receipts in order to justify expenses. The students had to do research, prepare material, and give a presentation. In these ways, this was like any other conference experience. What was different, and what made this a unique experience, was that they were using what they had learned in their academic training in order to benefit an organization in need of a sociological perspective. This wasn’t a literature review, a recitation of theories and hypotheses, or an explanation of a table of numbers; this was meeting a community leader, interviewing members of a local organization, drawing on the academic to inform the problem, and presenting information to a community leader in a way more like they would in the “real world.” (They even created a mock brochure for the community organization, something they were very proud of.) The satisfaction my students felt after the conference was a pleasure to see. They came back to Radford University telling others about how they had worked out a problem while meeting new people, used their interview skills to ask pertinent questions, and even explored a neighborhood in a city completely foreign to them, a big deal to young people from small towns in rural Virginia. They came back and talked to their friends and professors about the people they met, their Montgomery experience through both their sociological and personal lenses of race and class, the recommendations they had made, and how great an experience it was to do what we talk about in class but do not do in the classroom: sociology. They actually DID sociology. They got a certain thrill from it, hoping upon hope that, even though they didn’t win the competition, the community organization (Montgomery Area Council on Aging) would use even just one of their ideas. They felt like they had very possibly made a difference in the lives of others.

2015 Conference Highlights

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Deryk, Nijeria, Bianca, and Sierra left Montgomery with a sense of satisfaction and excitement that I have never seen students get from presenting papers in cookie cutter hotel conference rooms and standing silently next to posters in hotel ballrooms. They hadn’t just done presentations, they had done sociology, and they loved it. A fire had been lit within.

Anne Arundel Community College Sociology Students Compete in Problem-Solving Competition Gina M. Finelli, Assistant Professor of Sociology Ashley Gray, Student Anne Arundel Community College Three AACC students—Jason Winters, Tony Handle, and Ashley Gray—attended the annual conference of the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology in Montgomery, Alabama, October 8-10, to compete in its Judith Little Problem Solving Competition. The students were recruited by Dr. Gina Finelli after taking the Introduction to Sociology course (SOC 111) with her the previous spring semester. The competition was co-founded in the late 1990s by AACC Professor Emeritus Steve Steele. The competition gives students a way to exercise their sociological skills to solvea real problem faced by an agency or organization located in the host city of the conference. It also fosters teamwork, time management, and professionalism and serves as a valuable networking opportunity. This year’s client was the Montgomery Area Council on Aging (MACOA), and the primary concern involved recruiting and retaining volunteers 50 years and younger for their Meals On Wheels (MOW) program. Eight other teams, all from four-year colleges/universities, competed against AACC. The competition begins at the start of the conference with a problem statement and Q&A session with a representative of the organization. The student teams have the remainder of the conference to develop a solution. The solution, along with a written executive summary, is

Sociology at Work Summer 2016 7

presented to a panel of judges, a representative from the organization, and other conference attendees on the final day of the conference. To tackle this problem, the AACC team set up an interview with MACOA’s leading representative, Pam Goodwin. While at the site, they had the opportunity to volunteer for MOW and experience firsthand what it is like to work in this environment; they learned how some volunteers feel about MACOA and what motivates them to volunteer. This experience and the data gathered were extremely useful in helping the team as they considered dozens of ideas, debated these ideas, and suggested new ones until they reached their final product. Although the AACC team did not win the competition, it received high marks from the judges and the MACOA representative. One judge commented that the team demonstrated an “excellent grounding of communication in community building rationale and process” and provided “practical implementation ideas helpful to a small staff.” According to AACC team member Ashley Gray, “The experience in Montgomery was one to remember and although we did not come home with a win, we did great and felt great! And at the end of the day what matters is that we had some unique and innovative ideas that probably will and has helped MACOA in some way.” Special thanks to Vollie Melson, Dean Morse, and Mary McFaden for their support in making this invaluable experience possible. *This article was previously published in the February 2016 issue of AACC Division of Learning newsletter.

What is the Client Problem Solving Competition and why should you participate? Miriam Boeri CPSC Coordinator mboeri@bentley.edu The Judith Little Problem-Solving Competition is now called the Client Problem Solving Competition (CPSC) to highlight the applied skills learned in the problem solving competition.

STUDENTS: Are you a budding sociologist and eager to put your knowledge to good use? Do you sometimes wonder what sociological practice means? Do you enjoy using your sociological imagination? If you answered yes to any of these questions, consider forming a student team to participate in the Client Problem Solving Competition held at the annual conference for the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology (AACS). Teams may consist of two to four students.

2016 Client Problem Solving Competition

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FACULTY: Do you want your students to have a real-life experience applying what you taught them? Do you know students are exceptionally good at thinking outside the box? Do you dream of your sociology majors changing the world? If you answered yes to any of these questions, consider bringing a team of students to the annual AACS conference to participate in a student competition in applied sociology that allows them to showcase their talent and learn while doing something for others. The AACS Client Problem Solving Competition (CPSC) provides students with a meaningful way to exercise their sociological skills. It is a networking opportunity for participants and also provides students with a professional experience they can include on their resumes. We are soliciting student teams for the CPSC, which will run concurrently with the annual conference October 6th-8th in Denver, Colorado. More about the CSPS is found here: http://www.aacsnet.net/conference/2016-aacs-client-problem-solving-competion/ The results of last year’s competition with photos and power points are found here: http://www.aacsnet.net/conference/2016-aacs-client-problem-solving-competion/ This year, Dr. Lubomir Popov will make a presentation to participating CPSC students about design thinking and the design process in relation to resolving social problems in a systematic, predictable, and manageable way. In the last two decades, this subject matter has attracted a lot of attention among social sciences and business people. I know how hard it is to find travel money and I am working to provide a more detailed article on how to raise travel funds. Here is a sneak preview:

Students: hold fundraisers on school such as bake sales, car washes (get permission

first); there are hundreds of fundraising ideas in books and online.

Students: let your parents and relatives know you were invited to participate in a

student competition and are raising travel funds.

Students: See if your campus organizations have money for travel to attend

conferences.

Students: If you belong to an Honor’s Association, check to see if they have travel funds

to attend conference.

Faculty: ask your department Chair for any extra end-of-the-year monies that you can

use to help pay for registration, airfare, and hotel now, before the end of the year

budget.

Faculty: piece together funding from different sources; find out which offices have

funding for student travel—Honors Programs, Research Assistantships, the Dean’s

special funds—you will be amazed what you find out if you ask.

Please email me at mboeri@bentley.edu if you have questions. Let me know how I can help!

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AACS 2016… You Know Sociology is Valuable: We Want YOU! You and your organization know the value of Applied and Clinical Sociology. We invite you to

become an organizational membership of the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology! It’s

a good time to join. What’s in it for your department or organization as an AACS member?

Organizational/Departmental Membership includes

One standard membership,

Discounted faculty and student conference registration fees,

Full page ad in the conference program, and

License to include AACS affiliation on department website/marketing materials

during membership year(s).

As a member, you and your organization will benefit by

Being part of “doing our discipline…” make a commitment to a gathering of those who know the value of using our discipline to better understand and improve our world.

Our professional journal… You automatically, get access to the Journal for Applied Social Science published by SAGE Publications.

Certification credentialing as a Certified Sociological Practitioner/Certified Clinical Sociologist is awarded by the AACS.

A timely newsletter… Sociology at Work is a quarterly newsletter focusing on the work of professionals doing applied sociology.

Reduced fees for our great annual conference… By the way, we would really like to see you in Denver! The 2016 conference theme is “Creating, Building and Designing with Sociology.” Great location, great theme, and our organization’s well-known community warmth all in one place for the convergence of learning and action at the Doubletree by Hilton Denver Tech Center on October 6-8, 2016. The Doubletree by Hilton Denver is in Greenwood Village, Colorado.

Access as a contributor to the Denver meeting… not just “papers,” we look for innovation and creativity in content and presentation form.

Networking opportunities for professionals and students alike with other sociological practitioners and leaders in their fields.

Be part of a friendly, supportive, professional association… we’re known for our warmth and encouraging community.

Please join us and submit your organizational/departmental membership today!

AACS Organizational Membership

Sociology at Work Summer 2016 10

Organizational Memory: What it is, Why it Matters, and How to Gauge it Lisa Fisher, Ph.D. Visiting Assistant Professor of Sociology Department of Sociology & Anthropology The College of Wooster

lfisher@wooster.edu There is nothing objective about what gets remembered in organizations, how it gets remembered or why. Organizational memory (OM) is more than knowledge management and more than information about a company’s history; it reveals a great deal about dynamics of power, voice, organizational identity and priorities as well as perceptions of the past, present and future. OM can also be mobilized to support other initiatives in organizations. In this article, I discuss OM with a focus on what it is, why it matters, and how it can be gauged to inform your work in organizational settings. What is OM? In this era of big data, knowledge management gets more attention than OM, yet it is wholly dependent on the values, beliefs and goals associated with OM. The dominant metaphor for OM used to be that of internal and external “storage bins” of information that could be filled and then called upon for use in decision-making (Walsh & Ungson 1991). The “storage bin” model has been criticized as static, overly management-focused, and failing to acknowledge the complexities of human subjectivity and context. Thus, there has been a shift from focus on “collected memory” to focus on “collective memory” (Rowlinson, Booth, Clark, Delahaye & Procter 2010). OM is dynamic, socially-constructed, and reliant on human interpretation of meaning in historical and cultural context as people make decisions about what to remember and how to remember it (Johnson & Paper 1998; Corbett 2000; Kozlowski & Klein 2000; Feldman & Feldman 2006; Rowlinson et al 2010; Casey & Olivera 2011). In a work environment, people rely on the language available to them within workplace structure and culture and engage in dialogue to make sense of experiences by weaving together accounts into a coherent story, built with both explicit and tacit meaning. People need not have personally experienced events in order to share in the interpretation of those events (Nissley & Casey 2000). The construction and remembering of the story is inherently social (Halbwachs 1992). Parts of the story are codified into physical records and entered into formal knowledge management systems. Other parts of it are told and retold informally in conversation and the organizational grapevine. Sometimes the formal and informal versions match up, but other

Sociologist@Work

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times they offer different perspectives on the same event, circumstance or period of time. Regardless of the exact form it takes, OM is important in any organizational setting. Why does OM matter? OM is both functionally and symbolically significant. It is functionally significant because what is remembered and recorded has practical value to people at all levels of the organization. These days, we are likely to hear about OM as a functional concern relating to losses of experience and client knowledge when long-tenured Baby Boomers leave an organization. Although the functional value of OM is often emphasized, it is the symbolic value that is particularly important from a sociological perspective. OM is symbolically significant because of what it reveals about an organization. The effort to remember something is itself meaningful. OM incorporates ideas that are formal and informal, explicit and tacit, agreed upon and contested. These things, together, help us to better understand how sense-making occurs and how it impacts other aspects of organizational form and function. Even the most seemingly objective event or circumstance is interpreted as people frame it, describe it, selectively attend to certain information, ignore other information, and come to a collective understanding about what happened, why it happened, what it means, how it relates to the past, and what bearing it may have on the future. These processes reveal a great deal about power, voice, organizational identity, priorities and perceived connections between the past and the future. Managers and opinion leaders at any level exercise power to shape OM by offering means of framing circumstances and, thereby, guiding the focus of others as to what is important and how it should be remembered. Those in positions of legitimate authority make decisions as to which knowledge management systems will be used to formally codify records, which information should be recorded, which words should be used (or, in the lingo of enterprise software, which fields and tables), which plausible interpretations of circumstances and accounts constitute an accurate reflection of organizational activities, and which persons or groups should have access to this information. The informal elements of OM are just as important. The grapevine is not just a “rumor mill” but a nuanced and quite often well-informed organic discussion that is less likely to be filtered and very revealing about organizational members’ collective fears, frustrations, points of optimism, and perceptions of the past, present and future. Together, the formal and informal elements of OM reveal local collective memory about circumstances, events and periods of time. Imagine that a work unit finishes a long-term project with a difficult client. There are multiple ways to interpret this situation varying, for example, from relief associated with “unloading” a difficult client to happiness for “completing” a long-term project to concern about “losing a client” and the accompanying revenue. The interpretation and language used influence how people feel about that event and whether it gets remembered positively or negatively, for example “the need to improve client relations” or

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“that time we needed to fire the client.” OM about this event is socially constructed formally and informally, and both are significant parts of the story. Once interpretation occurs, even if the information is formally codified, OM is still subject to differential interpretation in the future and incremental change over time. Using the scenario above, if a more difficult client comes along, the first difficult client may not seem so bad after all. This could lead to OM about the history with that client being reinterpreted. Furthermore, as time passes, certain details are likely to be forgotten (Casey & Olivera 2011), whereas others could take on heightened importance. For example, a leader who is concerned about an organization “getting off track and needing to return to its roots” may incite renewed interest in company history and the efforts of early leaders who focused on client relations. The ways in which those leaders’ histories are selectively recalled and shared is likely to offer important cues about organizational identity and priorities. In short, piecing together OM about an event, circumstance or period of time can allow you to better understand the perspectives of insiders in various parts of the organization and consider how dynamics of power, voice, identity and priorities affect the processes of interpreting and remembering. In operational terms, studies suggest that OM can have positive effects on new product development and financial performance (Moorman & Miner 1997; Montoya-Weiss & Calantone 1994), particularly when information is shared broadly, although not through the use of formal procedures, and is supplemented with external information (Chang & Cho 2008). There is also evidence of negative effects if OM leads to rigidity (Leonard-Barton 1992, Dickson 1992), the quick dismissal of new and different ideas (Ghemawat 1991, Dougherty 1992, McDonough 1993), over-reliance on learning from the past (Johnson & Paper 1998; Kransdorff & Williams 2000), and overly attributing successes to past figures, engaging in a sort of hero worship (Martin, Sitkin & Boehm 1985). Taken together, these findings suggest that OM can be a very valuable resource when it is deployed appropriately. But before you can deploy it, you must locate and take stock of it. How do you gauge OM? The first step is identifying sources of OM in the organizational context by thinking about where this resource can be found. Moorman & Miner (1997) discuss three forms of organizational memory: cognitive (beliefs, knowledge that people have but do not codify), behavioral (routines, procedures, scripts), and physical artifacts (which includes documents). Gauging OM also requires you to think about the multitude of vantage points from which people in an organization might view and interpret things. In terms of methods, interviewing and qualitative content analysis can be particularly useful and allow you to triangulate accounts; however, in order to get a good snapshot, you must attend to the formal and official as well as the informal and unofficial. Formal OM can be gauged by asking people what company leadership says and publishes about an event, circumstance or period of time. You can also look to annual reports, press releases, company webpages, speech scripts, and other company publications (Rowlinson et al 2010).

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The frequency at which people are asked to share their knowledge and train others can also be an indicator of how OM is mobilized and to what effect (Dunham & Burt 2011). Informal OM can be gauged by asking people with various vantage points what they understand about an event, circumstance or period of time. Questions can revolve around how people learned what they know about a topic, how they talk about it informally, what opinion leaders say about it, and the degree to which their interpretations and understanding mesh with the official message about it. Studies suggest that organizational members with more tenure and experience, regardless of age, who are considered valued resource persons and mentors, can be particularly helpful in this regard (Dunham & Burt 2011). However, it can also be useful to ask these questions of fairly new employees, as that can allow you to gauge which stories are actively told to new members and therefore more likely to be central to organizational identity. If you are focused on a particular period of time (ex. under the leadership of one CEO), this could necessitate talking with people who entered the organization during a specific span of months or years. The key is remembering that the official record is only part of the story and that all organizational members possess additional OM that, even if devalued by leadership, can be very valuable to you as an analyst. After reading this article, you can probably think of many other means of gauging OM based on the needs and requirements of your work in a setting. Even though OM is unlikely to be your primary focus, it is worth your time to consider it. The processes and tools relied upon to frame, retain and recall information are neither objective nor comprehensive. They are functionally and symbolically significant and reveal a great deal about power, voice, organizational identity and priorities. Learning to tap into this dynamic, collectively held and often taken-for-granted resource can help you better understand complexities and dynamics of sense-making, knowing, and learning within organizational settings so that you can be responsive to those nuances and more effective in your role. References Casey, Andrea and Fernando Olivera. 2011. “Reflections on Organizational Memory and

Forgetting.” Journal of Management Inquiry, 20(3):305-310. Chang, Dae Ryun and Hang Cho. 2008. “Organizational Memory Influences New Product

Success.” Journal of Business Research, 61:13-23. Corbett, J. Martin. 2000. “On Being an Elephant in the Age of Oblivion: Computer-Based

Information Systems and Organizational Memory.” Information, Technology and People, 13:282-297.

Dickson Peter. 1992. “Toward a General Theory of Competitive Rationality.” Journal of Marketing, 56:69–83.

Dougherty, Deborah. 1992. “Interpretive Barriers to Successful Product Innovation in Large Firms.” Organization Science, 3:179–202.

Dunham, Annette and Christopher Burt. 2011. “Organizational Memory and Empowerment.” Journal of Knowledge Management, 15(5):851-868.

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Feldman, Regina. M., & Steven P. Feldman. 2006. “What Links the Chain: An Essay on Organizational Remembering as Practice. Organization, 13:860-887.

Fiedler, Marina and Isabell Welpe. 2010. “How Do Organizations Remember? The Influence of Organizational Structure on Organizational Memory.” Organizational Studies, 31(4):381-407.

Ghemawat, Pankaj. 1991. “Market Incumbency and Technological Inertia.” Marketing Science, 10:161–71.

Halbwachs, Maurice. 1992. On Collective Memory. Edited, Translated, and with an Introduction by Lewis A. Coser. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

Johnson, Jeffrey and Jason Paper. 1998. “An Exploration of Empowerment and Organizational Memory.” Journal of Managerial Issues, 10:503-520.

Kozlowski, S. W. J., & Klein, K. J. 2000. “A Levels Approach to Theory and Research in Organizations. In K. J. Klein & S. W. J. Kozlowski (Eds.), Multilevel Theory, Research and Methods in Organizations (pp. 3-90). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.

Kransdorff, Arnold and Ruth Williams. 2000. ‘‘Managing organizational memory: the new competitive imperative.’’ Organization Development Journal, 18(1):107-17.

Leonard-Barton, Dorothy. 1992. Core Capabilities and Core Rigidities: A Paradox in Managing New Product Development. Strategic Management Journal, 13:111–25.

Martin, Joanne, Sim Sitkin and Michael Boehm. 1985. “Founders and the Elusiveness of a Cultural Legacy” in P. Frost, L. Moore, M. Louis, C. Lundberg and J. Martin (Eds.) Organizational Culture (pp.99-124). London: Sage.

McDonough, Edward F III. 1993. “Faster New Product Development: Investigating the Effects of Technology and Characteristics of the Project Leader and Team.” Journal of Product Innovation Management, 10:241–50.

Montoya-Weiss, Mitzi M. and Roger Calantone. 1994. “Determinants of New Product Performance: A Review and Meta-Analysis.” Journal of Product Innovation Management, 11: 397–417.

Moorman, Christine and Anne Miner. 1997. “The Impact of Organizational Memory on New Product Performance and Creativity. Journal of Marketing Research, 34:91−106.

Moorman, Christine and Anne Miner. 1998. “Organizational Improvisation and Organizational Memory.” The Academy of Management Review, 23(4):698-723.

Nissley, Nick and Andrea Casey. 2002. “The Politics of the Exhibition: Viewing Corporate Museums Through the Paradigmatic Lens of Organizational Memory.” British Journal of Management 13:35-46.

Rowlinson, Michael, Charles Booth, Peter Clark, Agnes Delahaye and Stephen Procter. 2010. “Social Remembering and Organizational Memory.” Organizational Studies, 31(1):69-87.

Walsh, James and Gerardo Ungson. 1991. “Organizational Memory.” The Academy of Management Review, 16(1):57-91.

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Marketing, Membership, and Development Committee Report

Submitted by Kathy Stolley, Chair kstolley@vwc.edu

We have made progress, but we continue to need to grow AACS membership and participation in order to strengthen our voice, to implement new developmental programs, and to boost our resources and bargaining potential for future meetings and initiatives. The Committee has drafted a plan focused on renewal strategies for current and past members, raising the visibility of AACS, expanding membership targets, and emphasizing the applied/clinical aspects and networking opportunities of the organization, and of the annual conference more specifically. We invite YOU to help achieve these strategic goals! Buzz the social media. "Like" and "Share" the AACS Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/aacsnet/). Follow AACS on Twitter (https://twitter.com/AACS_Sociology). Join AACS on LinkedIn and get the conversation going (https://www.linkedin.com/groups/4298898). Renew, and help get the word out about member and organizational benefits. Many thanks to those who shared the annual conference Call for Proposals with numerous associations. It has been widely circulated, as have calls for new members and member renewals. Please continue to make individual contacts with practicing sociologists and other applied and clinical social science professionals in academia, the non-profit sector, industry, government, and private practice. Share the benefits of AACS membership that include: “doing” sociology with others who are committed to the value of using our discipline to better understand and improve our world; access to the Journal for Applied Social Science and the Sociology at Work newsletter, reduced conference fees, and extensive networking opportunities with our friendly, supportive, professional association. Certification credentialing as a Certified Sociological Practitioner/Certified Clinical Sociologist is awarded by the AACS. We also seek to increase departmental/organizational memberships that include: one standard membership; discounted faculty and student conference registration fees; a full page ad in the conference program; and license to include AACS affiliation on department website/marketing materials during membership year(s). Encourage conference attendance. Make personal invitations. Emphasize the innovation and creativity of presentations, the focus on applied and clinical approaches, and networking opportunities of the conference. Point potential attendees to last year’s program if they want to see what the conference is all about: http://www.aacsnet.net/wp-content/uploads/2015/09/AACS-2015-program-with-index_FINAL2.pdf.

Committee Reports

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Come to the AACS Conference. We’ll be meeting on October 6-8, 2016 in Greenwood Village, Colorado, just outside of Denver. Register and invite students, colleagues, and friends. The Doubletree by Hilton Denver is a beautiful hotel and the conference facilities are excellent. Downtown Denver is a short train ride. The Colorado mountains are glorious. The program and networking will be unparalleled. See you there in October!

Finance Committee Report

Submitted by Michael S. Fleischer, Chair mikefleischer@cs.com

In 2016, the AACS Finance Committee has tapped into the experience of respected AACS leaders in implementing the President’s strategic and tactical plan, outlined in the AACS Owner’s Manual. This year’s Committee is comprised of AACS Treasurer and Finance Committee Chair, Dr. Michael Fleischer; AACS President, Dr. Stephen Steele (ex officio); AACS President-Elect, Dr. Jim Wiest; AACS Past Presidents, Dr. Troy Adams and Dr. Robert Kettlitz; and AACS Past Vice President, Dr. Karen Albright. Friends of the 2016 AACS Finance Committee include AACS President-elect, Dr. Gary David; AACS Past President and Treasurer-elect, Dr. Michael Hirsch; and AACS Administrative Officer, Ms. Fonda Martin. AACS’s better-than-expected growth in 2015 is fueling the Finance Committee’s support of a cost-benefit calculus that continues to provide a financial incentive or savings (lower total cost) for those who join AACS and register for its Annual Meetings, than those who pay only to attend the Association’s conferences as non-members. In October, the Finance Committee will recommend modest adjustments in the 2017 pricing plan to the AACS Board. For the Annual Meeting in Cleveland in 2017, this includes a $25 reduction for regular members who will pay $225 instead of $250; a $10 reduction for retired members who will pay $150 instead of $160; and $5 reduction for student members who will pay $110 instead of $115. Non-members of AACS also will benefit with a $5 reduction, and will pay $330 instead of $335; and Student non-members will benefit with a reduction of $10, and will pay $150 instead of $160. As in 2016, retired non-members of AACS will pay $250 to attend the AACS Annual Meeting in Cleveland in 2017. Membership dues for regular and international members of AACS in 2017 will remain the same at $90, as they will for retired members at $60. Student members will benefit from a $5 reduction, and will pay $40 instead of $45. Organization and department members of AACS will see a reduction of $20, and will pay $200 instead of $220. Lifetime memberships in AACS will remain at $1000. In October 2015, the AACS Board approved a Certification Committee recommendation to reduce certification renewal fees for AACS members who are Certified Sociological Practitioners (C.S.P.), and Certified Clinical Sociologists (C.C.S.). In 2017, they will continue to pay $30, instead of $50, to support their practice credentials. With the 2017 AACS pricing plan completed, upcoming agenda items for the Finance Committee include the approval of the 2017 budget, and a “multi-year, multi-destination conference plan” in development with Hilton International (includes DoubleTree, Embassy Suites, and other chains) to lock-in conference costs, which account for nearly 40% of the Association’s expenditures each year. AACS’s growing reserves also will enable the Finance

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Committee to move forward with the President’s investment strategy to open a small interest-bearing savings account, and fund short-term, higher-yield certificates of deposit (CD) at the Bank of America, its financial institution.

Certification Committee Report Submitted by Melodye Lehnerer, Chair

melodye.lehnerer@csn.edu At the Conference Meeting in Montgomery, Alabama (October 2015) Dr. Tina Uys of the University of Johannesburg was given the designation of Certified Clinical Sociologist. Her demonstration was titled, Improving Organization Capacity and Teamwork. Dr. Uys focused on her primary work as a clinical sociologist in three ways: 1) instituting transformational leadership in a challenging context of change; 2) influencing public policy on whistleblowing, and, 3) establishing clinical sociology in South Africa. Dr. Uys is our second international certification; her work illustrates the essence of clinical sociology – “rights based” intervention that improves the social conditions of individuals and collectivities. Currently, there is one applicant for certification. The certification review committee is composed of: Libby Larsen, Debbie Phelps, and Kathy Smith. The committee is in the final stages of determining whether to proceed with a demonstration at the Denver meetings (October 2016). There are also three inquiries about certification. The practice activities of these sociologists include working with incarcerated offenders, counselling military veterans, and influencing U. S. voting policy for Latino immigrants. At the AACS Board Meeting in Denver (February 2016) the certification committee put forth three motions; all of which were approved. First, those who receive certification may request one of two designations: Certified Clinical Sociologist (CCS) or Certified Sociological Practitioner (CSP). This change reflects the association’s ongoing commitment to validate the work of all kinds of practitioners. It should be noted that internationally clinical sociologists are well recognized. The CCS designation will be appealing to international applicants. Second, the Application Instructions for Certification was reviewed and changes were made to clarify the documentation of practice hours. Third, the annual certification renewal fee was reduced to $30. Several certified members of AACS will be presenting at the International Sociological Association Meetings in Vienna, Austria (July 2016). Michael Fleischer and Melodye Lehnerer are presenting papers on Individual Certification and Program Accreditation in Clinical Sociology. Jan Fritz and Tina Uys are presenting papers on Clinical Sociology and Community Intervention. Lastly, on behalf of the certification committee, I would request that more members consider certification. Whether academic or non-academic, members can benefit from certification by illustrating to peers and others that: 1) they have made their work public; 2) they have been scrutinized by their peers; and, 3) they have been deemed effective sociological practitioners. In addition, going through the certification process is personally rewarding. One must truly

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think about and document how sociological theory and method guides interventions in the classroom (see Lehnerer – Interventions in the Classroom: A Cautionary Tale in Clinical Sociology Review February 1997) as well as in the non-academic world.

Nomination Committee Report Submitted by Stephen Steele

sf.steele@comcast.net

With the polls closed as of midnight, May 15, 2016, the results of the election are below:

2016 AACS Election Ballot

1. PRESIDENT-ELECT Vote for one (running unopposed)

Answer Options Response Percent Response Count

Gary David 97.9%

Write in - Karen Albright

Cast a ballot 47

2. VICE PRESIDENT Vote for one (running unopposed)

Answer Options Response Percent Response Count

Kathy Stolley 100.0%

Cast a ballot 47

3. SECRETARY Vote for one (running unopposed)

Answer Options Response Percent Response Count

Megan Klohr 100.0%

Cast a ballot 47

4. TREASURER Vote for one (running unopposed)

Answer Options Response Percent Response Count

Michael Hirsch 100.0%

Cast a ballot 47

5. BOARD MEMBERS AT LARGE Nominees listed alphabetically by last name. Please review ALL Nominees. Vote for three (3).

Answer Options Response Percent Response Count

JoHanna Bishop 74.5%

Lindy Hern 85.1%

Lubo Popov 70.2%

Write in if not checked above... Withdrew Candidacy on April 20, 2016 Jeffrey Houser

51.1%

Cast a ballot 47

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Congratulations to our incoming officers who will be sworn in at the October 2016 meeting in Denver. To summarize the results, newly elected officers are listed in bold and italics:

2016 - 17

President Jim Wiest

President-elect Gary David

Vice President Newman Wong

Vice President-elect Kathy Stolley

Treasurer Michael Hirsch

Secretary Megan Klohr

Board Members-at large JoHanna Bishop

Lindy Hern

Lubo Popov

Board Members-at large Members who serve the remainder of their terms.

AACS member Deborah Phelps reflects on the highs and lows of her experience as a caregiver for her terminally ill husband in her new memoir, Frank’s Arms: Stories and Lessons from a Caregiver and Patient Advocate, available through Mira Digital Publishing. In the memoir, Phelps not only shares her journey as a wife, but draws on her sociology background to guide the reader through a complex healthcare system. The result is a nuanced chronicle that takes the reader through the courtship of a loving couple to the end of their life together. Along the way, Phelps leads the reader through a labyrinth of challenges: securing a diagnosis, accessing high quality medical care, advocating for the patient, providing care at home, and ultimately, determining how and when to accept death. “There’s no single answer as to what a caregiver needs,” Phelps said. “But the common denominator is this: caregivers must reach for support at a time when the natural impulse is to place all energy on caring for the loved one. The benefits of asking for help and indulging oneself not only affect the caregiver, but ultimately affect the quality of care given to the patient.” This empowering memoir shines a high beam on the tools of self-discovery and offers peace and hope to others caring for a critically ill or terminal patient. It would also serve as an excellent companion text in sociology courses on death and dying or the life course. More information about the book is available at http://franksarms.com.

Member News

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AACS member Sonji Keizs Nicholas, an Instructor of Sociology at South Florida State College, was chosen as a Fulbright-Hays Seminar Abroad grant recipient to study in Senegal this summer. The program, funded by the U.S. Department of Education, provides overseas experience to educators who work in curriculum development. Her alma mater, the C.U.N.Y. Graduate Center, recently did a Q&A with her about her award, and the content is available at http://www.gc.cuny.edu/News/All-News/Detail?id=35813.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS

Sociology at Work newsletter: Please send original articles/essays/interviews, teaching and mentoring notes, research reports, film reviews, book/publication announcements, requests for book reviews, member news, calls for papers, job announcements/career opportunities, and other items of interest to NewmanCWong@gmail.com for publication consideration. The newsletter publishes quarterly in summer, fall, winter, and spring.

CALL FOR PAPERS

The Journal of Social Science (JASS) is the official, peer-refereed publication of the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology (AACS). JASS reflects more than 25 years of journal sponsorship by AACS and its predecessor organizations, the Society for Applied Sociology and the Sociological Practice Association. The Journal of Applied Social Science is the direct amalgamated successor of two previously published journals: The Journal of Applied Sociology and Sociological Practice: A Journal of Applied and Clinical Sociology. The Journal of Applied Social Science publishes research articles, essays, research reports, and teaching notes a wide range of topics of interest to the sociological practitioner. Specifically, we encourage submission of manuscripts that, in a concrete way, apply social science or critically reflect on the application of social science. For more information, visit http://jax.sagepub.com/ or email JASS Editor James Lee at james.lee@sjsu.edu.

Announcements

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CALL FOR PARTICIPATION

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The Commission on the Accreditation of Programs in Applied and Clinical Sociology

What Does CAPACS Accreditation Do? Verifies that your program in applied, clinical, and engaged public sociology, or

sociological practice is well-grounded, and provides students with a strong

background in sociological theory, methodology, skills, and practical, "hands-on"

experience

Affirms that your Program is committed to the highest standards in

postsecondary sociological education and training, ethics, quality improvement,

and peer review

What are the Benefits of CAPACS Accreditation? Improves the quality of sociological education and training for your students

Ensures the allocation of needed resources for your program

Increases your students' opportunities for job and career placements

Enhances the marketing of your program

For more information, please visit www.CAPACS.net

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President Stephen Steele sf.steele@comcast.net Vice President Jim Wiest jwiest@hastings.edu Secretary Beverly Ross bevross13@verizon.net Treasurer Michael Fleischer mikefleischer@cs.com President-Elect Jim Wiest jwiest@hastings.edu Vice President-Elect Newman Wong newmancwong@gmail.com Immediate Past President Anthony Adams drtroy6@yahoo.com At Large Members Karen Albright Karen.Albright@ucdenver.edu

Elizabeth Breese Elizabeth.breese@gmail.com Gary David gdavid@bentley.edu Alison Marganski amarganski@vwc.edu Melissa Scardaville mcscardaville@yahoo.com

Kathy Stolley kstolley@vwc.edu International Members Marilyn Dyck marilyn@thedoorway.ca

Jawad Fatayer jfatayer@hotmail.com Tina Uys tuys@uj.ac.za

AACS Representative to CAPACS Michael Fleischer mikefleischer@cs.com CAPACS Representative to AACS Miriam Boeri mboeri@bentley.edu Graduate Student Representative Mueni Rudd mueni93@gmail.com Undergraduate Student Liaison Megan Klohr mklohr@smcm.edu Certification Committee Chair Melodye Lehnerer melodye.lehnerer@csn.edu Webmaster Gina Castillo gcastill@linfield.edu AACS Journal of Applied Social Science (JASS) Journal Editor James Lee james.lee@sjsu.edu Sociology at Work Newsletter Editor Newman Wong newmancwong@gmail.com AACS Executive Officer

Fonda Martin, sac_aacs@emich.edu Sociology, Anthropology, Criminology Eastern Michigan University Home of the AACS Executive Office 926 E. Forest Ypsilanti, MI 48198 Tel 734.845.1206

2015-2016 AACS Leadership

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Sociology at Work is published quarterly by the Association for Applied and Clinical Sociology. All contributions reflect the views of the authors and are not necessarily shared by the Association or the institutions with which the authors are affiliated. Items for inclusion in Sociology at Work should be sent to: Newman Wong at NewmanCWong@gmail.com. All contributions must include the contributor’s telephone number, email address and professional affiliation, as well as the email addresses and professional affiliations of all persons mentioned in the copy. The editor reserves the right to publish or not to publish any submission and to edit any submission when necessary. Please see our website at www.aacsnet.net to join AACS or renew your membership.