Leading and changing human service organizations
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LEADING AND CHANGING HUMAN SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS 243 ganizations, ethics, and diversity issues. Then, the leader’s role in shaping organi- tional culture will set the stage for a discussion of organizational change.
11.1 LEADERSHIP OF GRANDVIEW COMMUNITY CENTER (GCC) Leona Estrella came to Grandview Community Center (GCC) as the new executive with very little formal training in leadership.
One of her graduate school courses briefly covered theories of leadership, but beyond that Leona felt that she was leading based on her basic personality traits and insights she had acquired from observing leaders in her previous jobs.
After getting settled in her new job, she took a course in leadership through continuing education at the local university. Fortunately, she learned that, based on her genetics, upbringing, and prior experiences, she had several traits that would help her as a leader.
She had intelligence, self-confidence, a sense of drive and determination, integrity, a high energy level, and tolerance for stress, which had served her well in her career to date.
After studying leadership theories and con- sidering the characteristics of her management team members and current conditions in the agency, she thought that she could enhance her effectiveness if she consciously tried to apply, as far as it would fit with her basic personality, principles of exemplary leadership, including modeling the way and inspiring a shared vision, and transforma- tional leadership, especially inspirational motivation and individualized consideration.
She also recognized that given the change demands facing the agency, she would need to use a lot of change-oriented behaviors, such as explaining the urgent need for change, encouraging people to view problems or opportunities in a different way, encouraging innovation, and experimenting with new approaches to doing the work of the agency.
DERSHIP ECTS OF LEADERSHIP An effective human services leader must at times consider the political aspects of a ituation, whether it be the demands of conflicting stakeholders or power struggle within the agency.
A manager must be able to identify and deal with issues of orga izational power and politics (Gummer, 1990). Internally, a human service manager can appropriately use power tactics in the manager can be alert to political dynamics in any context where fighting among program man
- Given the fact that the agency had to survive with fewer resources, how could financial cutbacks have been implemented more effectively?
- What leadership behaviors may be appropriate at a time like this?
