those who switched jobs - seven social workers explain horizontal work changes by mikael bengtsson...
TRANSCRIPT
Those who switched jobs - seven social workers explain horizontal
work changes
By MIKAEL BENGTSSON
School of Social WorkLund University [email protected]
Social Workin my mind as I was starting up...
is a complex profession dealing with human life in complex needs, issues, problems - complex interventions
needs the link: multiple science base - knowledge - practice
is normative with cultural base/bias where private life becomes a matter for a public organization BUT operates (a mediator) inside link of Globaization, Culture, Media and Identities AND Gender, Class, Ethnicity, Sexuality AND capitalistic society - western bias. (f.e. Lewis has shown this) ..... another proof.
A simple but heuristic device
from the interview material and the theoretical frame
which deepens and widens our understanding for these processes of individual horizontal work changes within social work.
horizontal aspect of the career = movement among the positions available at one level of a hierarchy.
The deviceTheory and interview material was boiled down to a low common denominator - the device - that we then can twist and turn to interpret and understand horizontal work
changes.
Push and pull factors
Exit - voice - loyalty
Relationistic social psychology concerning attraction and reference group:ing
(H.S. Becker, 1953, 1968; B.G Glaser, 1968; E.C. Hughes, 1937, 1958, 1968; A.O. Hirschman, 1970; E. Goffman, 1959; J. Israel, 1963, 1979; Eskola, 1970, 1982 ... and Foucault, 1969)
pull pull
push push
The device relates to...
identities - who am I? what am I into?
determinism - voluntarism (to what degree is a social worker a free agent?)
actor - structure dilemma
power relations
power/knowledge: discursive formations- power - practice
....... = material gets culturally biased
Zzzz....
No :-)
If computer-based administration is seen as diligent, we will diligence computer-based administration and strive to be administrators by group and organizational culture. (a cultural time marker of social work?). (the law of Lipsky and Foucault)
Context & Culture & available s.w.-identities
TIME-SPACE-PLACE Concept
Political culture (welfare regime, welfare provsion and delivery system, nation etc.)
”Glocal” Administrative/Organizational/Bureaucratic culture
Managerial culture
Culture of the profession
Group culture & the Culture of private life
What did I find?Horizontal thoughts about career: therapeutic role (almost everyone); expert role (some) and manager-role (one - But not sure and among other thoughts.)
Engagement in work seems to have affected the pathways and work change in different ways - convenience & believing in what they were doing seem to have strengthened decisions about change.
Loyal protest (voice) before exit were common. Different acting.
Common to follow intentions and beliefs and to have possibilities for individual professional development and increased autonomy.
To help others, to be needed, to be seen, get attention, relational recognition, use of skills and creativity ...but also wishes to know when doing a good job.
Some wanted to be one in a group, to have a role in a group.
Push-factors
Work tasks.
Relation to manager/group of managers or thoughts about manager-group (do not want to belong).
Increased control from managers.
Organizational conditions and changes.
Decreased autonomy.
A notion of insufficience or of no belonging.
Role as an authorian bureaucrat.
Computer based administration.
Pull factorsmore interesting work tasks where relations over time where mentioned
new colleagues and a want for belonging to ”that specific group” (identity, status, friends, specific tasks in the group, specific persons etc.)
geography & better life-balance
percieved challenges and possibilities for growth and development
offer to work with specific tasks
space for creativity and autonomy
percieved possibilities for advancement
possibilities to gain useful experience
less administration and better working conditions
short:Horizontal work changes can give possibilities for another address but the same work OR another address and a wish for and possibilities to work differently.
Management & organization at local level at conference???!!!