Analysis of Don Bosco Hall **ea3214**

Analysis of Don Bosco Hall ea3214 Wayne State University February 4, 2014

Analysis of Don Bosco Hall **ea3214**

The Organization An organization is a collective of individuals gathered together to serve a particular purpose. This purpose can be anything imaginable, from obtaining basic things necessary for survival to rights of a particular group to achieving growth of the self. It is important for social workers to have the ability to analyze organizations in order to have an understanding of its purpose, its goals, and even its weaknesses. This paper is going to focus on the analysis of one particular organization set in Detroit, Michigan known as Don Bosco Hall. Don Bosco Hall is the organization that I am interning at for my field placement in receiving my Bachelors of Social Work degree from Wayne State University. Don Bosco Hall is a private, non-profit agency that works to provide supportive human services to improve the quality of life for youth as well as their families. The agency was founded in 1954 and has since worked to enhance the quality of life for over 50,000 youth of the metropolitan Detroit-Wayne county area. The mission of Don Bosco Hall is to focus on family reunification, youth rehabilitation, youth protective service, mentorship, recreation and preparing youth with the interpersonal, technological and educational skills which enhance their ability to reach their greatest potential (Don Bosco Hall, 2008). The agency is willing and able to work with other organizations in the community in order to provide as many services as possible to the youth and the community. Another part of their mission statement is that all of their services carry out the Catholic Charities/ Archdiocese of Detroits mission. The particular program that I work with at Don Bosco Hall is known as the Supervised Independent Living program, or SIL for short. This program works to help the older youth in foster care make the transition to independent living. The program works specifically with young males who will be aging out of foster care system by providing services and teaching the

Analysis of Don Bosco Hall **ea3214**

necessary skills one needs to live independently in todays society. Other programs included at Don Bosco Hall are the Youth Assistance Program, Community Enrichment, the Eagle Program, the Male Leadership Academy, and the Skyline Camp and Retreat Center, among many others. All of these programs are very well thought out and put together for the children of the community. For instance, the Youth Assistance Program, according to Don Bosco Hall (2008), provides substance abuse education, computer training, individual and group counseling and therapeutic recreational programs. Unlike the SIL program, this one works with both males and females and works with the younger children as well. Organizational Theories Organizational theories are basically tools used to analyze organizations by using a set of general principles to explain things like how the organization came about, why it took a certain form, and how it operates. There are several organizational theories that could be used to describe any given organization, and some organizations could even be described by multiple theories. When it comes to Don Bosco Hall in particular, there were two particular organizational theories that could be used in an analysis for its organization. The first of these theories is known as the human relations theory. This theory, according to Netting, Kettner, and McMurtry (2008), includes four basic tenets to this theory, 1. The level of production is set by social norms, not by physiological capacities, 2. non-economic rewards and sanctions significantly affect the behavior of the workers and largely limit the effect of economic incentive plans, 3. Workers do not act or react as individuals but as members of groups 4. The role of leadership is important in understanding social forces in organizations and

Analysis of Don Bosco Hall **ea3214**

this leadership may be either formal or informal (pg. 224). What these tenets are basically saying is that people in these types of organizations are more influenced by the social relationships in the organization than by the activities of the organization itself. It also shows that the important point in making effective changes in the organization comes from personal affiliations and the informal structures of the organization. This theory fits well with Don Bosco Hall because it is an organization built around people and so it is safe to say that relationships are the most important part of the organization. The programs are built based on the needs of the community and the workers themselves are motivated by their innate desire to help the children and families in the system. This theory can be used to understand Don Bosco Hall because of the different tenets. The people who work at Don Bosco Hall set their norms and do their work based on the social aspects of their job more so than the actual physiological capacities. Also, money does not play a very large role in the motivation of these workers. Social workers are not exactly known for making a ton of money, and especially in this non-profit agency, economic incentives do not hold much weight in the motivation of the workers. The rewards of helping a family come together, improving the independent living skills of an adolescent, or even in assisting one of the kids in getting to their dentist appointment, its those things that make their jobs worth while. Another example of how Don Bosco Hall operates showing the human relations theory is in the weekly team meetings. These meetings are occasionally held in a restaurant or snacks are brought in and the discussions are, although focused on the programs and youths in question, also focus on the workers themselves and how they feel, what they think, and what happened in their lives since the last meeting. Everything is very personable and informal. The second organizational theory that could be used in an analysis of Don Bosco Hall is

Analysis of Don Bosco Hall **ea3214**

known as open systems. Open systems have clients who give and take from the elements outside of themselves. In other words, the organization is understood as one system in the larger environment and functions in response to its environment. According to Netting et. al (2008), Open systems acquire resources (inputs) from their environments, such as funds, staff, and clients, and they return products or services (outputs) to the environment. Understanding organizational actions thus requires viewing them as part of a larger environment in which and with which they carry out these exchanges (pg. 235). This is basically saying that the organization takes in the clients, resources, and staff, does what it has to do to create their products (the services rendered) and then returns those inputs to the environment with the services. Don Bosco Hall does this in many ways. For instance, they receive referrals from several different sources, like members of the community, schools, and their own staff members even. These referrals turn into clients for the programs (input) and the clients then go through the program. Once they have completed the program or it is realized that the services are no longer necessary, the organization returns the clients to the environment. The clients are, at that point, better suited to function and live in the environment because of that exchange process. The External Environment Don Bosco Hall has several different buildings in order to handle the many different programs and clients they help. Each of the buildings are in the Detroit area though, and therefore, the environments are very similar. The areas of Detroit that each of the buildings are in are all pretty bad areas. They are broken down, very low income, and sketchy areas, at best. Buildings near by are burned and broken into, there are several abandoned buildings nearby, and the streets are not the safest areas. The kids who live in these areas are the ones who need the most help, and Don Bosco Hall is there to help those in need.

Analysis of Don Bosco Hall **ea3214**

This agency operates in the Detroit-Wayne county area and works in a partnership with several other organizations in order to fulfill its mission. The other organizations are all in the 48228 area code of Detroit and all work together to help developing kids grow and succeed. The organizations involved in these partnerships include Cody Rouge, Joy-Southfield, Cody High School, Dixon Elementary, and Brightmore to name a few. They network with each other in order to make sure each child is helped as much as possible and in the most efficient manner. This is where the clients at Don Bosco Hall come from: Referrals. Each of these organizations work together and refer the children of their own organizations to the other organizations. Representatives from Don Bosco Hall might go and speak at one of those other organizations or put together an event and post flyers in the other agencies in order to try and get more clients for their programs. All of these organizations in this network hold a very open and helping relationship. According to the online dictionary (2013), legitimization is to make legitimate, in accordance with established rules, principles, or standards. Basically, all this means is that an organizations makes its company legal and valid in the eyes of the public and the proper authorities. Don Bosco Hall does this through proper licensing through the state, through both peer reviews as well as quality reviews, and through the use of double checking and requiring multiple signatures on all documents. Peer reviews are when another staff member double checks an entire file or document to make sure everything is properly filled out and accounted for. Quality reviews are when a quality manager comes in to check files and documents based on state guidelines. Don Bosco Hall is accredited through the Council on Accreditation (COA). Goals Every organization has official and operative goals. The purpose of these goals is to give

Analysis of Don Bosco Hall **ea3214**

the organization a reason for being and a motivation to continue in its efforts. The main goal of Don Bosco Hall is to provide supportive human services to enhance the quality of life for youth, and their families residing in the Metropolitan Detroit-Wayne County Community (Don Bosco Hall, 2008). Other goals of the organization include using the most effective therapeutic modalities and interventions available in order to help the children of the area, to work with other community organizations and businesses in order to provide the necessary services to the community, to advocate for social and child welfare policy reforms and practices that will provide the most help and support for youth and their families, and to carry out all of their goals with the mission of the Catholic Church at the forefront by providing effective professional and Christian social services. These goals will all have a focus on family reunification, youth rehabilitation, youth protective service, mentorship, recreation and preparing youth with the interpersonal, technological and educational skills which enhance their ability to reach their greatest potential (Don Bosco Hall, 2008). These goals were all determined by the founder of the company, Rev. John J. Finnegan with the help of his associates at the time. The organization deals with working towards so many different goals at once by running so many different programs and having enough staff and other help to run these programs. By having so many programs, more children are able to be helped and more work can get done. It is in my personal opinion that a small amount of goal displacement has occurred in this organization. Goal Displacement, according to Management Studies (2012), is the act of an unintentional goal in the original goal into a new goal. Such displacement diverts organizational resources away from the organizational goal. When served goals becomes the primary goal in an organization, goal displacement takes place. I believe the goal displacement the took place in this organization was a shift towards receiving the funds from the state. This occurred because of

Analysis of Don Bosco Hall **ea3214**

the need for funds in order to run the programs set up by Don Bosco Hall. Working in such a low-income community, and being a non-profit organization, poses a problem for funding in any social services agency. The result of this goal displacement is a shift towards a more structured, money-making approach to running the company instead of more focus being on actually helping the youth. Ive noticed this goal displacement at meetings mostly because the high ups have a tendency to push the necessity for more contacts with clients BECAUSE we can only bill what we document as a contact and not because we need to help the children. This affects the clients because staff members are no longer focused on just helping them, but instead their focus is divided among helping them, documenting contacts, billing for the right services, and reporting to the managers about their documenting contacts instead of just about their contact with the clients. Structure The organizational structure of Don Bosco Hall is not very complicated. It is organized in a top-down hierarchy with the board of directors at the very top and caseworkers, interns, liaisons, clerical, security and maintenance workers, and other service providers at the bottom of the chart. The president/CEO of the company, Mr. Charles Small, is both on the board of directors and the next highest up, reporting to the board when necessary. Below him is the COO, JoAnne Woodard, and then Mr. Sheyi Olojo, the man in charge of the finance and funds development department. The next ones in line are Carla Walden, the human resource specialist, Mr. Dewberry, the facility manager and transportation director, and Duane Carter, the director of program development. Mr. Carter, Ms. Angela Lenear, and Ms. Lynn Burdell are all the next highest authority because they are the directors of the different programs at Don Bosco Hall. Below the directors are the other supporting staff members.

Analysis of Don Bosco Hall **ea3214**

This type of structure influences the distribution of power and control in the organization by keeping the higher ups up high and the lower staff members down low. With a top-down approach to management in effect, there are basically three levels to go through: The executive level, the administrative level, and the directors/managers level. The directors/managers level, according to Mr. Duane Carters personal statements in an interview, is basically eroded and is completely gone. This leaves the administrative level, where he is at, doing the job of the directors. This leaves a very fragile structure, according to Mr. Carter. Decisions are made at the administrative level and then taken to and approved at the executive level. There are a few examples that I have experienced at my internship that demonstrate the management approaches at Don Bosco Hall. One of these examples is when I was attending a meeting with other staff members in regards to getting referrals for a few of the programs. At the meetings, I witnessed some of the lower staff members, case workers, suggestions ideas for getting referrals and making a plan to hold an event at a local elementary school. This plan was discussed with the program director, when a few changes were made and a new plan was made with the same premise. The program director then stated that he would bring it to the COO in order to get it approved and he explained that she would need to discuss it with the CEO and they would receive an answer in about a week. This shows how the hierarchy of power works in the organization and how decisions and events must be planned and organized. Another example from my experiences is when there was an incident with another staff member that required some sort of disciplinary action to take place. The staff member was warned at first by one of the program directors and when nothing changed, the human resource specialist was brought up to speed on the situation. Ms. Walden spoke with the staff member and proper disciplinary action was taken. I am not completely sure of what happened, but I did notice how it went higher. If

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nothing came from this action, it would have been taken to the CEO because it was a higher up employee involved. There are several features of the organizational structure of Don Bosco Hall that require further comment. An organizational chart has been included in Appendix A of this paper. Of all the major positions being held in this organization, all of them are held by a person of color. This could be because the environment in which the agency operates is one in which people of color are the majority and not a minority. Issues are therefore not in place for these people for this reason. Women hold some positions of power within the organization as well, and they are a minority. On the board of directors itself, three members (although no officers on the board) are female. The COO, the human resource specialist, and two of the three directors are all female as well. These women may in fact face some special issues simply because they are female and history shows that tends to be the case. Men do not always take their opinions seriously, and because the majority of the board of directors is still male, the women are outnumbered and may not get the voice they deserve. There are no positions of power currently being held by gay or lesbian persons or persons with disabilities. This is not a question that is typically asked at an interview, and I do not believe that it matters to the people running the organization whether or not someone likes the same sex or not in their personal lives. Strengths and Weaknesses Like every organization, Don Bosco Hall has a number of both strengths and weaknesses. The compilation of these aspects of the organization were put together based on my own assertion of the company and an interview with one of the social workers in the company, Ms. Alexis Wallace.

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There are many strengths to this company, not only surviving but thriving for 60 years. The following strengths are only five of the many. Don Bosco Hall shows and proves its commitment to the children of the community. This commitment is shown through the programs and events that are continuously ran and held for the children. It is also shown each time one of the children involved in their programs is disruptive, unruly, and almost unmanageable and yet the case workers stick with it and continue to fight for this child just like all the others. Another one of the strengths of Don Bosco Hall is their continuous commitment to building relationships with the community. This commitment is shown through the monthly networking meetings, the community events that they always hold, and the wonderful relationships that the organizations has with the many partnerships in the community. The next strength of the organization is the diverse programming. The programming at Don Bosco Hall is very diverse and allows both access and opportunity for children and families of many different ages, ethnicities, orientations and disabilities. This provides help for a lot more people than if the programming were to be more strict. Another strength would be the many partnerships with other organizations in the community. The relationships with these other organizations in the community allow for more resources to be available for the youth and their families. It also creates a positive atmosphere both in the agency itself and in the community. One last strength of Don Bosco Hall is the many annual events that are held for the community. These events are fun and exciting for both the children and the community, as well as the staff themselves. Some of these events include the Jazzy event and the Batting for Kids event at Comerica Park. These are all great strengths of the organization and help to offset the weaknesses. There are also a lot of weaknesses to Don Bosco Hall, just like at any organization. Due to the way in which the agency is ran and the standards they go by, most of the weaknesses have

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nothing to do with the clients or programs, but instead with the staff. The first major weakness of the agency is the excessive pay cuts. When things are not going great at the organization, it seems the first thing to be cut is always the salaries of the employees, no matter how long they have been working for the organization. This creates a negative atmosphere for the employees and a disheartened attitude that may show when working with the clientele. Another weakness of Don Bosco Hall is the overall low salary rate for employees and the lack of raises awarded to anyone. There are some employees who have working for the organization for over 10 years and have never received a single raise. This does not show any kind of appreciation or gratitude for the employees or the hard work they put in every day they are there. It also makes it so that employees do not have as much motivation to continue their careers in that organization. Another weakness of the organization is the extremely high rate of staff turnover. According to the personal interview with Ms. Alexis Wallace, the turnover rate at Don Bosco Hall is very high, this leads right into the last weakness for Don Bosco Hall identified: a very low morale among staff. Due to the contributing factors of low salaries, pay cuts, overworked employees, and turnover rate, staff morale is also extremely low. This creates a negative atmosphere for employees that can also leak into the treatment of the clients. Recommendations Recommendations can always be made in order to help improve an organization by increasing effectiveness of the agency or by decreasing the weaknesses. There is one major recommendation that can be made for Don Bosco Hall that will both increase the effectiveness and decrease several of the weaknesses of the organization: restructuring the organization. A lot of things could be changed about the structure of the organization that could help with several of the weaknesses. For example, in the agency there is a laundry person with the responsibility to

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wash the clothing that belongs to the boys in the program. If the workers would instead be allowed to teach this necessary skill to the boys and set aside one day for the boys to do their own laundry, not only would the skill be taught to the boys (which would be required for independent living anyway), but the agency would also be able to save on that salary. By saving on the laundry workers salary, this extra money would be able to go to other employees who have not received raises or have an excessively low salary anyway. Another way the organization could be restructured to help increase effectiveness and decrease the weaknesses identified would be to set up a designated staff lunch that will help increase morale. If all the employees were able to connect with one another in a social setting and not need to worry about work for an hour or so once a week, then productively would increase and morale would skyrocket. Self-care is a very important part of being in the social services agency and taking that extra time to connect with each other and let out their worries and stresses will really help. Honoring the staff more needs to become a priority so that they know how appreciated they are. Another way this could be made possible is to have a staff member of the month and actually stick to it. Staff member of the month is something that Don Bosco Hall does; however, it is not something that is stuck with so closely. Since last September there has only been one staff member of the month. Each department should be allowed to recognize staff on their own, perhaps with monthly dinners. These examples for the restructuring of the organization are very realistic for the agency, even considering the external environment of the organization. They would not be costly and it is clear that the benefits outweigh the costs of these small changes. Some organizational resistance to change might get in the way. Some of the higher ups in the organization might be opposed to setting aside company time to allow the employees to connect with each other without discussing

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work. By creating a presentation to highlight all the benefits of these changes to the organization, dealing with the resistance to change might not be so difficult. As long as it is made obvious that the costs would pale in comparison to the benefits of these changes, the higher ups should have no reason to argue.

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Resources Carter, D. (2014, February 13). Interview by M.R. Orzel []. Organizational interest. Dictionary. (2013). Retrieved from www.dictionary.com Don bosco hall. (2008). Retrieved from http://www.donboscohall.org Management studies. (2012, March 10). Retrieved from www.management.org/2012/03/goal-displacement.html Netting, F. E., Kettner, P. M., & McMurtry, S. L. (2008).Social work macro practice. (Fourth ed.). Boston, Massachusettes: Pearson. Wallace, A. (2014, February 6). Interview by M.R Orzel []. Organizational interest.