Leadership and management are two terms that are used interchangeably but represent different roles that have different functions. Understanding the differences and similarities is essential for social work administrators as they develop leadership strategies within organizations. Understanding the functions associated with leadership and management roles can influence how social workers supervise and work with colleagues in administrative practice. As you prepare for this Discussion, consider how your understanding of leadership and management roles might affect you when you assume a supervisory position.

Respond to the colleagues by explaining whether you agree or disagree with your colleague’s analysis of the similarities and differences of leadership and management and their application to a potential supervisory position in a human services organization. Provide support for your position.

Colleague VC 

RE: Discussion – Week 1

An analysis of the similarities and differences of leadership and management roles as they relate to human services organizations.

Managers are accountable for the day-to-day operations. Management is a position. Managers are appointed or assigned to specific managerial roles within an agency. Managers keep organizations flowing by safeguarding all team members and allowing all team members to feel like they are in partnership with agency missions. They keep the company stable and current. On the other hand, leaders boost the organization by setting goals, establishing a concept, and encouraging others to join in joint actions to enhance momentum. Leaders focus on what can and will be accomplished for the betterment of all parties involved (Lauffer,2011).

How these roles may affect me as I assume a supervisory position.

Supervisors are part of the team’s supervisory procedures; they provide incentives for group members to participate. Therefore, offering formal and informal views related to successful completion by joint training and support. According to the literature, since it is difficult to identify and reward emerging behaviors without shaping them, these, defined as joint leadership (Lauffer, 2011).

I have never been in a supervisory role, so I am unsure of the leadership style I would implement. However, after reviewing the literature, I would define myself as a super leader. (Lauffer,2011). I can engage others based mainly on my life experience. As a certified peer recovery specialist ( CPRS), I   interact with clients, community organizations, and recovery facilities. My role as a CPRS helps me actively expose needed knowledge-based information related to working with people with a substance abuse disorder.     My colleagues have up-to-date information on the latest Medically assisted treatment or ( MAT). As a leader,  I am available to answer any questions they may have, which allows my colleagues to establish their connection with the recovery community. They think of ways to integrate a less stigmatizing experience. Thus, they remain culturally aware that language matters when addressing the recovery community.    I am making sure my colleagues are respected and valued when working towards understanding the culture of recovery.

Reference

Lauffer, A. (2011). Understanding your social agency (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: Sage.Chapter 8, “Leadership, Management, and Governance” (pp. 243–280)

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Colleague KP 

RE: Discussion – Week 1

Post an analysis of the similarities and differences of leadership and management roles as they relate to human services organizations.

Although often times used interchangeably and overlap as complementary of one another, leadership and management still in some respects represent different roles that have different/varying functions. According to Lauffer (2011), leadership entails inspiring others to action around a shared vision and management functions are to control, coordinate, and oversee an organization’s programs and other operations. A very important similarity is that both are crucial and essential components of successful and efficient administrative practice. Lauffer (2011) mentions that in social agencies, leadership and management are about “starting things up, getting them done, and keeping them moving” (p. 244). Some of the mentioned desired personal characteristics of both leaders and managers are drive, self-confidence, flexibility, charisma, professionalism, and vision (Lauffer, 2011). It is noted that both leadership and management have relational and situational elements (Lauffer, 2011).

A difference that exists is that while management is a position in which one is appointed the role, any one person can be a leader or demonstrate leadership traits and qualities, regardless of their title/role within the agency. Management roles arise out of interactions with other members and the needs of the situation.

Include how your understanding of these roles may affect you as you assume a supervisory position.

As noted by Lauffer (2011), it is important to keep in mind that without good leadership one’s agency would be unable to effectively chart its own directions or to change those directions as needed and without good management, it would be unable to coordinate all the activities necessary to get to where it hopes to be going. There exists distinct leadership behaviors to keep in mind that managers may perform in various organizational situations included, but are not limited to: liaison, monitor, disseminator, spokesperson, resource allocator, and negotiator, in which these roles are all situationally specific and designed to support personnel and organizational efforts to achieve specific program and managerial goals (Lauffer, 2011). By having a good understanding of leadership and management and how they overlap, yet differ, situationally, it will allow for implementation of scientifically efficient strategies and techniques to demonstrate positive outcomes in both categories.

References

Lauffer, A. (2011). Understanding your social agency (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: Sage.

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Social Construction of Identities

Social identities are the categories we use to specify who we are, both to ourselves and to the world around us (Newman 2016). These identities include race, class, gender, sexual orientation, etc. For this discussion, you will explore how these identities are formed and maintained over time.

To help you complete this discussion, review the following resources:

• A Girl Like Me (Links to an external site.)  https://youtu.be/YWyI77Yh1Gg (Please note that A Girl Like Me uses language that is considered profane, vulgar, or offensive by some viewers. Please note that the video is included here due to its educational value in regards to understanding social construction).
• RACE: Are We So Different? (Links to an external site.), https://youtu.be/8aaTAUAEyho
• The ‘pink vs blue’ gender myth (Links to an external site.). https://www.bbc.com/future/article/20141117-the-pink-vs-blue-gender-myth
• I Am NOT Black, You are NOT White (Links to an external site.)  https://youtu.be/q0qD2K2RWkc 

There are also additional resources listed under Recommended Resources that you can review if you would like additional information.

Using the resources above as evidence to support your ideas, address the following:

• Explain what sociologists mean when they say that identities are socially constructed. Select a particular racial or gender identity, and give an example of a characteristic of that identity that is socially constructed (rather than based on any biological truth).
• Stratification refers to the hierarchical ranking of individuals within a given group (Newman 2016). Describe the stratification system of either race or gender (use the identity you selected above) and explain how this hierarchical ranking is a social construction rather than based on biology.
• Chapter 1 in your text argues that what is at stake with these social identities is power and privilege. Using either race or gender, describe how one of the theories of inequality discussed in Chapter 1 (structural-functionalism or conflict theory) would explain why some groups within the identity experience inequalities.

Reference:
Newman, D.M. (2016). Identities and inequalities: Exploring the intersections of race, class, gender, & sexuality (3rd ed.). Retrieved from https://www.vitalsource.com/

Respond to at least two of your classmates’ posts by Day 7.

This paper is designed to discuss the impact of the COVID-19 virus on urban areas.  You may focus on various types of urban areas (cities, suburbs, exurbs, even rural/non-urban areas).  You should use headings to structure your paper around pivotal themes from the class (possible ideas include: economy, social interactions, housing, education, crime, poverty, race, gender, government, etc.).  As you write, discuss in detail how COVID-19 has impacted each theme you select.  Think of all the different ways COVID has impacted urban life.  Be sure your connections to the course material are clear.  Identify and apply several course terms/concepts in your paper.  As you use course terms, be sure to BOLD them.  This assignment must be submitted through CANVAS.  There is no hard page limit, though a rough guideline would be about 4-7 pages (with standard font and margins).  Please see attached rubric below.

Rubric:

CATEGORY

100%

70%

10%

Introduction

Introduction explains the context of the COVID-19 virus in good detail. The Author explains the scope of the paper (e.g. a clear structure is laid-out).

Introduction explains the context of the COVID-19 virus in some detail. The Author hints the scope of the paper, though could have elaborated.

Introduction explains the context of the COVID-19 virus in good detail. The Author fails to explain the scope of the paper.

Body

Information is very organized around important concepts which serve as subheadings. Many course theories and/or terms are used to support the discussion of COVID’s impact on pivotal themes from the course.  The author Bolds terms as they are used.

Information is very loosely organized around important course themes. Some course theories and/or terms are used in the analysis.  The author sometimes Bolds terms as they are used.

Information is very not organized. Few or zero course theories and/or terms are used in the analysis.  The author fails to Bold course terms as they are used.

Conclusion

Author sums up their findings nicely discussing big implications of their conclusions.  The author offers advice based on their analysis for city policy makers on the best ways to handle pandemics.

Author briefly sums up their findings.  The author offers little advice based on their analysis for city policy makers based off the conclusions.

Author does not sum up their findings nor discuss broader implications or ties to public policy based off his/her conclusions.

Create an informative public information piece that presents research on institutional discrimination within a specific social institution.

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the following course competencies and assessment criteria:

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• Competency 1: Describe theoretical ideas of power in relation to policy.
  • Create an effective public information piece that conveys a clear, cohesive message about institutional inequality.
• Competency 2: Identify historical and contemporary influences of discrimination in U.S. culture.
  • Analyze data on the factors contributing to racial, ethnic, or other disparities within a specific institution to make valid sociological arguments.
• Competency 3: Analyze the effects of social policy using aggregated data.
  • Explain ways in which public policies are linked to racial, ethnic, or other disparities within a specific institution.
• Competency 4: Analyze how laws are applied or created based on race, ethnicity, religion, gender, sexual orientation, age, and social class.
  • Assess the impact of institutional discrimination on minorities and minority communities.
• Competency 5: Apply diversity strategies in professional, educational, and personal contexts.
  • Describe policy strategies for reducing institutional discrimination.
• Competency 6: Apply in text the standard writing conventions for the discipline, including structure, voice, person, tone, and citation formatting.
  • Write coherently to support a central idea in appropriate format and with few errors of grammar, usage, and mechanics.

Often, discrimination is discussed as a primarily individual phenomenon—one-on-one actions in which one person discriminates against another. But as you have learned through your studies and research, some discrimination occurs at the institutional level, despite laws and policies that have been created to reduce or eliminate structural racism.

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It is important to consider how different experiences for minority groups may reflect a dominant culture that practices systemic discrimination in terms of treatment or access to valued resources. In other words, if there are many individuals in a society who are not racist or discriminatory, can the same also be said of the institutions in U.S. society as a whole? Often, institutional discrimination involves the intersection of race or ethnicity with other variables, like social class and gender. For example, patterns of residential segregation may be connected to both race and ethnicity, as well as socioeconomic status.

As you prepare to complete this assessment, you may want to think about other related issues to deepen your understanding or broaden your viewpoint. You are encouraged to consider the questions below and discuss them with a fellow learner, a work associate, an interested friend, or a member of your professional community. Note that these questions are for your own development and exploration and do not need to be completed or submitted as part of your assessment.

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• What are some examples of institutional discrimination in U.S. society? To what extent are these examples the result of historical patterns of relationships between whites and minorities or among upper, middle, or lower classes?
• Why do discussions of discrimination often focus on individual acts of discrimination rather than systemic discrimination built into institutions like the education or health care systems?
• What factors, in the justice system, explain why certain racial or ethnic groups are more likely to be stopped, searched, or arrested by the police? What is the connection between policing strategies and incarceration rates?

Building on the reading, research, and analysis you have done in the previous assessments, this final assessment asks you to more closely examine the causes and consequences of discrimination that occurs within one of society’s core institutions. For this assessment, you will explore both the causes and consequences of institutionalized discrimination, from the perspective of the individuals it directly affects, the institution you have chosen, and society as a whole.

To complete this assessment, presume that you work for a think tank that conducts and publishes social and economic research to inform economic decisions and local, state, and federal policy making. Your manager asks you and the other members of your team to create a public information piece based on research and analysis of the prevalence and persistence of discrimination in a particular social institution.

Deliverable

First, choose one of the following major institutions for this assessment: criminal justice system, health care system, educational system, housing market, or the U.S. workplace. Then complete the following:

• Research institutional discrimination in your chosen institution, locating reliable, scholarly sources. Examples are provided in the Resources for this assessment.
• Choose one of the following public information pieces in the list below. It is your job to create a public information piece that highlights your findings regarding inequities (based on race, ethnicity, religion, age, disability status, or sexual orientation) within your chosen institution. You will need to support your conclusions with credible data and scholarly research, rather than relying on opinion, and demonstrate your ability to apply sociological thinking to your topic.
  • Information booklet targeted to the general public.
  • Position paper or brief targeted at state or federal legislators.
  • Mock website or blog.
  • Public service announcement (a script for a radio or television program).
  • PowerPoint presentation targeted to a specific audience, with a description of the audience and detailed speaker’s notes (in PowerPoint, use the Notes area below each slide to provide speaker’s notes and explain the information on your slides in more detail).
  • A recorded speech to be given at a national meeting of practitioners who work in the institution you are researching. If you choose this option, include your script and references in a Word document along with your audio file.
• Create a final, professional-quality product in which you accomplish the following:
  • Create a public information piece that effectively conveys the causes and consequences of the problem of institutional discrimination in one of society’s major institutions, with support from data and scholarly sources.
  • Describe factors contributing to racial, ethnic, or other forms of inequality within a specific institution.
  • Analyze data on the factors contributing to inequality in a specific institution.
    • Keep in mind that, to be accurate in your assessment, you will need to look at raw data and percentages as well as to consider the data in relation to each racial or ethnic group’s percentage within the overall U.S. population.
• Explain ways in which public policies are linked to inequalities within a specific institution.
  • Consider any historical or contemporary influences that may have contributed the disparities you have identified. Example: If you are studying institutional discrimination in the justice system, you would need to consider national policies such as the War on Drugs, as well as law enforcement policies.
• Assess the impact on minorities and minority communities caused by institutional discrimination within a specific institution.
• Describe specific, measurable policy strategies for reducing institutional discrimination.
  • These can be community based, legislative (at the local, state, or federal level), or law enforcement strategies.
  • These strategies should focus on institutional policies, not individual solutions.