CHAPTER TWO
THE CONTEXT OF HUMAN SERVICES MANAGEMENT
• Most management activities are designed to positively influence what takes place within an organization.
• It is important to note that the external environment plays an important role in a human service organization.
• Since the success of management activities are determined by the interaction that occurs between the organization and those persons and forces that exist outside its boundaries.
• In this chapter, we will examine the external influences that must be addressed by human service organizations, and how different they are from manufacturing sector which produces products rather than services.
THE TASK ENVIRONMENT …show more content…
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• Threats and attacks form the task environment are infrequent.
• Among other differences, the manager in the organization with the friendly task environment generally does not need to spend large portions of the day establishing and enforcing, the trappings of bureaucracies (Is one of the classical theories or organization. Described by Max Weber as “the efficient organization in its pure form. More in Chapter Three).
• What would be the characteristics of a human services organization with a more hostile task environment, the one more frequently seen and experienced by social workers? (examples) Prison and prisoner’s community)
• Child –protection services also often experience their share of hostility from the task environment. No one publicly advocates child abuse or neglect and most people believe that the public sector has a right to intervene when it is believed to have occurred.
• So, why do child-protection organizations not have the benefit of a friendly