Human Service Field Analysis
Individual Excellence Kary Waelchli BSHS 461 July 16, 2013 Michael Moore Individual Excellence Goal setting is a basic principle, yet essential in the strategic planning process for realizing, and attaining personal and professional success. Perhaps one of the most significant processes a person can make in his or pursuit for growth is to understand what he or she values; developing self-knowledge. The purpose of this paper is to construct a force field analysis of managing a human service program using a list of interrelated and interdependent elements of human service functions. I will list my personal driving and restraining forces as well
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as my current state and desire for each of the following states: managing the environment, planning, and program design, organizational design, human resources development, supervision, financial management, information systems, program evaluation, leadership, and organizational change. I will also include an examination of how each of Peter Senge’s Five Disciplines has meaning to me while conducting a self-assessment of my skills for growth in each of the five disciplines: personal growth and learning, mental models, shared vision, team learning, and systems thinking.
Force Field Analysis Every person has an idea of what he or she believes is the definition of what it means to be successful. Each individual has different influences that shape his or her identity and values. Individuals who are devoted to enhancing personal and professional growth strive to cultivate and expand his or skill sets while developing an awareness of individual strengths, and weaknesses to improve personal growth. Tools that can support or encumber achievement of a preferred state are driving and restraining forces. These mechanisms emulate initiating strategies or driving forces that can safeguard success, such as belief, passion, values, communication, energy, bonding, and strategy (Starling, 2009). Over the last decade, psychologists have started examining and focusing on strength-based development and human functioning in the workplace; (Kaiser & Overfield, 2011). Identifying personal awareness, skills, and interests can assist an individual in selecting a suitable career and contribute to professional satisfaction. Knowledge involves education, training, individual affinities or patterns, and an individual’s ability combined with his or her expertise (Buckingham & Clifton Ph.D., 2001). Collectively, these attributes define an individual strengths and sense of self-knowledge. Through the Meyers-Briggs personality assessment, and David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates temperament sorter, I have identified my personality type as an ENFP (extroversion, intuition, feeling, perception) (Keirsey & Bates, 1984). My motivation comes from interaction with people, and I have a desire to understand the “big picture” or tying things together. My strengths in a working environment: volunteers, thinks up new activities, creative, enthusiasm, inspires, charms others to work, quick, goal-oriented, and organizational, encourage production, delegates, and stimulate activity (LaHaye, 1988). These are interpersonal skills with tendencies for leadership and flexibility (Buckingham & Clifton Ph.D., 2001).
Supervising, managing, and leadership encompass a person’s personality traits. My temperament or personality does not aid in the management of the environment. Individual driving forces support change or make it more possible to occur (Society for Organizational Learning, 2013). I tend to concentrate on future prospects with abstract thinking rather than focusing on details and the immediate realities. ENFP’s personality types are originators of change. The beginning phase, or enhancement phase of a task or relationship tend to be exciting and stimulating. Expressing creativity, and using my charisma allows me generate ideas, meaning, and purpose at a macro level. I believe this will aid me in leadership and organizational modification, planning and program design, and organizational design.
In regard to human resource development and supervision, I have a strong egalitarian view. I value, respect, and accept the needs, and desires of others. Therefore, I am open-mined to the considerations of others; characterized by the promoting an affirming of individuals. However, this can become problematic if I become more concerned with individual people (staff) over the focus of the organization. I need to have a balance of control or authority over my reverence for the individual which can make my peers or staff disrespect me.
The human service profession is continually expanding, and adapting to meet the needs of individuals, families, groups, and communities. Financial management, information systems, program evaluation are necessary to meet and maintain the objectives and resolution of the organization and professional; as well as the at-risk groups that he or she assists. Gathering, storing, and sharing accurate information on clients, funding, and program design and evaluation is essential to the vitality of the organization. These skills are fundamental competencies for the human service worker.
After my self-assessment I understand that these types of tasks are not my areas of strengths and become tedious and do not allow my productive pursuit of social interactions. I become easily exasperated if an assignment requires an excessive amount of follow-up or devotion to detail. However, my need to the attentiveness of the existing environments or big picture can conveys applicable facts, and information that may lead to natural action, re-action, or modification. This heightened ability to deliberate and process evidence internally can make me capable of performing necessary tasks to apply judgment to ensure growth and development within the organization and its personnel.
At this point my education level and experience are some of my restraining forces.
The lack of experience and knowledge will impede my desired state in leading, managing, or supervising. Initially, I will have to take a lower-level position in the human service field. Nevertheless, I will use my desire to encourage and connect with others to assist me in helping those individuals or groups with the objective of meeting his or her needs, and improving his or her quality of life. I will use my social or interpersonal skills, and connections to influence and encourage clients. Additionally, the relational component will aid me in collaborating with others for developing treatment plans, and obtaining resources for an individual or the organization. I must make a conscious effort not to become too altruistic in my effort to make a difference in the world, or I will experience disappointment and …show more content…
burnout.
Peter Senge’s Five Disciplines Shared vision, personal mastery, mental models, team learning, and systems thinking are Peter Senge 's Five Disciplines of a learning organization (Lewis, Packard, & Lewis, 2007). Shared vision suggests that personnel are allowed to express his or her individual visions while coming to an agreement with the vision that benefits the organization as well as the individual (Lewis, Packard, & Lewis, 2007). The human service industry approaches the meeting of human needs through an interdisciplinary knowledge foundation by providing the best quality of care to his or her clients (The National Organization of Human Services, 2013). My vision is in agreement with this comprehensive vision. I relish in anticipating the needs of others personally and professionally. Personal mastery includes the development and learning to interpret the importance, and reality of a situation to the individual. I have a strong belief in continuing education and applying experience-based knowledge to circumvent errors and become more effective in approaches with clients and peers. Evaluating mental models contains recognizing underlying assumptions, stereotypes, prejudices, and biases a person has toward a circumstance and adjusting to the situation to make sure the client receives fair treatment. A person’s mental models may limit the way a person behaves or acts, based on his or her experience or interpretation of circumstances. These preconceived notions need to be brought out into the open and corrected to address change. Mental models or concepts develop over time and vary depending on culture, and individual sensitivity (Lewis, Packard, & Lewis, 2007). An example of mental models that I have been exposed to is individual religious beliefs. I have learned not to push my beliefs on someone else, and have respect for someone else’s belief system. Addressing different philosophies can help each person see the other person’s perspective on a situation or circumstance. Collaborating with other individuals to develop a favorable solution for parties involved on complex issues is a key component to team learning. Each member must identify his or her strengths and minimize his or her biases. To achieve optimal performance team members must put aside his or her difference and learn to respect the differences and strengths each member has to offer. University of Phoenix has aided in this process by having weekly assignments due. I have learned to set guidelines, rules, time-lines, delegate tasks, ensure fair and even contribution, and have accountability. Systems ' thinking is an inclusion of the other four disciplines together. Systems thinking encompass considering central and macro solutions rather than indicative solutions (Lewis, Packard, & Lewis, 2007). Systems ' thinking comes from a person leadership style as well as his or her knowledge and experience being able to understand the sum or unified whole of the system. I have some management experience but have not had to address problems and solutions from the standpoint of the entirety of a system. This class has helped me to identifying the defining characteristics and purpose of the larger system.
Conclusion
The process of leading requires an enormous set of skills: setting goals, planning, time management, budgeting, responsibility, accountability, flexibility, awareness, retention, and commitment, to name a few. After the force field analysis, I have a better understanding and awareness of my personality, strengths, and weakness. This will aid me in identifying and applying Peter Senge’s Five Disciplines for areas of growth personally as well as in managing a human service program. Ethically, as a human service provider I will continue to educate myself with current theories, practices, and trends that best suit the client and the organization.
References
Buckingham, M., & Clifton Ph.D., D. O. (2001). Now Discover Your Strengths. New York, NY: The Free Press: A Division of Simon & Shuster.
Kaiser, R.
B., & Overfield, D. V. (2011, June). Strengths, strengths, overused, and lopsided leadership. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 63(2), 89-109. doi:1939-0149
Keirsey, D., & Bates, M. (1984). Please Understand Me: Character & Temperament Types (5th ed.). El Mar, CA: Prometheus Nemesis Book Company.
LaHaye, T. (1988). Why You Act the Way You Do (2nd ed.). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
Lewis, J. A., Packard, T. R., & Lewis, M. D. (2007). Management of human service programs (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Learning. https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content/eReader.aspxthe University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.
Starling, L. (2009). The driving force: Achieving personal success. Articlesbase. http://www.articlesbase.com/motivational-articles/the-driving-force-achieving-personal-success-1420499.html
Society for Organizational Learning. (2013). The five disciplines of organizational learning. http://www.solonline.org/organizationaloverview
The National Organization of Human Services (NOHS). (2013). What is Human Services. Retrieved from
http://www.nationalhumanservices.org/what-is-human-services
as my current state and desire for each of the following states: managing the environment, planning, and program design, organizational design, human resources development, supervision, financial management, information systems, program evaluation, leadership, and organizational change. I will also include an examination of how each of Peter Senge’s Five Disciplines has meaning to me while conducting a self-assessment of my skills for growth in each of the five disciplines: personal growth and learning, mental models, shared vision, team learning, and systems thinking.
Force Field Analysis Every person has an idea of what he or she believes is the definition of what it means to be successful. Each individual has different influences that shape his or her identity and values. Individuals who are devoted to enhancing personal and professional growth strive to cultivate and expand his or skill sets while developing an awareness of individual strengths, and weaknesses to improve personal growth. Tools that can support or encumber achievement of a preferred state are driving and restraining forces. These mechanisms emulate initiating strategies or driving forces that can safeguard success, such as belief, passion, values, communication, energy, bonding, and strategy (Starling, 2009). Over the last decade, psychologists have started examining and focusing on strength-based development and human functioning in the workplace; (Kaiser & Overfield, 2011). Identifying personal awareness, skills, and interests can assist an individual in selecting a suitable career and contribute to professional satisfaction. Knowledge involves education, training, individual affinities or patterns, and an individual’s ability combined with his or her expertise (Buckingham & Clifton Ph.D., 2001). Collectively, these attributes define an individual strengths and sense of self-knowledge. Through the Meyers-Briggs personality assessment, and David Keirsey and Marilyn Bates temperament sorter, I have identified my personality type as an ENFP (extroversion, intuition, feeling, perception) (Keirsey & Bates, 1984). My motivation comes from interaction with people, and I have a desire to understand the “big picture” or tying things together. My strengths in a working environment: volunteers, thinks up new activities, creative, enthusiasm, inspires, charms others to work, quick, goal-oriented, and organizational, encourage production, delegates, and stimulate activity (LaHaye, 1988). These are interpersonal skills with tendencies for leadership and flexibility (Buckingham & Clifton Ph.D., 2001).
Supervising, managing, and leadership encompass a person’s personality traits. My temperament or personality does not aid in the management of the environment. Individual driving forces support change or make it more possible to occur (Society for Organizational Learning, 2013). I tend to concentrate on future prospects with abstract thinking rather than focusing on details and the immediate realities. ENFP’s personality types are originators of change. The beginning phase, or enhancement phase of a task or relationship tend to be exciting and stimulating. Expressing creativity, and using my charisma allows me generate ideas, meaning, and purpose at a macro level. I believe this will aid me in leadership and organizational modification, planning and program design, and organizational design.
In regard to human resource development and supervision, I have a strong egalitarian view. I value, respect, and accept the needs, and desires of others. Therefore, I am open-mined to the considerations of others; characterized by the promoting an affirming of individuals. However, this can become problematic if I become more concerned with individual people (staff) over the focus of the organization. I need to have a balance of control or authority over my reverence for the individual which can make my peers or staff disrespect me.
The human service profession is continually expanding, and adapting to meet the needs of individuals, families, groups, and communities. Financial management, information systems, program evaluation are necessary to meet and maintain the objectives and resolution of the organization and professional; as well as the at-risk groups that he or she assists. Gathering, storing, and sharing accurate information on clients, funding, and program design and evaluation is essential to the vitality of the organization. These skills are fundamental competencies for the human service worker.
After my self-assessment I understand that these types of tasks are not my areas of strengths and become tedious and do not allow my productive pursuit of social interactions. I become easily exasperated if an assignment requires an excessive amount of follow-up or devotion to detail. However, my need to the attentiveness of the existing environments or big picture can conveys applicable facts, and information that may lead to natural action, re-action, or modification. This heightened ability to deliberate and process evidence internally can make me capable of performing necessary tasks to apply judgment to ensure growth and development within the organization and its personnel.
At this point my education level and experience are some of my restraining forces.
The lack of experience and knowledge will impede my desired state in leading, managing, or supervising. Initially, I will have to take a lower-level position in the human service field. Nevertheless, I will use my desire to encourage and connect with others to assist me in helping those individuals or groups with the objective of meeting his or her needs, and improving his or her quality of life. I will use my social or interpersonal skills, and connections to influence and encourage clients. Additionally, the relational component will aid me in collaborating with others for developing treatment plans, and obtaining resources for an individual or the organization. I must make a conscious effort not to become too altruistic in my effort to make a difference in the world, or I will experience disappointment and …show more content…
burnout.
Peter Senge’s Five Disciplines Shared vision, personal mastery, mental models, team learning, and systems thinking are Peter Senge 's Five Disciplines of a learning organization (Lewis, Packard, & Lewis, 2007). Shared vision suggests that personnel are allowed to express his or her individual visions while coming to an agreement with the vision that benefits the organization as well as the individual (Lewis, Packard, & Lewis, 2007). The human service industry approaches the meeting of human needs through an interdisciplinary knowledge foundation by providing the best quality of care to his or her clients (The National Organization of Human Services, 2013). My vision is in agreement with this comprehensive vision. I relish in anticipating the needs of others personally and professionally. Personal mastery includes the development and learning to interpret the importance, and reality of a situation to the individual. I have a strong belief in continuing education and applying experience-based knowledge to circumvent errors and become more effective in approaches with clients and peers. Evaluating mental models contains recognizing underlying assumptions, stereotypes, prejudices, and biases a person has toward a circumstance and adjusting to the situation to make sure the client receives fair treatment. A person’s mental models may limit the way a person behaves or acts, based on his or her experience or interpretation of circumstances. These preconceived notions need to be brought out into the open and corrected to address change. Mental models or concepts develop over time and vary depending on culture, and individual sensitivity (Lewis, Packard, & Lewis, 2007). An example of mental models that I have been exposed to is individual religious beliefs. I have learned not to push my beliefs on someone else, and have respect for someone else’s belief system. Addressing different philosophies can help each person see the other person’s perspective on a situation or circumstance. Collaborating with other individuals to develop a favorable solution for parties involved on complex issues is a key component to team learning. Each member must identify his or her strengths and minimize his or her biases. To achieve optimal performance team members must put aside his or her difference and learn to respect the differences and strengths each member has to offer. University of Phoenix has aided in this process by having weekly assignments due. I have learned to set guidelines, rules, time-lines, delegate tasks, ensure fair and even contribution, and have accountability. Systems ' thinking is an inclusion of the other four disciplines together. Systems thinking encompass considering central and macro solutions rather than indicative solutions (Lewis, Packard, & Lewis, 2007). Systems ' thinking comes from a person leadership style as well as his or her knowledge and experience being able to understand the sum or unified whole of the system. I have some management experience but have not had to address problems and solutions from the standpoint of the entirety of a system. This class has helped me to identifying the defining characteristics and purpose of the larger system.
Conclusion
The process of leading requires an enormous set of skills: setting goals, planning, time management, budgeting, responsibility, accountability, flexibility, awareness, retention, and commitment, to name a few. After the force field analysis, I have a better understanding and awareness of my personality, strengths, and weakness. This will aid me in identifying and applying Peter Senge’s Five Disciplines for areas of growth personally as well as in managing a human service program. Ethically, as a human service provider I will continue to educate myself with current theories, practices, and trends that best suit the client and the organization.
References
Buckingham, M., & Clifton Ph.D., D. O. (2001). Now Discover Your Strengths. New York, NY: The Free Press: A Division of Simon & Shuster.
Kaiser, R.
B., & Overfield, D. V. (2011, June). Strengths, strengths, overused, and lopsided leadership. Consulting Psychology Journal: Practice and Research, 63(2), 89-109. doi:1939-0149
Keirsey, D., & Bates, M. (1984). Please Understand Me: Character & Temperament Types (5th ed.). El Mar, CA: Prometheus Nemesis Book Company.
LaHaye, T. (1988). Why You Act the Way You Do (2nd ed.). Carol Stream, IL: Tyndale House Publishers.
Lewis, J. A., Packard, T. R., & Lewis, M. D. (2007). Management of human service programs (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Learning. https://ecampus.phoenix.edu/content/eBookLibrary2/content/eReader.aspxthe University of Phoenix eBook Collection database.
Starling, L. (2009). The driving force: Achieving personal success. Articlesbase. http://www.articlesbase.com/motivational-articles/the-driving-force-achieving-personal-success-1420499.html
Society for Organizational Learning. (2013). The five disciplines of organizational learning. http://www.solonline.org/organizationaloverview
The National Organization of Human Services (NOHS). (2013). What is Human Services. Retrieved from
http://www.nationalhumanservices.org/what-is-human-services