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dy2936 Organizational Analysis February 19, 2014 Wayne State University

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Description of Organization Common Ground Sanctuary is a safe 24 hour, nonprofit shelter that provides 3 week residential counseling to youths in crisis between the ages of 10 and 17. The youth come from various backgrounds, cultures and areas of the state. Typically, the clients come to Common Ground because they are having trouble in school, difficulties at home or dont have anywhere to go because their parent/ guardian doesnt want them at home or they are literally homeless. The youth can suffer from behavioral, mental and/or emotional problems. These are sometimes the cause of the issues the youth faces at home with family, at school with peers, and/ or with friends. The mission of Common Ground is to provide a lifeline for individuals and families in crisis, victims of crime, persons with mental illness, people trying to cope with critical situations and runaway and homeless youths. The purpose of the program is to provide life-skills and counseling to the clients and their families, give the clients and their families support, and ultimately reunite the family. Guiding principles that are valued at Common Ground Sanctuary include the following: inherent dignity, diversity and worth of all people; professional compassion, effective and efficient service to all people; community-based, grassroot partnerships in program innovation and development; the development of collaboratives to strengthen resources in our community; and the delivery of services through professional, paraprofessional, peer-mentoring and volunteer staff. Organizational Theories Common Ground Sanctuary is an organization that is widespread in its mission and distribution of services. The services provided and the job of staff, volunteers, and interns falls under a number of organizational theory concepts. One theory that applies to Common Ground is

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Fielders Contingency Theory of Leadership. According to Dankwa and Julian (2001), Fielder proposes that a leaders style is either task oriented or relationship oriented. His theory suggests that leaders who are task oriented will be effective if they have high favorability or high unfavorability with respect to leader-member relationship, task structure, and their positional power. Leaders who are people or relationship oriented will be effective if they operate within circumstances of moderate favorability (420). This theory applies to Common Ground because staff, volunteers, and interns usually fall into one or both of those categories. For example, the day to day schedule for clients is very task oriented. The times for groups, counseling, chores, free time, homework, breakfast, lunch and dinner are the same each day. That ensures that the clients become familiar with a system and are never caught off guard. That structured schedule works for some and not for others. The leader-member relationship plays a huge role as clients do feel comfortable and interact better with certain staff members, regardless of their position at the Sanctuary. This theory can be used to understand the agency because the clients who come to the Sanctuary often lack structure and a listening ear that displays care and sympathy. Everyone at Common Ground is trained on how to interact with clients and help them with any problems they may be experiencing. This theory has produced favorable results that would suggest that this theory helps clients to be focused, motivated and open, regardless if they initially accepted the process or not. In the long run, this theory has shown that it improves a clients outlook on themselves and their situation. Another organizational theory that applies to Common Ground Sanctuary is the Competing Values Approach. According to Dankwa and Julian (2001), this theory suggests that, for effectiveness, an organization must simultaneously manage the potentially paradoxical values of flexibility, control, internal focus, and external focus (421). This theory applies to the Sanctuary

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because there are a lot of factors that move on a daily basis to make sure the agency is functioning smoothly. Staff, interns, and volunteers at Common Ground Sanctuary have to be very flexible in their day to day schedule. Beside the supervision of clients as they complete their tasks for the day, which were stated in the previous paragraph, the workers have a lot of responsibilities within the agency. Those responsibilities include answering phone calls, which may range from giving information to filling out a contact record for potential program submission, assist with the maintenance of the facility, unpack and store donations, facilitate groups, and log daily observations of the clients. These actions lead to control within the agency among staff and clients. The internal control comes from the interactions with the clients, while the external focus comes from helping individuals who want to donate to the agency or receive services for their children. This theory can helpful to understanding the Sanctuary because it shows that they are committed to the community at large are structured in their services to those who seek them. This theory can be helpful in helping the agency maintain a priority of what is of utmost importance and what can be held off. All agencies can get off track at times and a model like this can lead to renewed focus. Organizations Environment Common Ground Sanctuary is located in Royal Oak, Michigan. While the agency is located in Oakland County it serves individuals in many other counties, including Wayne and Macomb counties. The Sanctuary is located not too far from Downtown Royal Oak, which is a very active area. There are many small business and churches located in Common Grounds surrounding area. The youth that are served at the Sanctuary come from various backgrounds, cultures and areas of the state. Typically, the clients come to Common Ground because they are having trouble in school, difficulties at home or dont have anywhere to go because their parent/

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guardian doesnt want them at home or they are literally homeless. The youth can suffer from behavioral, mental and/or emotional problems. These are sometimes the cause of the issues the youth faces at home with family, at school with peers, and/ or with friends. The Sanctuary works in conjunction with police departments, social service agencies, and school districts. These different entities may refer a parent to Common Ground to seek further help with their child. Many of these organizations know of the good work the Sanctuary does and hold them high regard. There are also many businesses and individuals, from the Royal Oak area and beyond, that donate supplies to the Sanctuary. These can include school supplies, toiletries, food, clothes, books, games, and movies. Common Ground Sanctuary is in touch with the community and vice versa, which is great because it avoids the possibility of environmental turbulence. According to Srivastava and Frankwick (2011), Environmental turbulence (uncertainty) is the perceived inability of an organizations key managers to accurately assess the external environment of the organization or the future changes that might occur in that environment. Turbulence (uncertainty) results from scarcity and environmental fluctuations (161). The Sanctuary does a great job of keeping up with what is going on in their community and surrounding communities as well. This allows the agency to be readily available to provide services to anyone who may come to them. Also, since the Sanctuary stays in touch with the community, that leads to a steady stream of donations and volunteers that are of great service to the purpose of the agency. Srivastava and Frankwick (2011) state that Literatures in both strategic management and organizational theory point to the potential increases in performance that can occur when businesses match themselves to their environments (162). The agency and community are one in the same and the benefits of that relationship are felt each and every day through the connections and assistance that each is given.

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Common Ground Sanctuary is a legitimate, non-profit agency. The agency follows strict rules and guidelines, as mandated by the State, to allow them to provide services and continue to do so. They achieve this by keeping the facility up to code when it comes to health and safety regulations. The agency also fills out proper forms during intake that allows them to provide shelter and/or counseling services to those who seek it. These forms allow the clients to be under Common Grounds care. The agency also files/discard records properly as mandated by the state. Organizational Goals As stated earlier, Common Ground Sanctuary is committed to providing a lifeline for individuals and families in crisis, victims of crime, persons with mental illness, people trying to cope with critical situations and runaway and homeless youths. The purpose of the program is to provide life-skills and counseling to the clients and their families, give the clients and their families support, and ultimately reunite the family. These goals were determined by the Common Ground organization and the leaders of the Sanctuary. Ultimately, these goals were developed and targeted towards the population that the agency serves. The organization deals with its multiple goals through planning and organization. The director, assistant director, residential specialists, counselors, peer mentors, interns and volunteers all carry a role in the agency and handle various tasks each day. These tasks can include securing funding, maintaining the facility, interacting with clients, logging general/client observations, filling out paperwork, etc. The tasks at the Sanctuary are clearly defined by your role within the agency. The agency runs smoothly and therefore goal displacement hasnt been an issue. Everybody at the Sanctuary gets their job done in a timely manner. There are times when unexpected things come up and it throws things off track, but the staff does a great job of not letting the unexpected get the best of them. If there is a sense of time being lost on a task, staff is great at coming in and helping a fellow employee

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out so tasks are done in a timely manner. According to Ward (2012), Our Chairman & CEO, Tom Falk, tells our employees that whats good for business must also be good for the environment and the people we serve (1). Everyone at Common Ground Sanctuary does an excellent job of making sure that each task that is assigned benefits the community in the long and/or short term. The goals have impacted service delivery in a positive manner. The agency has seen a great number of success come from their efforts. Clients have had success at home, in school, and in reconciliation with their parents/guardians. If the client is willing to give the program a chance and follow the rules, then they have a great chance of improving their situation in every facet. Ward (2012) states that Our goals around people are wide-ranging, and include our people, and the people in the communities where we live and work (2). Ultimately, Common Ground Sanctuary is committed to the community and how it can be improved through continued, focused efforts towards individuals and neighborhoods. Organizational Structure Common Ground Sanctuary is a strong organization that influences youth in a positive manner, which in turn positively impacts the community. The Sanctuary has strong leadership that leads the staff to being the best they can be and deliver the strongest services. It all starts with the director. The director deals with the day to day organizational work which includes scheduling, funding, setting meetings, etc. The next in line is the assistant director, who deals with appointment of interns and volunteers, as well as supervising and debriefing those areas on a daily/weekly basis. Next up are the residential specialists, who oversee the interns as they perform their daily tasks, oversee the clients, cook lunch and dinner, organize the days activities, etc. Then there are the peer mentors, interns and volunteers who interact with the clients, facilitate groups, answer phones, fill out contact records, shadow or conduct an intake,

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assist clients with chores, log daily observations of clients, etc. The distribution of power in the agency goes in the following order: director, assistant director, residential specialists, peer mentors, interns and volunteers. Everybody gets their orders from the director and assistant director, which then falls in a descending order from residential specialists to peer mentors, peer mentors to interns/volunteers. The lines of authority fall in the order of positions I have provided, with the director having the power to change anything he may want to for the betterment of the agency and the services distributed. Management in the agency is fair to everyone. They make their intentions and goals for everyone clear. If there is a problem, staff is always open to talk to management in order to gain a better understanding. If anyone is lagging behind, management talks to the specific staff member to see if there is anything they can do to assist them in their work. Management even asks staff and clients what can be done to make the program more effective. The approach being used in the previous statement is an individual approach. According to James (2000), under this approach, company managers assume that an individuals level of moral development and ethical sensitivity are the primary sources of motivation affecting the ethical behavior of workers. These sources are anchored to the internal drivers and needs of the individual rather than being triggered by situational forces (43). This approach works well for everyone involved because the atmosphere feels more like a democracy than a dictatorship. What also helps the organization flow easily on a daily basis is the culture of the organization. James (2000), states that Organizational culture may have the effect of promoting ethical behavior when not directly eroded by inconsistent organizational structures. Strong corporate codes of ethics and regular ethics training programs may strengthen the organizational culture, but they will not subsume the importance of the formal structure in affecting the ethics of individuals (44). Common Ground Sanctuary has really strong ethical

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standards and procedures. The Sanctuary trains all staff, interns, and volunteers are trained on how to perform their specific roles. There are even additional trainings that occur to help staff understand a new change or learn a new skill that will help them better perform their job on a daily basis. The management of Common Ground Sanctuary does a great job of creating a workable environment. Strengths and Weaknesses Common Ground Sanctuary has helped many individuals over the years through shelter, counseling, and guidance. Like many social service agencies out there, the Sanctuary has its share of strengths that makes it very successful. One strength the Sanctuary has is its staff. Everyone who works, interns or volunteers there are loving, caring individuals. They truly do care about the youth who come through the doors. An additional strength of the Sanctuary is the home feel it provides. While the clients do have group sessions daily, they do have times set aside for the clients to watch movies, play video or board games, engage in art and crafts, and log in their own personal journals. This time allows for the youth to forget about their troubles and engage in activities that makes them happy. One last strength of the Sanctuary is the small group size. Common Ground Sanctuary can only hold up to nine clients at any given time, ten if its an emergency. The small group size allows for staff to really focus on each individual client and clients to not feel overwhelmed. But where there are strengths, there are bound to be weaknesses. One of the few weaknesses found at the Sanctuary is the lack of outings the clients go on. Usually on weekends, the clients go outings to places such as the zoo or movies. As the weather has been bad for the last few months, the clients have gone on limited outings. It would be nice if

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the clients could go to places such as museums or other activities that may be going occurring on a particular weekend. While most of the outings are donated by various businesses and organizations, it would be useful if there was a fund to pull money from once a month to take the clients out. If its one thing the clients complain about, its lack of time outside the house in the cold months. The structure the clients are provided is beneficial and serves a purpose, so you dont want to minimize the impact by adding a lot of other facets. Recommendations/Resistance If there was one recommendation I would make to Common Ground Sanctuary, it would be to increase the length of the program from three weeks to four weeks. This will garner resistance because it will decrease the amount of kids who come through the program, therefore decreasing the amount of money the agency generates. Now that seems like a bad thing, but it would be very beneficial for the clients. They will have more time to sort through their issues and will be even more prepared for life once they leave the program. I would fight the resistance by providing statistics, testimonials from current and past clients, and input from staff that support the idea. According to Henry (1997),Unite in your commitment. You need to share throughout management a vision of what you want to achieve with your strategy. Your vision needs to be unflinching (146). The goal of the agency is to provide youth with the tools necessary to overcome their problems and persevere. This idea can only further promote that cause. Another recommendation I would make to Common Ground Sanctuary is to set up a fund so the youth can go on more outings, particularly during the winter months. Once again, this idea would cost the agency money, which they probably wont like. This idea would allow for the youth to at least get out one weekend a month and expose them to something they may have

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never experienced before. We could have fundraisers to build up the fund or see if Common Ground has a surplus of some kind at the end of the fiscal year. Any amount that could be donated to the Sanctuary would help and be a step closer to making the idea a reality. Henry (1997) states be able to articulate the rationale for your strategy and your personal commitment to it (146). You have to be prepared to fight for what you believe in. Resistance is just a stepping stone toward change. Organizational Chart Director Assistant Director R.S. R.S. R.S. R.S. R.S. R.S. R.S. R.S. R.S. R.S. P.M. P.M. P.M. P.M. P.M. P.M. P.M. P.M. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. I. V. V. V. V. V. V. This is a small representation of the individuals in my agency. The power of authority goes from top to bottom. Residential Specialist is signified by R.S., Peer Mentor by P.M., Intern by I., and Volunteer by V. The underlined letters and titles locate women, bold signifies individuals of color, and italics signify a gay or lesbian individual. The problems any individual under any of these categories could face include discrimination, lack of faith in skill and ability, and lack of advancement or opportunity. The great thing is that nobody at Common Ground Sanctuary practices those beliefs. Everyone is happy, non-judgmental, and willing to help one another out. The Sanctuary welcomes any race, gender, and sexual orientation with an open heart and mind.

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References Henry, P. K. (1997). Overcoming resistance to organizational change. American Dietetic Association. Journal of the American Dietetic Association, 97(10), S145-7. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.lib.wayne.edu/docview/218446172?accountid=14925 James, Harvey S., Jr. (2000). Reinforcing ethical decision making through organizational structure. Journal of Business Ethics, 28(1), 43-58. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.lib.wayne.edu/docview/198028890?accountid=14925 Kiron, D. (2012). The four organizational factors that built Kimberly-Clarks remarkable sustainability goals. MIT Sloan Management Review, 53(4), 1-3. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.lib.wayne.edu/docview/1023761956?accountid=14925 Ofori-Dankwa, J., & Julian, S. D. (2001). Complexifying organizational theory: Illustrations using time research. Academy of Management. The Academy of Management Review, 26(3), 415-430. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com.proxy.lib.wayne.edu/docview/210983451?accountid=14925 Srivastava, P., & Frankwick, G. L. (2011). Environment, management attitude, and organizational learning in alliances. Management Decision, 49(1), 156-166. doi:http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/00251741111094491