Discussion question 1:
Human services management must assess and understand complex behaviors and cultural differences within their organizations. Imagine yourself as a human services manager, faced with poor work performances of employees that you supervise. How would you go about learning and analyzing the problem? What intervention would you implement to improve performance? Besides addressing workplace empowerment, this assignment should also address workplace diversity and inclusion. What are common ways to include or exclude co-workers in the workplace? How could a manager create an environment that is appropriately inclusionary? Are there policies that could be developed?
Reply 1 Brandy:
If I experienced one of my employee performing poorly, I’ll approach it two different ways. First, I would address the issue with the employee. Make them aware that their poor work performance is noticeable. My second approach would be making employees attend mandatory training. The intervention I would implement to improve performance is training. The proper training will help employees develop more knowledge about the position. Most of all it will improve their work performance. I feel that training should be frequent so the staff can stay on top of their job. A manager can create an appropriately inclusionary environment by establishing a safe and inclusive environment. Ensure that all employees is trained to be fair. The policy I will put in place for poor work performance is employee monthly work performance meetings. Every month the employee will meet with their manager and discuss their work performance. If we discuss any issues, the employee will have to write a written document. The document will state how they plan on fixing the issue. If the employee refuses to comply, then further actions will be taking into consideration.
reply 2 Kyle:
As human service management, understanding the complex behaviors and culture within your organization is to be involved. If I were in this situation, I would begin to learn and analyze the problem. You cannot understand what is going on in your organization without talking with others. To be on the ground floor gives you a bird’s eye view of what may be happening. Once you can evaluate why the poor performance, the next step is to change the behaviors; let us say that the problem was that the employee’s caseload was too high. It would be the manager’s responsibility to break up the workload in an equal and fair manner. As a manager, you can also empower employees with positive reinforcement. A workplace should be a safe environment for everyone that works there. This means that no matter what kind of differences others have, they should be secure in their work area. Having programs and classes that teach about other differences can start a discussion. I always thought these types of classes were a little too much. Then I become the one to give these classes. The more I presented these classes, the more people told me how much the classes helped them understand aspects that they had lacked knowledge in. In most organizations, some policies make sure that people are treated equally. In a workplace educating everyone that includes the managers. Managers should be the top priority because they are the ones that others will look to.
Saint Leo’s core value of community talks about having mutual trust. In a workplace, employees should have this kind of trust for all. The employees should have confidence that the management teams will give them a proper place to work. Like the core value, all employees should have a sense of belonging and unity. Standard 20 talks about how if a person has a conflict with another colleague, they seek out the person they are having an issue with. Talking about issues in a safe environment is key to having a well-balanced work environment.
Burke, A. (n.d.). Ethical Standards for HS Professionals. MemberClicks. https://www.nationalhumanservices.org/ethical-standards-for-hs-professionals.
University, S. L. (n.d.). Mission, Values, Identity. https://www.saintleo.edu/mission-values-identity.
Discussion question 2:Superstitious behavior is incredibly common. You may have your own superstition (e.g., a lucky pencil for taking an exam) or you may know of someone who is superstitious (this is particularly common amongst professional athletes and performers).
Describe a superstition you know of, and answer these questions: What do superstitious behaviors and compulsions have in common? How are they different? Why don’t they extinguish? How do “popular” superstitions spread to many people?
Reply 3 Trenia:
Similarities
I decided to discuss one of my superstitions about black cats. If a black crosses your path from left to right, it’s considered bad luck. I know so many, it was hard to decide which one to discuss. Superstitious behaviors and compulsion are alike because they both act on an obsession. A person who believes in superstitions becomes obsessed with the rules of superstition. As people who are compulsive act on the beliefs of the mind.
If I see a black cat cross my path from left to right, I will turn around and go a different way to ensure I do not cross the cat’s path. If the cat crosses my path from right to left, I will continue going my regular route. Both are dealing with anxious behaviors.
Differences
Superstitious and compulsion are different because superstitions are influences we get from other people and usually do not require treatment. Compulsion is from the way the mind thinks. Treatment can be medication. I do not think either extinguish. In superstition, you cannot forget traditions shared with you for an extended length of time. Compulsive, you cannot turn the mind off and forget about it. Popular superstition spread by word of mouth. Superstition is a part of family traditions that go on for generations.
Reference: (Bridley & Daffin,
reply 4 Destinee:
Growing up we did not partake in superstitions. My mother would call them ‘stuperstitions.’ So famous superstitions like New Year’s resolutions, step on a crack break your mother’s back. Walking under a ladder, crossing paths with a black cat, opening an umbrella indoors, or splitting the pole were things we knew people made a big deal out of, but we never did.
Superstitions and compulsion both intrude on a person’s mind and cause them to change their behavior or be more cautious of their behavior based on their thoughts. Unlike superstitions, compulsions are behaviors or mental acts that an individual does base on their obsession (Bridley & Daffin, 2020). Compulsions come in different forms, but a lot overlap with actions that are a part of daily life like checking(repeatedly), counting, handwashing, symmetry, or repeating specific words (Bridley & Daffin, 2020). Compulsions are very different from superstitions because they alter an individual’s ability to function normally on a day-to-day basis (Bridley & Daffin, 2020).
Superstitions do not extinguish because there is always someone who knows a superstition. The most popular superstitions spread to a lot of people from the word to mouth exposure. They have been passed around from generation to generation and new ones are popping up that will soon circulate like the others. Compulsions on the other hand do not always extinguish because they become a part of an individual’s daily life (Bridley & Daffin, 2020). Their brain mutates and changes based on the obsessions that they establish in life.
While superstitions and compulsions say some similarities, one is life-altering and the other is for kicks and giggles.
References
Bridley, A., & Daffin, L. W. (2020). Discovering Psychology Series Abnormal Psychology 2nd edition. Retrieved from website: https://opentext.wsu.edu/abnormal-psych/wp-content/uploads/sites/41/2018/05/Abnormal-Psychology-2nd-Edition.pdf
