Operations of a Community-Based Housing Organization - Case Study Example

Rероrt Based on а Саsе Study Name Institution Case Study - Community Based Housing Organisation: A Place called Home Abstract Problems arise in service providing organisations. This paper reports the major issues influencing the operation of a community based housing organisation that offers its services to the indigenous community. The report analyses the issues raised in the organisation from the perspective of the chairperson. The paper uses other literatures to analyse the management issue in the organisation. The report ends with highlighting of recommendations regarding what the management committee and the staff should do to work efficiently with the local community and to retain a good relationship with the funding bodies. Table of Contents Running Head: RЕРОRT 1 Rероrt Based on а Саsе Study 1 Name 1 Institution 1 RЕРОRT13 2 Abstract 2 Introduction 4 Case analysis / Literature reviews 5 Recommendations 9 References 11 Introduction The small community-based housing organisation is experiencing some changes in the manner in which it conducts its programs. The organisation has five staff, nine members of a voluntary management committee, and can be able to house eighty households. The organisation has experienced the issue of three approaches to the same issue from different groups and this has raised a major management problem. The first approach is from an Aboriginal housing program and out of difficulties managing its housing program; the group, does not want to manage the program. The second approach is from an Indigenous Elder from another local group who requested the chance to conduct the program because of the greatness of the housing needs of the indigenous people in the locality. The other approach is from the Queensland Department Housing, which requested the organisation to be allowed to take the program for a while until it is put to tender. The report’s aim is to analyse the issues in the case study and give recommendations on how the organisation’s staff, service users, management committee, and the funding bodies can efficiently operate the organisation. In this case, the major issues are discrimination at the workplace; poor communication of the organisation’s policy and procedures, undefined tasks, inefficient organization cultures, inflexible organisation structures, poor planning of activities, problems in the recruitment of workers, and inefficient conflict resolution process. The paper will be analysed using some literature arguing about the issue management issues during service delivery. The literature will be based on the issues of service delivery among the indigenous communities. Case analysis / Literature reviews Five staff and a voluntary management committee of nine members only manage the small housing organisation. Additionally, the organisation can only offer its services to around eighty households. The organisation is faced with the issue of three approaches from different groups on the same issue. This means that the organisation is required to make a critical decision regarding the appropriate approach to applying in the current program. According to the argument put forth by Gilmour and Milligan (2012) when organisations are faced with a dilemma associated with making choices, it is important to scrutinize the choices efficiently before making the final decision to ensure choice of the most appropriate approach. The workers and committee of the community housing collaborated with local Indigenous people, the relinquishing organisation and the Department of Housing, to investigate the possibilities and options and agreed on the program to take. The program involved serving the indigenous people who had housing needs within the locality (Anheier, 2014). The choice of the approach involved consideration of including an indigenous worker who would work closely with the indigenous people. However, it raised a criticism that the Indigenous people are incompetent in managing organisations, which influenced the conduct of the program. Banks, Butcher, Orton, and Robertson (2013) state that; in service delivery, it is efficient to avoid discrimination of the workers in an organisation because the issue raises working problems and prevents the effectiveness of service delivery. Discrimination in the workplace is a major issue in the organisation where other workers being supported by the management committee than others (Wearing, 2011). There is a lack of effective communication between the management committee and the staff regarding how programs should be run. Mullins, Czischke, and van Bortel (2012) identify that poor communication leads to management problems and issues associated with the organisation’s operations. The organisation seems to be faced with the problem of poor allocation of tasks. The new worker (Indigenous worker) was given tasks whereby the qualifications did not match with the responsibilities; the worker had little experience in housing and needed orientation and training. Consequently, the non-indigenous workers complained of his incompetence. Haynes (2015) articulates that workplace relations are vital, and all workers should be treated equally and be allowed to operate with togetherness. The organisation cultures are risk reverse whereby dealing with a risk is a major issue that even the management committee do not perform as required. Johnson, Parkinson, and Parsell (2012) postulate that the organisation cultures and the focus of the organisation’s success and once an organisation is run through inefficient cultures, it tend to fail. In this case, the organisation cannot effectively deliver services to the households because the organisation cultures and not appropriately implemented. The organisational structures are inflexible and the service delivery models followed are poor (Gilmour & Milligan, 2012). It is evident that this organisation delivers services to the local communities, which are characterized by some disruptive housing practices. Blessing (2012) argues that the organisation structures should collaborate in service delivery to enhance delivery of quality services and to meet the interests of the client. Policies and procedures in the service delivery organisation should be reviewed to solve the uncertainty and conflict in the organisation structures. The program implementation team does not have a clear understanding of their defined responsibilities and roles. In addition, the organisation is identified to have a poor definition of tasks and duties. The workers are not trained well regarding the current operating procedures and poor induction into the cultural norms of the organisation leading to them being in the wrong position of work (Haynes, 2015). The organisation has also faced the issue of poor service delivery coordination affecting the service users and the staff. The staff does not understand the boundaries of their authority and the issues needed to be solved to offer efficient community service. Furthermore, poor communication hinders staff the ability to access the necessary resources required in certain service delivery. Mullins, et al. (2012) emphasise that the service delivery organisations should ensure recruitment of qualified workers in the delivery of specific tasks. All the tasks played in an organisation should be defined well and be assigned to workers with experience and efficient skills. The organisation is faced with poor relationship between the staff and the clients whereby the indigenous people complain about not receiving the required services from the office (Yates, 2013). Indigenous also complain for no naming of offices leading to confusion because no signs of an officer being inside or out the door to allow the clients wait. The door should remain unlocked for the office being more welcoming. Clients also complain of reception being poorly managed since they are not friendly welcomed. Banks, et al. (2013) state that in community service provision, clients always have issues that require to be handled with care for theefficient performance of the organisation. Indigenous workers and non-indigenous workers colliding because of the office issues claiming that leaving the office open would result in unsafe working conditions. There is also the bad involvement of the Union, which is intimidating and raising anxiety to the non-indigenous workers. Wearing (2011) identify that service provider requires to understand the service users and try to meet their interests to enable satisfaction of the clients. Poor implementation of policies and procedures is another issue in the organisation. There is also poor planning, which led to problems in the dialogue associated with community development and service delivery (Sullivan, 2011). It means that the management committee members have failed in their duties by being biased. Glennie and Lodhia (2013) state that; the service providing organisation should develop its values well and work towards fulfilling them to the community. The values are aimed at guiding how programs are done. Indigenous worker is made to be accountable to the management committee for her mistake (Baines, 2011). Negotiation of the workers between the committee and the indigenous worker led to more conflict, and it was not possible to solve the issue. Even those in power should behave responsibly. Workers resistance is another problem that affects the service delivery organisation, thus hindering success of conflict resolution process. Cortis (2012) articulates that in service delivery, the service providers should work with unity since this would enhance delivery of effective services to the client. Johnson, et al. (2012) emphasise that different programs should be handled by different offices and staff members involved in one program should not interfere with other programs. Recommendations Reaffirmation of the operating model is something that should be conducted in the organisation for its efficient operation. There should be a general understanding of the history of the Indigenous people being served and how their history affects them in order to understand how to handle them well without causing more harm. Better conflict resolution methods should be followed in the upcoming issues where all the staff members require talking without pointing fingers. There is a need for conflict resolution processes among the workers, and the new workers should be given chances to adopt the organisational cultures and processes (Blessing, 2012). It is recommendable that the organisation involves its workers in the decision-making process; avoid supporting individuals, but treating all workers equally. Service providers should dialogue with the indigenous community to realize the necessary ways of offering appropriate, welcoming, and friendly services to the community. The working condition should always accommodate the interests and differences of every worker without discrimination (Cortis, 2012). There should be proper communication with the organisation whereby the management committee requires to be addressing all staff members about a program and agree on how to carry out the program. All workers should be obliged to work as a team and avoid considering their background differences in the service delivery (Parsell, & Marston, (2012). The management committee and staff should have a common way of doing things; whereby once a program is planned, all the staff should be assigned their duties and discourage interference with other’s work. The management committee should be involved in ensuring that all workers are comfortable with working with each other to ensure efficient working environment. To work constructively for the service users and the local community, the management committee should communicate the organisation policy and procedures with the staff and ensure that they all adhere to them in their operations. To avoid issues in role-playing, recruitment of workers should be done as per one’s qualifications and not the race or the worker’s background (Walker, Damanpour, & Devece, 2011). It is clear that the organisation’s mandate is to offer housing services to the indigenous people around the locality. To deliver the service effectively, the non-indigenous workers should develop a positive attitude towards the indigenous people and work with them by showing them love rather than discriminating them and yet they expect to receive support from the organisation. The organisation should offer quality-housing services to the indigenous community without corruption and without using some of the resources aimed at conducting the activities to operate well with the funding bodies (Parsell, & Marston, 2012). There should be involvement of the local community members in the decision-making to enhance meeting of the community interests. Different programs should be implemented differently to avoid tension between the indigenous workers and non-indigenous workers especially when a program seems not to involve all workers. It is important to change the organisation cultures and structures to be more efficient and ensure that all staff members adapt them in their conduct. References Anheier, H. K. (2014). Nonprofit organizations: Theory, management, policy. London: Routledge. Baines, D. (2011). Resistance as emotional work: the Australian and Canadian non‐profit social services. Industrial Relations Journal, 42(2), 139-156. Banks, S., Butcher, H., Orton, A., & Robertson, J. (Eds.). (2013). Managing community practice: Principles, policies and programmes. New York: Policy Press. Blessing, A. (2012). Magical or monstrous? Hybridity in social housing governance. Housing Studies, 27(2), 189-207. Cortis, N. (2012). Overlooked and under‐served? Promoting service use and engagement among ‘hard‐to‐reach’populations. International Journal of Social Welfare, 21(4), 351-360. Gilmour, T., & Milligan, V. (2012). Let a hundred flowers bloom: Innovation and diversity in Australian not-for-profit housing organisations. Housing Studies, 27(4), 476-494. Glennie, M., & Lodhia, S. (2013). The influence of internal organisational factors on corporate-community partnership agendas: An Australian case study. Meditari Accountancy Research, 21(1), 52-67. Haynes, P. (2015). Managing complexity in the public services. London: Routledge. Johnson, G., Parkinson, S., & Parsell, C. (2012). Policy shift or program drift? Implementing Housing First in Australia. AHURI Final Report, (184), 1-21. Mullins, D., Czischke, D., & van Bortel, G. (2012). Exploring the meaning of hybridity and social enterprise in housing organisations. Housing Studies, 27(4), 405-417. Parsell, C., & Marston, G. (2012). Beyond the ‘at risk’ individual: Housing and the eradication of poverty to prevent homelessness. 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