The Definition of Community and the Qualities of any Community - Literature review Example

Community Name: University: Course Title: Instructor: Date: Introduction Ledwith (2011, p.34) notes that community work/development and subsequently the success of community work lies not only in listening and valuing, but also understanding the particular experiences, needs, expectations and aspirations of the people in that community. As such, the success of community work is a determined by various factors critically related to the foregoing. As a result, the success of community work is informed by the analysis of how the experiences, aspirations and needs of members of a community are associated to the power forces which are embedded within the structures of a community (Craig et al., 2011, p.185). In addition, the success of community work in a particular community is also significantly determined by the understanding and knowledge on how various forces reach into the community and their impacts on the lives of individual members of the community (Taylor, Wilkinson, and Cheers, 2008; Craig, Popple and Shaw, 2008). The purpose of this essay is to provide the definition of community and examine the qualities of any community that will impact upon the success of community work in that particular community. What is a Community? According to the Foundation of Community Encouragement (2013), a community can be regarded as a group of two or more individuals who have been able to not only accept, but also transcend their differences with reference to the diversity of their backgrounds. As such a community is a group of individuals or rather people who are able to effectively and openly communicate; as well as work together in order to achieve common goals. Ledwith (2011, p.34) reiterate that community is a complex system involving interrelationships woven across diverse historical and cultural backgrounds, social differences, and influenced by both present social and political trends. The present shape of a community is determined by the changing and dynamic wider political context as well as historical issues. Therefore, a successful community work must engage all members of the community regardless of their political affiliations, social class, ethnic origin, age, sexual orientation, race as well as religion among other factors. Community work involves working with and supporting initiatives by both the public and the private sectors towards improving the quality of life of community members. This is due to the fact that a community involves individuals or people who share an interest or cause. However, understanding this shared interest or cause is a significant determinant of the success of community work (Ledwith, 2011, p.34). One of the most popular approaches to understanding the experiences, needs, expectations, as well as shared interest or cause is via community profiling. This must engage the community members to be authentic. By partnering with the community, this profiling becomes void of political agendas (Taylor, Wilkinson, and Cheers, 2008). Other types of profiling such as needs assessments, social audits and community consultations may not reflect the purpose of community work and development as they can e easily manipulated by political forces within a community. Community work/development approach is based on the assumption that the structures and the organization of the society are characterised by problems of inequality, powerlessness as well as alienation. Thus, for community work to achieve higher levels of social justice and equality, power and resources must be redistributed (Ledwith, 2011, p.34). The Qualities of Any Community that Will Impact upon the Success of Community Work in that Community Brake and Deller, (2008, p.91) posit that community work is an empowerment and advocacy tool for the community whose effectiveness and success lies with the community. According to Craig, Popple and Shaw (2008), there are numerous qualities of any community which have enormous impact on the success of community-oriented development work. In order to build a community successfully, that particular community must exhibit coherent characteristics (Belassi and Tukel, 1996; Taylor, Wilkinson, and Cheers, 2008). The following are the factors or rather the qualities of any community that will significantly determine the success of community oriented development work. The first factor is concerned with the awareness of the community of an issue to be addressed and the willingness to participate and be engaged. For community work to be successful, the community members must be in a position to recognize and acknowledge an issue, a need or even a challenge or problem which require an intervention or an initiative. After this recognition, the community must demonstrate the need to act or rather decide to act on the issue identified. The is likely to be success of community work in a community that is willing to participate and be engaged in solving or addressing the issue as compared to a community that lacks this qualities. This is because it is easy to work towards achieving a common goal when members of a community are willing to collectively participate in initiatives geared towards achieving a common goal (The World Bank, 2005, p.69 and 70). Secondly, how a community is motivated from within itself has significant impact on the success of community work. According to Craig and colleagues (2011, p.185), motivation for men, women and the youth is a recipe for successful community work and where it lacks it would be difficult to realize any meaningful community work. Research indicates that successful community work occur only when motivation of the community is self-imposed rather than the community being encouraged by the stakeholders from the outside (McCook, K., 2000, p.45 to 47). The community must be able to work in a variety of conditions (Briskman, 2007, p.86). Motivated communities are open-minded and this is good for successful community work. Thirdly, the geographic area/size of the community also impacts on the success of community work of that community. This is because the geographic size of a community significantly determines the management of the community work. Usually, successful community work occurs in small and coherent areas. This is because it is easier to plan, implement and manage community development initiatives in such areas (McCook, K., 2000, p.45 to 47). In addition, broad areas may not exhibit a common concern for the same issue and as such, such a community may not coalesce on a common issue, interest/cause or challenge/problem. For instance, a community with coherent geographic attributes are more likely to be affected by a common issue. However, a community in a larger geographic are may have a myriad of critical issues which may be difficult to prioritize and act on without a section of such a community withdrawing their support. When this happens, it adversely impact on the success of community work in that particular community. The fourth quality of any community which has significant implication on community work in that community is concerned with adaptability and flexibility of the community in question (Briskman, 2007, p.86). The initiatives and approaches to community work must be adaptable for the community work to succeed. In addition, alternative initiatives and approaches must be in place in case the first option appears not to be headed for success. As such, a community must be flexible enough to adapt to such changes when they occur (McCook, K., 2000, p.45 to 47). Community-based development work is more likely to be successful as compared to communities which lack adaptability and flexibility qualities. The fifth factor regards existing identifiable leadership and social cohesion. For community work to be successful, they must be someone in leadership position (McCook, K., 2000, p.45 to 47). Research indicates that effective leaders influence and guide the behaviour of individuals, teams, groups or the entire community towards the achievement of common goals. As such, the existence of an effective leader in a community is a catalyst for successful community work (Ali, 2012, p.153). With regard to social cohesion, community work is usually more successful when a community exhibits the spirit for problem solving and peaceful coexistence. The prospects for successful community work diminish in a community that lacks qualities of social cohesion, problem solving and peaceful coexistence. Finally, prior success with community work; as well as the ability of a community to discuss, negotiate, realize consensus and cooperate/collaborate also has significant implication on the success of community work. The obvious is undeniable true, that a community work is most likely to be successful in community with experience as compared to a community which has never had experience with community work before (Briskman, 2007, p.86; McCook, K., 2000, p.45 to 47). As such, the success of community work in a community that has never initiated efforts towards problem solving is minimal as compared to one that has had the experience before. In addition, it is easy to institute implement and manage community work where community members are willing and ready to collaborate/cooperate for the sake of community problem solving. In a community where these qualities lack, community work may not be so productive or rather successful. Conclusion The purpose of this essay was to provide the definition of a community and examine the qualities of any community that will impact upon the success of community work in that particular community. Community is a group of people who have overcome their differences, communicate openly and effectively and who are able to collaborate and work together for a common cause. This paper has critically examined the various factors or rather qualities of a community which influence the success of social work. More importantly, listening, valuing, as well as understanding the particular experiences, needs, expectations and aspirations of the people in that community is critical for the success of community work. References Ali, A. (2012). The Crucial Role of Leadership in Organizations: A Review of Literature. International Journal of Independent Research and Studies – IJIRS, 1(4), pp.153-161. Belassi, W. and Tukel, O. I. (1996). A New Framework for Determining Critical Success/Failure in Projects. International Journal of Project Management, 14(3), pp. 141-151. Brake, R. and Deller, U. (2008). Community Development: A European Challenge. Farmington: Verlag Barbara Budrich Publishers. Briskman, L. (2007). Social Work with Indigenous Communities. London: Federation Press. Craig, G. et al., (2011). The Community Development Reader: History, Themes and Issues. Bristol, UK: The Policy Press. Craig, G., Popple, K. and Shaw, M. (2008). Community Development in Theory and Practice: An International Reader. Nottingham: Spokesman. Foundation of Community Encouragement. (2013). What is Community Building? [Online] Available at < http://fce-community.org/what-is-cb/> [Accessed 4 September 2013]. Ledwith, M. (2011). Community Development: A Critical Approach. Bristol, UK: The Policy Press. McCook, K. (2000). A Place at the Table: Participating in Community Building. New York: American Library Association. Taylor, J., Wilkinson, D. And Cheers, B. (2008). Working with Communities in Health and Human Services. South Melbourne: Oxford University Press. The World Bank. (2005). Putting Social Development to Work for the Poor: An OED Review of World Bank Activities. Washing, D.C: The World Bank. Read More