Overview
Organisations are encountered on a daily basis and impact on the lives of the people and communities human service workers work with. There are a range of variations and types of human service organisations located within the social, political and cultural context that provide a vehicle for the implementation of policy and provision of human services by the welfare state. With social work practice predominantly taking place in and shaped by organisational context, developing an effective organisational practice is critical to the achievement of the aims and values of the social work profession. In this unit you will develop knowledge of different organisational theoretical models to facilitate your ability to analyse and creatively consider organisational and system change and development, and apply strategies to promote social and welfare work values of social justice and realise the equality of opportunity in the provision of services to clients.
Details
Pre-requisites or Co-requisites
Successful completion of 48 credit points in any course.
Important note: Students enrolled in a subsequent unit who failed their pre-requisite unit, should drop the subsequent unit before the census date or within 10 working days of Fail grade notification. Students who do not drop the unit in this timeframe cannot later drop the unit without academic and financial liability. See details in the Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework).
Offerings For Term 1 - 2019
Attendance Requirements
All on-campus students are expected to attend scheduled classes – in some units, these classes are identified as a mandatory (pass/fail) component and attendance is compulsory. International students, on a student visa, must maintain a full time study load and meet both attendance and academic progress requirements in each study period (satisfactory attendance for International students is defined as maintaining at least an 80% attendance record).
Recommended Student Time Commitment
Each 6-credit Undergraduate unit at CQUniversity requires an overall time commitment of an average of 12.5 hours of study per week, making a total of 150 hours for the unit.
Class Timetable
Assessment Overview
Assessment Grading
This is a graded unit: your overall grade will be calculated from the marks or grades for each assessment task, based on the relative weightings shown in the table above. You must obtain an overall mark for the unit of at least 50%, or an overall grade of ‘pass’ in order to pass the unit. If any ‘pass/fail’ tasks are shown in the table above they must also be completed successfully (‘pass’ grade). You must also meet any minimum mark requirements specified for a particular assessment task, as detailed in the ‘assessment task’ section (note that in some instances, the minimum mark for a task may be greater than 50%). Consult the University’s Grades and Results Policy for more details of interim results and final grades.
All University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
You may wish to view these policies:
- Grades and Results Policy
- Assessment Policy and Procedure (Higher Education Coursework)
- Review of Grade Procedure
- Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – Domestic Students
- Monitoring Academic Progress (MAP) Policy and Procedure – International Students
- Student Refund and Credit Balance Policy and Procedure
- Student Feedback – Compliments and Complaints Policy and Procedure
- Information and Communications Technology Acceptable Use Policy and Procedure
This list is not an exhaustive list of all University policies. The full list of University policies are available on the CQUniversity Policy site.
Feedback, Recommendations and Responses
Every unit is reviewed for enhancement each year. At the most recent review, the following staff and student feedback items were identified and recommendations were made.
Feedback from Student evaluation.
Students enjoyed the ability to apply their reading and learning in the unit to the 'real world' through the research and study of local human service organisation.
Retain assessment tasks that support students to make connections between organisational theory, knowledge, and skills with direct practice.
- Research and analyse different organisational theoretical models within the context of broader sociological theories of social systems and change, and apply those models to human service organisations
- Analyse a range of variations of organisational types and context, and evaluate their relative limitations and potential in delivering human service organisational goals and social work objectives and values
- Identify the appropriateness of organisational models for different cultural contexts including working in Indigenous contexts.
- Identify and apply appropriate strategies, consistent with professional values and ethics, for the resolution of dilemmas in organisational practice contexts
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Learning Outcomes
| Assessment Tasks | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 40% | ||||
| 2 - Presentation - 30% | ||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 30% | ||||
Alignment of Graduate Attributes to Learning Outcomes
| Graduate Attributes | Learning Outcomes | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | |
| 1 - Communication | ||||
| 2 - Problem Solving | ||||
| 3 - Critical Thinking | ||||
| 4 - Information Literacy | ||||
| 5 - Team Work | ||||
| 6 - Information Technology Competence | ||||
| 7 - Cross Cultural Competence | ||||
| 8 - Ethical practice | ||||
| 9 - Social Innovation | ||||
| 10 - Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Cultures | ||||
Alignment of Assessment Tasks to Graduate Attributes
| Assessment Tasks | Graduate Attributes | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | |
| 1 - Written Assessment - 40% | ||||||||||
| 2 - Presentation - 30% | ||||||||||
| 3 - Written Assessment - 30% | ||||||||||
Textbooks
Working in human service organisations: A critical introduction
(1992)
Authors: A Jones & J May
Pearson Education Australia
Frenchs Forest Frenchs Forest , NSW , Australia
ISBN: 9780582712713
Binding: Paperback
Additional Textbook Information
Copies can be purchased at the CQUni Bookshop here: http://bookshop.cqu.edu.au (search on the Unit code)
IT Resources
- CQUniversity Student Email
- Internet
- Unit Website (Moodle)
All submissions for this unit must use the referencing style: Harvard (author-date)
For further information, see the Assessment Tasks.
d.dewarren@cqu.edu.au
Module/Topic
Introduction to the unit & organisational practice
Chapter
Carefully read the unit profile and familiarise yourself with the Moodle site.
Introduce yourself to your peers in the Group Discussion forum.
Chapter 1 Jones & May text
Visit the Weekly Study Schedule on the course Moodle site to access the topic's lecture and additional resources.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Organisational theory
Chapter
Chapter 2 Jones & May text
Visit the Weekly Study Schedule on the unit Moodle site to access the topic's lecture and additional resources.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
The organisational environment
Chapter
Chapter 4 Jones & May text
Visit the Weekly Study Schedule on the unit Moodle site to access the topic's lecture and additional resources.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Organisational purpose and goals
Chapter
Chapter 3 & 5 Jones & May text
Visit the Weekly Study Schedule on the unit Moodle site to access the topic's lecture and additional resources.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Human service organisation technology
Chapter
Chapter 3 pp. 86-92 Jones & May text
Visit the Weekly Study Schedule on the unit Moodle site to access the topic's lecture and additional resources.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Organisational culture
Chapter
Chapter 7 Jones & May text
Visit the Weekly Study Schedule on the unit Moodle site to access the topic's lecture and additional resources.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Organisations and workers
Chapter
Chapter 8 Jones & May text
Visit the Weekly Study Schedule on the course Moodle site to access the topic's lecture and additional resources.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Organisations and clients
Chapter
Chapter 9 Jones & May text
Visit the Weekly Study Schedule on the unit Moodle site to access the topic's lecture and additional resources.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Organisations and change
Chapter
Chapter 10 Jones & May text
Visit the Weekly Study Schedule on the unit Moodle site to access the topic's lecture and additional resources.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Beyond the managerialist agenda
Chapter
Chapter 11 Jones & May text
Visit the Weekly Study Schedule on the unit Moodle site to access the topic's lecture and additional resources.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Developing your organisational practice
Chapter
Visit the Weekly Study Schedule on the unit Moodle site to access the topic's resources.
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
Module/Topic
Chapter
Events and Submissions/Topic
1 Written Assessment
Focus: In this assessment, you are asked to demonstrate a theoretical understanding of organisational practice and the knowledge and skills for professional practice in social work and human services.
Product
You are asked to identify and describe three theoretical perspectives of organisational analysis and to then compare and contrast these two perspectives. It is recommended that you refer to the Assessment Criteria for further guidelines.
While it is recommended that Jones and May (1992) is central to this essay, you are required to demonstrate broader research and reading on this topic. Please, ensure you read the assessment criteria prior to commencing this assessment.
Wordage: The wordage for this essay is 2000 words. The submission must include a cover page, abstract, table of contents, and reference list. The word count is considered from the first word of the introduction to the last word of the conclusion. It excludes the cover page, abstract, table of contents, and reference list. It includes in-text references and direct quotations.Your cover sheet must include your name, student number, and word count. You are permitted to submit with a 10% variation above or below 2000 words.
Week 5 Friday (12 Apr 2019) 11:45 pm AEST
Week 7 Friday (3 May 2019)
- Demonstrates knowledge of organisation contexts and its influence on social work practice; including social, political, policy and cultural contexts on human services.
- Demonstrates knowledge of organisational concepts and theories. Compares and contrasts two organisational theories and describes the relevance and appropriateness of these to social work practice, values and ethics.
- Demonstrates an understanding of the appropriateness of each perspective when working with Indigenous Australians.
- Identifies the limitations and usefulness of each theory and the strategies social workers would need to employ as a result of these.
- Demonstrates an ability to produce a well written and structured essay within the word limit with correct spelling, grammar, punctuation and referencing (Harvard).
- Research and analyse different organisational theoretical models within the context of broader sociological theories of social systems and change, and apply those models to human service organisations
- Analyse a range of variations of organisational types and context, and evaluate their relative limitations and potential in delivering human service organisational goals and social work objectives and values
- Identify the appropriateness of organisational models for different cultural contexts including working in Indigenous contexts.
- Identify and apply appropriate strategies, consistent with professional values and ethics, for the resolution of dilemmas in organisational practice contexts
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
2 Presentation
Task Description
This assessment is designed to develop your understanding of organisational analysis and knowledge of organisational processes and structures.
Your role
Imagine you are a social work student researching and analysing an organisation in your local community. You have been asked to present an analysis of a chosen human service organisation based on your personal/professional areas of interest from the list below. It must be a non-government organisation; however, funding could be provided by government or non-government sources. You are to present a 7-minute presentation demonstrating your understanding of this organisation's processes and structure.Product
Choose one (1) community organisation you wish to learn about from one of the following human service sectors:
- Young people
- Housing
- Child protection
- Aged Care
- Drug and Alcohol services
-
Women's services
Presentation
Your organisational presentation should include:
- A background of the organisation, the organisation's philosophy, mission statement, values, goals, structure, environment, technology, culture and theory informing the organisation.
- The role of social workers in the organisation and how it aligns with professional values and ethics.
- An engaging and professional Powerpoint as a visual aide to the presentation. You are required to submit your PowerPoint presentation to Moodle the day before your presentation.
Presentations will take place in week 9. Students are required to register for a presentation session time at Moodle. Session dates and times will be made available on Moodle in Week 3. There will be a maximum number of presentations allocated to each session time. Students are expected to remain for the duration of all student presentations in the session time. Presentations will be recorded for marking purposes only.
- Students are able to work in pairs or groups of three for this assessment task and prepare a joint presentation and PowerPoint submission. In choosing this option students are responsible for organising and coordinating the student partnership and notifying the Unit Coordinator by email. Students are advised to carefully read suggestions for working in groups located on Moodle. Group members will be awarded the same grade.
NB If you choose work in groups Assessment 3 is an individual student submission.
- Presentations will be 7minutes in duration and you will not be able to present material beyond this frame. All presentations must remain within this time range or penalties will apply (maximum 1% of the mark will be deducted for every minute below or over the time range).
- Students are required to submit their PowerPoint presentation on Moodle by 5 pm AEST the day before their presentation.
- Further instructions on this assessment task including presenting in Zoom will be provided by the Unit Coordinator on Moodle and in an Assessment 2 Q & A Zoom session
Week 9 Monday (13 May 2019) 11:45 pm AEST
Presentations will take place in week 9. Students register their presentation session time on Moodle. Students will upload their PowerPoint presentation on Moodle by 5 pm AEST the day before their presentation in Zoom
Week 11 Friday (31 May 2019)
-Applies organisational concepts clearly in presentation using examples drawn from the chosen human service organisation.
- Interprets the role of social workers in the chosen organisation and how it aligns with professional values and ethics.
- Details reflective practice focussed on findings and leading to key insights and conclusions gained from research of the chosen human service organisation and the implications for social work practice within it.
- Clear verbal communication used to apply organisational knowledge within designated time range. Produces a PowerPoint presentation as a visual communication with correct grammar, spelling, punctuation and referencing (Harvard).
- Research and analyse different organisational theoretical models within the context of broader sociological theories of social systems and change, and apply those models to human service organisations
- Analyse a range of variations of organisational types and context, and evaluate their relative limitations and potential in delivering human service organisational goals and social work objectives and values
- Identify the appropriateness of organisational models for different cultural contexts including working in Indigenous contexts.
- Identify and apply appropriate strategies, consistent with professional values and ethics, for the resolution of dilemmas in organisational practice contexts
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
3 Written Assessment
Focus
This report is designed to develop your analysis of organisation context, processes, structures and practice. You are strongly advised to consult the resources available at the Academic Learning Centre to learn about the characteristics of a professional report.
Product
In report format you will build on your organisational presentation in Assessment 2 and provide an analysis of your chosen organisation that includes:
- A background and introduction of the organisation that details the key aspects of the organisation.
- An analysis of how the key aspects of the organisation are integrated in the organisation's delivery of human services.
- An analysis of how the key aspects of the organisation align with social work values and ethics.
- The identification and evaluation of factors that support and challenge the organisation in its achievement of the organisational philosophy and goals and the impact of these on services, staff and service users (paying particular attending to Indigenous Australians).
- The skills, strategies and knowledge required of social workers to work effectively in this organisational context.
-Harvard Referencing is required.
Wordage: A professional report of 1500 words. The submission must be in report format with a reference list with the addition of a cover page. The word count is considered from the first word of the introduction to the last word of the conclusion. It excludes the cover page, table of contents and reference list. It includes in-text references and direct quotations.Your cover sheet must include your name, student number, and word count. You are permitted to submit with a 10% variation above or below 1500 words.
Week 12 Friday (7 June 2019) 11:45 pm AEST
Exam Week Friday (21 June 2019)
- Clearly describes and analyses the key aspects of the chosen organisation.
- Application of organisational characteristics and its alignment with social work values and ethics.
- Identifies and interprets the organisational characteristics and the impact of these on staff and service users, services and programs delivered, specifically Indigenous Australians.
- Standard of written communication, grammar, punctuation and spelling.
- Breadth and quality of independent research and appropriate referencing
- Research and analyse different organisational theoretical models within the context of broader sociological theories of social systems and change, and apply those models to human service organisations
- Analyse a range of variations of organisational types and context, and evaluate their relative limitations and potential in delivering human service organisational goals and social work objectives and values
- Identify the appropriateness of organisational models for different cultural contexts including working in Indigenous contexts.
- Identify and apply appropriate strategies, consistent with professional values and ethics, for the resolution of dilemmas in organisational practice contexts
- Communication
- Problem Solving
- Critical Thinking
- Information Literacy
- Information Technology Competence
- Cross Cultural Competence
- Ethical practice
As a CQUniversity student you are expected to act honestly in all aspects of your academic work.
Any assessable work undertaken or submitted for review or assessment must be your own work. Assessable work is any type of work you do to meet the assessment requirements in the unit, including draft work submitted for review and feedback and final work to be assessed.
When you use the ideas, words or data of others in your assessment, you must thoroughly and clearly acknowledge the source of this information by using the correct referencing style for your unit. Using others’ work without proper acknowledgement may be considered a form of intellectual dishonesty.
Participating honestly, respectfully, responsibly, and fairly in your university study ensures the CQUniversity qualification you earn will be valued as a true indication of your individual academic achievement and will continue to receive the respect and recognition it deserves.
As a student, you are responsible for reading and following CQUniversity’s policies, including the Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure. This policy sets out CQUniversity’s expectations of you to act with integrity, examples of academic integrity breaches to avoid, the processes used to address alleged breaches of academic integrity, and potential penalties.
What is a breach of academic integrity?
A breach of academic integrity includes but is not limited to plagiarism, self-plagiarism, collusion, cheating, contract cheating, and academic misconduct. The Student Academic Integrity Policy and Procedure defines what these terms mean and gives examples.
Why is academic integrity important?
A breach of academic integrity may result in one or more penalties, including suspension or even expulsion from the University. It can also have negative implications for student visas and future enrolment at CQUniversity or elsewhere. Students who engage in contract cheating also risk being blackmailed by contract cheating services.
Where can I get assistance?
For academic advice and guidance, the Academic Learning Centre (ALC) can support you in becoming confident in completing assessments with integrity and of high standard.
What can you do to act with integrity?
