Lesson: 23

Discussion on emerging issues in organizational Renewal

Context for Planning

Planning

The first sub process of programming in which a continuing sequence of educational

activities are carried out by the adult education organization to establish and maintain
linkage with target learner systems and stakeholders to collaboratively identify, assess
and analyze the educational needs of the target learner system.

Two Distinct Dimensions of Planning

1. The organization and its renewal process

2. The identification of and linkage with its target publics/learner systems through
collaboration with learners and their leaders in needs identification, assessment
and analysis.

Organizational Renewal

Organizational renewal involves reexamination by the adult education organization of:

• The needs of its current and emerging policies

• Its own functions, structure, and processes as related to its mission/vision, values,
philosophy and goals/objectives

Processual Task Defined

A processual task is a process in which the adult educator defines an outcome that needs
to be accomplished, specific to a programmatic situation, and then selects and
implements conceptually driven actions, leading to the achievement of that outcome.

The Organization and its Renewal Process 6 Processual Tasks for the Educator

Adult educators must:

• Acquire and maintain a thorough understanding of the functions of the adult

education organization with particular emphasis on its mission/vision, values,
philosophy and goals/objectives.

• Acquire and maintain an in-depth understanding of the organizational structure of

the adult education organization with particular attention given to understanding
the division of responsibilities with respect to job groups; inter organizational
 relationships; lines of communication; and how the expertise and resources of the
organization can be accessed and utilized in the total programming process and in
particular, the planning sub process.
• Acquire an understanding of the adult education organization's management
system and practices with particular emphasis on the management and supervision
of personnel, personnel appraisal, staff development, evaluation and
accountability.

• Acquire and understanding and appreciation of the adult education organization’s

culture and, importantly, how to relate to it.

• Acquire and maintain an understanding of, and the skills needed to implement, the
adult education organization’s programming process.

• Maintain a sensitivity and commitment to the use of feedback obtained and

lessons learned in the implementation of the programming process in assessing
the adult education organization’s effectiveness and relevancy in meeting the
changing educational needs of its mission-mandated publics and in using these
evaluative results to effect needed organizational renewal.

Linkage

Linkage may be defined as the temporary blending of two or more systems through
planned and sustained interaction in such a way that they act as a unitary system in order
to accomplish mutually agreed-upon goals.

Linkage with Publics

Five Elements of Linkage

• Scanning and interpreting the organization’s external environment.

• Study, analysis and mapping of the organization’s potential publics based on its
mission and resource availability.
• Identifying and ranking target publics and stakeholder groups.
• Identifying and interfacing with leaders of target publics and stakeholder groups.
• Collaborating with leaders of target publics and stakeholders to identify, assess
and analyze needs specific to target publics.
Illustration of Linkage in the Planning Process

Adult Education Linkage Target Public

Organization Learner System

Blend to become as one system for a common purpose

Collaborative Needs Identification,

Assessment and Analysis

Objectives of Linkage

• To initiate collaboration between the educator, leaders of target publics and

stakeholders in identifying, assessing and analyzing the educational needs of the
target public.
• To motivate and obtain a firm commitment from the target public to actively
engage in the planned program.
• To build a relationship of trust between the educator, the target publics and
stakeholders
• To create a learning environment that will aid in empowering the target public
• To enhance and maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of the education
organization and its educators in planning for and effecting positive planned
change in its target learner systems.

Linkage and Volunteers

Volunteers can provide a vital link in the linkage process and should not be overlooked.
Your volunteers may be in a position to move the process faster and further than the adult
educator can. Given proper guidance and assistance, volunteers can and will make a
difference in your programming.

Mapping

Mapping is that element of the linkage process by which the adult educator identifies and
delineates learner groups and systems to be served by the adult education organization.
Criteria for Mapping

• Maintaining a constant interaction with the societal context (acting on and

reacting to it);
• Providing alternatives to meet the problems of mapping evolving out of new
environmental forces;
• Having the ability to recognize those parts of the organization that are responsive
to mapping;
• Having an arrangement for preserving or propagating successful experiences

Target Public

(Learner System)

An identified public/learner system toward which the adult education organization

focuses its efforts in facilitating and effecting planned change. Depending on its mission,
the adult education organization may have multiple target publics.

Public may be defined as a group of people who:

• Share common interests and identity.
• Manifest frequent or continuous interactions
• Spatially distributed over a small area or territory, and community

Common Characteristics of a Community

A group of people with:

• Shared interests, attitudes, goals and/or activities

• Common identity
• Frequent and continuing interaction
• Living in an identifiable territory or space that can be mapped

Stakeholders

Individuals, groups, organizations, or agencies, that has an interest/stake in the well being
of the target public. Examples of stakeholders include employers, social service
providers, schools, religious groups, volunteers, politicians, and health care providers.
Often have a vested interest in the affairs of the target public whether real or perceived
May be indigenous to and/or external to the target public

Conceptual Approaches to Mapping

Social System Analysis

Social Stratification
Social Differentiation
Cultural Analysis
Political subdivisions and health and human services determinants

Social System

A group of people whose interactions are directed toward goal attainment and guided by
patterns of structured and shared symbols and expectations. (Loomis 1960)

Elements of a Social System

• Beliefs (knowledge)
• Sentiments (values)
• Ends or Objectives
• Facilities
• Status role
• Power
• Norms
• Social rank
• Sanctions

Processes that hold the Social System together

• Communication
• Boundary maintenance
• Socialization
• Institutionalization
• Systemic linkage
• Social control
• Processes
• Basic Social Systems
• Family
• Neighborhood
• Community
• County
• Church
• Special interest groups (formal and non-formal/organizations)

Social Stratification

Social stratification is a functional system of grouping people within a society generally

based on income, education, wealth and cultural heritage. Social class is a manifestation
of ranking and grouping through the social stratification process.

Social Phenomena that Collectively Lead to Stratification

• Income level
 • Occupation
• Education
• Genealogy
• Reputation
• Aspirations
• Historical development

Social Differentiation

A process of differentiating and sorting people out within a social class or social system
by gender, age, education, occupation, marital status and other distinct characteristics
Criteria Used for Social Differentiation
• Role
• Age
• Sex
• Ethnic background
• Socioeconomic status

Culture

A way of life of a definable group of people. It includes all learned and expected ways of
life shared by members of a society, as well as buildings, tools and other physical things.

(Within a culture, there are subcultures)

Cultural Analysis

In-depth study of a social grouping’s way of life that is transmitted from one generation
to another, and thus forms, among other factors, a source of knowledge, beliefs,
sentiments and values.

Identification of Leaders and Stakeholders with the Target Public

Objectives:

• To identify those persons who are influential among the target public
• To understand the characteristics and behaviors of these key leaders.
• Approaches to Identifying Leaders
• Positional approach
• Reputational approach
• Personal Influence approach
• Decision-making approach
• Social Participation approach
• Interfacing with Leaders of Target Publics
• Two immediate goals exist:
 • Interfacing with these leaders and engaging them in meaningful discussions is a
key to building trust
• Building trust begins the process of collaborative needs identification, assessment,
analysis and eventual consensus

Source: http://www.cals.ncsu.edu/agexed/aee521/class04/aee521class5.ppt

Reference for Unit 2:

1. Human Resource Management, Dessler Gary, Prentice hall India
2. Human Resource Management, Text & cases, “Excel Books” V.S. P Rao
3. Human Resource Management- A managerial tool for competitive management,
Lawrence. S Kleiman
4. Application in Human Resource Management, Cases, Exercises and Skill
Builders, Stellar M. Nkomo, R Bruce McAfee, Myron D Fottler
5. Human Resource and Personnel Management, Text & Cases, K.Aswathappa, Tata
McGraw Hill
6. Human Resource Management, John M Evancevich, Tata McGraw –Hill
7. Excellence through human resource management, M.R.R.Nair, T.V.Rao, Tata
McGraw-Hill
8. Principles and Practices of Management, L.M. Prasad, Sultan Chand and Sons