1. One Media/Publication Administrative Perspective Analysispaper. That paper is valued at 120 points. The paper should be 3-4 pages, excluding the cover page. Choose one (1) current media product

RUNNING HEA D: ANALYSIS FROM A SUPERVISION/ADMINISTRATION PERSPECTIVE 1 Toya Compton HURES 5043 - 01 Human Services Administration & Supervision Analysis of an Agency from a Supervision/Administration Perspective East Central University 14 th February 2011 Analysis from a Supervision/Administration Perspective 2 Introduction I have chosen to analyze an agency where I served first as a volunteer, then later as a Board Member. This was a Crisis Center in a small island community whose main focus was dealing with domestic violence matters. This agency was opened in 1988 and is currently overseen by a Board of Directors consisting of eight individuals. There are also four (paid) staff membe rs, namely the Managing Director, Counselor, Administrative Assistant and Office Assistant/Messenger. In additio n, persons in the community are welcome to join the Center as a “member” or a volunt eer. Members and volunteers are invited to annual general me etings held by the agency and could also be called upon as needed to assist in various projects and activities of the agency, including participating in training exercises. The areas I will focu s on for analysis from a supervision and administration persp ective include the environment, goals, designing and planning, budgeting, training/staffing, referrals, casework, resistance to supervision, promotions, and finally supervising, monitoring and evaluations. Environment I will focus on the key stakeholde rs of this agency, which include the government as the funding source, the Board of Directors , and the community which it serves . The relationship with the government was generally positive, and there did not seem to be any stringent requirements of accoun tability for the quarte rly stipend given. In fact the G overnor General of the island i s a firm supporter of the Center and its work, and often praised the work of the agency in the media. In terms of the relationship with the community, the agency i s also regarded mainly in a positive light, as a supporter and advocate especially for women. The founder of the agency is still seen as somewhat of a local hero, and is well respected both within and outside the agency, even at Analysis from a Supervision/Administration Perspective 3 her advanced age and the fact that she is no longer intimately involved with the operations of the agency. On the other hand, some feel that the Center’s focus is too limited on women, as they claim that men are also victims of domestic violence. Aware of this criticism, the Center has struggled to portray a more fam ily oriented image and has tried to include men in its various activities and projects. More recently a male Public Relations Officer was appointed to the Board of Directors, and this has helped the public image to some extent. Unfortunately the internal environment of the agency is more tumultuous and challenging than its external environment. There is much tension between the President of the Board and the Managing Director who runs the daily operations. This is mainly due to micromanagement and miscompr ehension regarding the role of Board Members versus operating staff. Further analysis of this conflict will be covered in later sections . Goals/Designing/Planning Although from the outside the agency seems quite well managed, those who are intimately involved with the operations are well aware of the many struggles that the Center has in making and prioritizing goals, as well as in planning and designing programs an d activities. Indeed it is a plus for the agency that this is not obvious to outsiders, so that their good reputation within the community is maintained. Also a strength of the agency is that the President of the Board also runs her own event planning busi ness . Therefore activities of the Center, while they may not be properly planned, are often executed smoothly due to her expertise. However in terms of strategic planning and long terms goals , the agency has encountered difficulties. A cri tical example is that a Peace Corps volunteer was invited by the agency to assist in grant writing proposals, and ended up working on a SWOT analysis for the center. Although many board members were not clear as to how this change of assignment came about, it was agreed Analysis from a Supervision/Administration Perspective 4 that the volunteer would proceed since conducting a SWOT analysis was deemed as urgent a task as grant writing. In conducting the analysis, the volunteer interviewed all board and staff members, however the final document was met with much resistance by the Board, who entered into a defensive mode, especially regarding the “weaknesses” of the agency. One Board Member even claimed that nothing she had said had ended up in the final report. Nobody seemed to appreciate that the whole point of a SWOT analysis was to link strengths within the agency to opportunities in the environment , and also to be aware of weaknesses within the agency , so that threats or challenges could be minimized, and defensive strategies d eveloped. Perhaps the Peace Corps volunteer could have done a better job at explaining the entire process to the board, and especially to emphasize that this was not a “personal attack” on the Board and management of the agency. On the other hand the Board of Directors themselves should ha ve some expertise in strategic planning in order to better fulfill their role. Bryson (2004) has suggested that there are bad times to do strategic planning. It also seems to me that the negative internal climate in the Center can be considered one of thes e bad times ! Budgeting The agency receives a small subvention from the government of $7, 000.00 per quarter, which it supplements by various fundraising activities. As a not for profit agency, this amount is hardly enough to cover the operating expenses , including and especially the salaries of staff. Pay is a point of contention mainly for the Managing Director and the Counselor, who feel overworked and underpaid. Money is such a critical issue and is often discussed at board meetings; however there is no formal reporting or tracking mechanism in place to accurately monitor expenditure. For example, the reconciliation of the accounts of the Center has been long Analysis from a Supervision/Administration Perspective 5 overdue and was talked about for more than a year. Ironically the reason for the Center not be ing able to make a decision regarding the hiring of an employee to do the accounts is precisely that there is no money to pay this person. From an administration perspective, I think that this is a critical issue that should be resolved urgently. In order to monitor the little money that the agency manages and also to meet legal and auditing requirements, perhaps the agency could even consider having a professional volunteer to assist in putting the account s in order. Training/Staffing As mentioned earlier, the paid staff consists of a Managing Director, Counselor, Administrative Assistant and an Office Assistant/Messenger. The first two have a lot of experience in their field and often benefit from various training activities and workshops conducted by the Ministry of Health and Human Services. The Managing Director herself also conducts training in the community, as part of an outreach program for awareness of domestic violence. The Administrative and Office Assistant s are more advanced in age and are no lo nger adding maximum value to their positions. A tough management decision needs to be made to replace these individuals so that the agency could be run more effectively. Referrals The agency enjoys close collaborative relationships with similar organiz ations in the community, and there is an active referral system in place. Some of these agencies include the Department of Social Services, a Women’s Shelter and various adult and children’s homes around the island. In fact there was a booklet recently com piled which listed contact numbers for all such agencies, and the Crisis Center was included. I think there is an opportunity for even further collaboration of services among these agencies. For example, with the long standing issue Analysis from a Supervision/Administration Perspective 6 of accounts reconciliat ion, the Crisis Center could perhaps network with another agency to have someone assist with their accounts and to perhaps share the costs . Casework The Managing Director and Counselor carry the brunt of the work of the Center, and have both put in requests for higher salaries because of this heavy workload. The Managing Director, for example, is involved in several projects and activities such as comm unity outreach, radio programs, representing the Center at various functions and ceremonies, speaking to the media and managing a student sponsorship program. The Counselor has a fair share of clients, and has to do everything for them including intake, as sessment, counseling , and follow up. From an administration perspective, I think that the mandate of the Center could be narrowed down some more so that the Managing Director does not have to be so “stretched” For example , is managing a student sponsorship program really part of the Center’s mandate to deal with domestic violence? To assist the Counselor, there are many professional and trained volunteers who would be more than willing to assist in intake and counseling for an agreed number of hours per wee k. Resistance to Supervision There is much conflict and tension mainly between the Managing Director and the President of the Board, with the latter wanting more closer involvement in the daily operations of the agency, while the former considering her self to be a fairly independent and experienced professional in the field who can make it on her own. There is some disagreement and confusion as to the role of the Board and the role of the Managing Director, which I think co uld be easily resolved by cons ulting the bylaws of the agency, updating a job descri ption for the Managing Director, and/or networking with similar agencies to see how responsibilities are shared . Analysis from a Supervision/Administration Perspective 7 Promotions There is no real opportunity for promotions with the current staff structu re; however both the Managing Director and the Counselor have put in written requests for salary increases on the basis of their workload and the fact that their salary had not been increased in a few years. I think at least a cost of living increase shoul d be agreed for each year that they did not receive such. Perhaps the government could also be petitioned to increase the small subvention in light of inflation over the years. Supervising, Monitoring and Evaluations There is not a strong performance management culture in this agency, perhaps because of its more supportive and helping -oriented nature, and its focus more on the “output publics” - the clients, rather than the “th roughput publics” - the staff. However I think that especially in this modern environment, to remain competitive and also with some of the conflict being manifested within this agency, some sort of monitoring and evaluation needs to be formally implemented.

Perhaps management by objectives would be a good place to begin, by having e ach staff member agree with their reporting authority what their goals should be for a given time period. This would be especially useful for the Managing Director and the President of the Board. There is some monitoring and evaluation happening, not of p erformance of individuals , but of the programs and activities of the agency, which is useful . For example the Managing Director is expected to provide quarterly reports on the activities of the Center while some projects that are implemented through grant funding have been evaluated and the results documented. Analysis from a Supervision/Administration Perspective 8 Conclusion This agency has many strengths which can be explored, and also some weaknesses that could be counteracted with immediate and feasible solutions. The strengths include its positive reg ard in the community, opportunities for deeper collaboration with other agencies , and the years of experience of key staff members. However its weaknesses include its lack of strategic planning, a lack of proper performance evaluations and accounting syste ms, and some tension between the President of the Board and the Managing Director. The agency needs to look ahead to the future, rather than rely on its positive regard in the Community and especially the legacy of its past achievements and those of its fo under. The Board should perform more of a strategic and advisory role and provide some clear direction regarding its role and the role of key staff members. Clear documentation should be in place to state the mission and vision of the agency, as well as th e roles and responsibilities of key personnel, so that everyone is clear as to what is expected of them. A proper accounting system also needs to be put in place urgently. Volunteers can be invited to do more concrete tasks than simply attend meetings and training activities . Analysis from a Supervision/Administration Perspective 9 References Lewis, J. A ., Packard , T. R., & Lewis, M. D. (2007). Management of human service programs (4 th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole. Bryson, J. (2004). Strategic planning for public and nonprofit organizations: A guide for strengthening and sustaining organizational achievement (3 rd ed.). San Francisco: Jossey -Bass .