Showing papers on "Empowerment published in 1996"

Social structural characteristics of psychological empowerment

Abstract: A set of hypotheses based on emerging theory on high-involvement systems describes expected relationships between social structural characteristics at the level of the work unit (perceptions of role ambiguity, span of control, sociopolitical support, access to information and resources, and work unit climate) and feelings of empowerment. The hypotheses are examined with data on a sample of middle managers from diverse units of a Fortune 50 organization. A work unit with little role ambiguity, strong sociopolitical support, access to information, and a participative unit climate is found to be associated with managerial perceptions of empowerment, as is working for a boss who has a wide span of control.

The New Work Order

Abstract: Workplace democracy. Empowerment. Team leaders. Knowledge workers. This is the language of the new work order promoted by todays management, which promises more meaningful and satisfying work, greater respect for diversity, and more democratic distribution of knowledge. But Gee, Hull, and Lankshear find startling contradictions in this brave new workplaceescalating inequality between individuals, nations, and even continents. They show how newly created alliances between business, educators, and psychologists may point to a hidden capitalist agenda more interested in preserving the status quo than establishing a new work order. This book offers a compelling and controversial account of global capitalism in the information age and the ways it affects language, literacy, learning, and life chances. It will be of particular interest to students in education, business, sociology, sociolinguistics, and communication studies.

Micro-credit initiatives for equitable and sustainable development : who pays?; a case study of the Grameen Bank Program in rural Bangladesh

Abstract: Abstract There is a growing acknowledgement that micro-credit programs have potential for equitable and sustainable development. However, my anthropological research on the micro-credit program of the Grameen Bank shows that bank workers are expected to increase disbursement of loans among their members and press for high recovery rates to earn profit necessary for economic viability of the institution. To ensure timely repayment in the loan centers bank workers and borrowing peers inflict an intense pressure on women clients. In the study community many borrowers maintain their regular payment schedules through a process of loan recycling that considerably increases the debt-liability on the individual households, increases tension and frustration among household members, produces new forms of dominance over women and increases violence in society.

Empowerment evaluation : knowledge and tools for self-assessment & accountability

Abstract: PART ONE: INTRODUCTION AND OVERVIEW Empowerment Evaluation - David M Fetterman An Introduction to Theory and Practice PART TWO: BREADTH AND SCOPE Empowerment Evaluation and Accelerated Schools - Henry M Levin Empowerment Evaluation and the W K Kellogg Foundation - Ricardo A Millett PART THREE: CONTEXT Empowerment Evaluation and State Government - Joyce Keller Moving from Resistance to Adoption The HIV Prevention Evaluation Initiative - Cynthia Gomez and Ellen Goldstein A Model for Collaborative and Empowerment Evaluation Empowerment Evaluation - Cheryl Grills et al Building upon a Tradition of Activism in the African American Community Realizing Participant Empowerment in the Evaluation of Nonprofit Women's Services Organizations - Arlene B Andrews Notes from the Front Line PART FOUR: THEORETICAL AND PHILOSOPHICAL FRAMEWORKS Empowering Community Health Initiatives through Evaluation - Stephen B Fawcett et al Empowerment Evaluation at Federal and Local Levels - Robert K Yin, Shakeh J Kaftarian, and Nancy F Jacobs Dealing with Quality Evaluation and Self-Direction in Community Prevention Coalitions - John F Stevenson, Roger E Mitchell, and Paul Florin Fairness, Liberty, and Empowerment Evaluation - Dennis E Mithaug PART FIVE: WORKSHOPS, TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE, AND PRACTICE Empowering Community Groups with Evaluation Skills - Jean Ann Linney and Abraham Wandersman The Prevention Plus III Model Participatory and Empowerment Evaluation - Margret A Dugan Lessons Learned in Training and Technical Assistance The Plan Quality Index - Frances D Butterfoss et al An Empowerment Evaluation Tool for Measuring and Improving the Quality of Plans Building Community Capacity with Evaluation Activities That Empower - Steven W Mayer PART SIX: CONCLUSION Conclusion - David M Fetterman Reflections on Emergent Themes and the Next Steps

Fairness in International Law and Institutions

Abstract: PART I: A CRITICAL ANALYTICAL FRAMEWORK FOR A CRITIQUE OF INTERNATIONAL LAW PART II: FAIRNESS IN EMPOWERMENT OF PERSONS AND PEOPLES PART III: FAIRNESS AND INSTITUTIONAL POWER PART IV: THE LAW AND INSTITUTIONS OF DISTRIBUTIVE JUSTICE PART V: FAIRNESS ABOUT FAIRNESS: SHAPING A GLOBAL DISCOURSE

An analysis of the concept of empowerment

Abstract: This paper is an analysis of the concept of empowerment and its use in nursing practice, education, research and health promotion. The paper adopts an eclectic approach to concept analysis, incorporating the methods advocated by Walker & Avant and Rodgers. The concept is analysed and a theoretical definition given. Defining attributes, related concepts, antecedents and consequences of empowerment are proposed and a model case presented. The analysis demonstrates that empowerment is: a helping process; a partnership valuing self and others; mutual decision making; and freedom to make choices and accept responsibility. Implications for practice conclude the paper.

Triumphs and Tears: Young People, Markets, and the Transition from School to Work

Abstract: Training credits and the transition to work in post-Thatcherite Britain stakeholders and training credits anticipations and forced change - Helen's story victim, fool or rebel? - Laura's story choice, empowerment and unsatisfactory training - Elaine and Alison NVQs and "on and off the job" training - Clive and Becky general satisfaction and untroubled progress - David, Peter, Sam and Frances markets, vouchers and training policy career decision-making and careership in the transition from school to work the problem with endings.

Rallying the Whole Village: The Comer Process for Reforming Education

Abstract: Rallying the Whole Village: The Comer Process for Reforming Education, edited by James P. Comer, Norris M. Haynes, Edward T. Joyner, and Michael Ben-Avie. New York: Teachers College Press, 1996. 185 pp. $21.95 paper. Reviewed by Donna Y. Ford, The University of Virginia. As its name implies, Rallying the Whole Village addresses the role and responsibility of the educational community, the neighborhood community, the business community, and families in promoting the academic, psychological, social, ethical, and physical well-being of students. In rallying these various communities, the editors and authors also highlight the importance of focusing on the whole child. They further recognize that effective teaching is a multidimensional enterprise that must be grounded in a holistic educational philosophy. The primary objectives of this book are to close the gap between theory and practice, and to guide educators, parents, and decision-makers through the process of developing educationally relevant and sound programs for minority and economically disadvantaged students. The authors encourage readers to stop finger-pointing and share the responsibility of helping all children reach their optimal potential. Their overarching perspective is that consensus, collaboration, and no-fault philosophies promote healthy learning environments for students, which in turn lead to success in the academic, psychological, social, ethical, and physical realms. Toward these goals, Rallying the Whole Village delineates how educators can optimize minority student outcomes. As such, its contributors note generally that educators must attend to the following: (a) provide integrated services; (b) teach children to respect themselves and others; (c) recognize the centrality of the family in children's development and self-definition; (d) develop curricula and pedagogical approaches that are sensitive and responsive to the diverse needs of children from different cultural and racial groups as well as those with special cognitive, psychological, and physical needs; and (e) prepare school staff more substantively in child development and in recognizing individual differences. Various aspects of the Comer Process are discussed in the seven chapters of this book. The majority of chapter one describes the diagnostic and prescriptive approaches adopted by Comer and colleagues to address the poor education and negative educational outcomes of students. In it, the authors lay the historical foundation for the Comer Process's School Development Program (SDP), which focuses on the overall well-being of children in the context of the home, school, society, and social networks. Also stressed is the influence of these contexts on the social, cognitive, psychological, language, and ethical development of students. The interconnectedness and balance of these developmental pathways are discussed relative to designing appropriate prevention and intervention strategies and programs for individual students. This chapter also reminds readers that children fail to thrive in schools for many complex reasons, the majority of which can be overcome in a healthy school climate. Also noted are the shortcomings of the fragmentary approaches often adopted by schools to address school problems and the inadequate training provided school staff on helping children from a developmental perspective. Chapter two presents an overview of the theoretical models underlying Comer's philosophy of school reform. Key theories discussed include field theory, human ecology, social action, and population adjustment. Most importantly, the contributors to this chapter effectively bridge theory and practice by stressing the holistic perspective needed to reform schools for minority student achievement and empowerment. Chapter three goes a step further by urging educators to move away from a mechanistic educational philosophy and toward student-centered education. Also discussed are family involvement and the benefits school members (families, children, teachers) receive when family involvement is substantive, meaningful, and relevant. …

The ecology of empowerment: Predicting participation in community organizations

Abstract: The community empowerment model of grassroots organizing is briefly described. A particular ecological framework of physical, economic, and social environmental predictors of citizen participation in grassroots community or ganizations is presented. Individual and block-level (contextual) survey and observational data from New York City, Baltimore, and Salt Lake City were used to predict residents' participation in such organizations, cross-sectionally and after a one-year time lag. Longitudinal data from one city were used to predict the viability of block associations seven years later. Crime and fear were unrelated to participation. Defensible space, territoriality, and physical incivilities were sometimes negatively and sometimes positively related to participation. Income, home ownership, minority status, and residential stability were positively, but inconsistently, related to participation. Community-focused social cognitions (organizational efficacy, civic responsibility, community attachments) and behaviors (neighboring, volunteer work through churches and other community organizations) were consistently and positively predictive of participation at both the individual and block levels. The model explained up to 28% of the variance in individual participation and up to 52% of the variance in block-level participation. Implications for theory, research, and community organizing are discussed.

Relation of Parental Involvement, Empowerment, and School Traits to Student Academic Performance

Abstract: School-level data on parent perceptions and structural characteristics of 42 elementary schools were used to examine the relation of parental involvement and empowerment to student academic performance. Results showed that measures of parental involvement and empowerment could be reliably predicted. Multiple regression analyses showed that parental involvement and empowerment accounted for substantial variance in student standardized test performance (lowest R 2 = 25% and 5%, respectively). Positive relations of parental involvement to student test performance were largely unaffected by school characteristics or the socioeconomic, racial, and ethnic composition of the student population.

Building the learning organization : a systems approach to quantum improvement and global success

Abstract: Importance of becoming a learning organization learning organization model organizational transformation knowledge management technology in learning organizations people empowerment learning dynamics companies that are leading the way building your organization.

The development of a learner empowerment measure 1

Abstract: The concept of empowerment has been used extensively in business, politics, and education in myriad ways and with multiple meanings. In this study, empowerment is conceptualized as a form of motivation (Conger & Kanungo, 1988; Thomas & Velthouse, 1990) which can exist as either a state or a trait. We believe that communication has a major influence on students' empowerment just as communication frequently impacts such conditions as state motivation (Frymier, 1994). The long range goal, for which this research is a first step, is to understand the role of communication in the process of empowerment. The immediate goals of this research are to provide a more specific conceptualization of empowerment as applied to the classroom and to develop an instrument to measure learner empowerment. Drawing heavily on the work of Thomas and Velthouse (1990), two studies were conducted to develop and refine the learner empowerment measure and to establish the construct validity of the instrument.

Staff nurse work empowerment and perceived control over nursing practice, Conditions for work effectiveness.

Abstract: Nurse administrators are seeking ways to create organizational work environments that empower nurses to exercise more control over the content and context of their practice. This study used Rosabeth Kanter's Structural Theory of Organizational Behavior to examine relationships between staff nurses'

Community Research As Empowerment: Feminist Links, Postmodern Interruptions

Abstract: 1: Empowerment as a Social Research Framework. 2: Building 'Inclusive Communities'. 3: Researching Organizations for Renewal and Change. 4: Multiple Methods for Validity. 5: Power Plays. 6: Creative Analyses. 7: Unity, Distribution, Transformation. Glossary. Reference. Appendices. Index

Empowerment, effective helpgiving practices and family-centered care

Abstract: Improving practices with families of pediatric patients is most likely to occur when nurses and other health care professionals more fully understand the characteristics and consequences of different approaches to their work. A review of relevant literature in the empowerment, helpgiving, and family-centered care fields suggests the kinds of beliefs, attitudes, and behaviors that will optimize benefits to families in different domains of functioning. Family-centered care is a special case of effective helpgiving, and effective helpgiving is a special case of an empowerment approach to working with people seeking professional advice and expertise.

Culturally Competent Scholarship: Substance and Rigor

Abstract: There is an urgency to the development of culturally competent care. This urgency is due to increasing diversity, increasing disclosure of identities, care delivery moving to homes, and increasing inequity in access to health care. The development of a knowledge base for culturally competent care is constrained by substantive and methodological issues, such as the limited view of culture as a unit of analysis and limitations in designs and methods that could capture the integrative nature of participants' experiences. Therefore, I propose that components of foundational knowledge in nursing may include, but should not be limited to, populations and their cultures; culture-specific nursing phenomena; and responses to diversity, marginalization, vulnerability, and transitions. To develop culturally competent knowledge, researchers, theoreticians, and reviewers are urged to address eight criteria to ensure rigor and credibility in scholarship: contextuality, relevance, communication styles, awareness of identity and power differentials, disclosure, reciprocation, empowerment, and time.

What a Woman Ought to Be and to Do: Black Professional Women Workers during the Jim Crow Era

Abstract: This work explores the inner world of American Black professional women during the Jim Crow era. It is a story of struggle and empowerment, of the strength of a group of women who worked against daunting odds to improve the world for themselves and their people. Shaw has done research into the lives of social workers, librarians, nurses and teachers from the 1870s through the 1950s. The women tell, in their own words, about their families, their values and their expectations. Shaw explains the forces and factors that made them exceptional and of the choices and commitments that made them leaders in their communities. This book explores a world in which African-American families, communities and schools worked to encourage the self-confidence, individual initiative and social responsibility of girls. Shaw shows how, in a society that denied black women full professional status, these girls embraced and in turn defined an ideal of "socially responsible individualism" that balanced private and public sphere responsibilities. A collective portrait of character shaped in the toughest circumstances, this book aims to provide more than a study of the socialization of these women as children and the organization of their work as adults. It also provides a study of leadership - of how African American communities gave their daughters the power to succeed in and change a hostile world.

Social work and empowerment

Abstract: PART 1: THEORIES, MODELS AND METHODS FOR EMPOWERING PRACTICE - Ingredients of Empowerment - Frameworks for Empowerment - PART 2: EMPOWERMENT IN PRACTICE - Self-Empowerment - Empowering Individuals - What are Empowering Groups? - Working with Empowering Groups - Empowering Communities and Organisations - Empowering Evaluation - PART 3: ISSUES FOR SOCIAL WORK - Social Workers and People Using Services: Empowering Relationships? - Towards an Empowering Social Work - Bibliography - Index

Missing the Connection: Social Isolation and Employment on the Brooklyn Waterfront

Abstract: Much of the recent literature on poverty assumes that the social and spatial isolation of impoverished inner city neighborhoods contributes to the poor job prospects of their residents. In this case study we examine a neighborhood, the Red Hook section of Brooklyn, New York, in which there is a concentration of poor people living in close proximity to blue-collar jobs. However, few local residents hold local jobs in the private sector. A survey of local employers revealed that most Red Hook jobs were filled via social networks that exclude local residents. Local residents, particularly African Americans, often lacked the social capital — connections and references — needed to obtain these jobs. Further, many local employers considered Red Hook residents undesirable employees for a variety of reasons including “place discrimination” as well as racial discrimination. By contrast, public sector employers often preferred local residents, although their ability to hire them was limited by formal educational requirements. These findings lead us to question the efficacy of policies, such as “empowerment zones,” that assume that bringing jobs closer to where poor people live will necessarily improve their' employment opportunities.

Down from Bureaucracy: The Ambiguity of Privatization and Empowerment

Abstract: Acknowledgments Ch. 2The Context of Decentralization Ch. 3The Uses of Decentralization Ch. 4Privatization Ch. 5Power and Empowerment Ch. 6Empowerment by Invitation Ch. 7Empowerment through Conflict: School Reform Ch. 8Conclusions References Index

Empowerment Takes More Than a Minute

Abstract: "Empowerment Takes More Than a Minute" explains that empowerment is not "giving power to people." Rather, it is "releasing the knowledge, experience, and motivation they already have."