RESPONSE 

Respond to a colleague who suggested an alternative way the social worker might have evaluated the program.

Colleague : Lorraine 

Your description of the partnership between SPG and stakeholders in the community.

The partnership between SPG and the stakeholders is one that should be viewed from many sides.  SPG is in a state of transition and they are replacing individuals who have been in the SPG for years with new employees. SPG is trying to restructure the organization in an attempt to create a more efficient agency.  The stakeholders in the community see the fact that the transition was thrust upon them without transparency as a sign of an underlying agenda by the new leadership that will only benefit them (Plummer, Makris & Brocksen, 2014).

Describe alternative ways, if any, that the social worker might have evaluated the program.

An alternative way the social worker might have evaluated the program was to utilize the Systematic Multiple Level Observation of Groups (SYMLOG).  Utilizing this tool would allow the social worker to gain a clearer understanding of how the leadership and stakeholders interact, thereby allowing for a more accurate evaluation.  According to Toseland and Rivas (2017) “…SYMLOG is a method for analyzing the overt and covert behaviors of group members. With SYMLOG, a three-dimensional graphic presentation or field diagram of the interaction of group members is made. Through the field diagram, group members can analyze the way they interact with one another to improve the ability of the group to accomplish its tasks.

What are the weaknesses or threats to the validity of the evaluation results in the case study? 

The weakness or thereat to the validity of the evaluation results in the case study comes from the fact that the social worker relied on only one method of to evaluate the organization as opposed to multiple methods in order to validate her findings further.

Plummer, S.-B., Makris, S., & Brocksen, S. M. (Eds.). (2014). Social work case studies: Concentration year. Baltimore, MD: Laureate International Universities Publishing [Vital Source e-reader]. “Working With Organizations: The Southeast Planning Group” (pp. 51–52)

Toseland, R. W., & Rivas, R. F. (2017). An introduction to group work practice (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson. Chapter 13, “Ending the Group’s Work” (pp. 395-416). Chapter 14, “Evaluation” (pp. 417-443)