Organization, Policy, and Practice in the Human Services

Book excerpt: Here is a timely, insightful book that greatly increases the effectiveness of human service professionals and the organizations in which they function. Organization, Policy, and Practice in the Human Services is the first such text to bring together in a systematic fashion the concepts of organizational theory, policy, and practice in the human services. Offering a basic orientation to the structure and operations of social service organizations, Neugeboren addresses society’s need for the successful operation of these complex institutions in our highly organized society. He also calls for a re-examination of what is meant by “dependency” and postulates new methods of dealing with the social and personal problems confronting people in contemporary society. This book is indispensable for administrators, practitioners, and students. Practitioners gain instruction in “bureaucratic expertise,” enabling them to maximize opportunities, limit organizational constraints, reduce the likelihood of “burnout,’and otherwise become a “good bureaucrat” instead of an ineffective if well-intentioned one. Administrators will benefit from a model of organizational goals, practical guidelines for evaluating the effectiveness of an organizational structure, and methods for identifying and remedying the causes of organizational dysfunction. Neugeboren’s practical ideas make a significant contribution in preparing tomorrow’s social workers to deal more effectively with the world facing each of us. His theoretical insights are grounded in discussions of actual cases making them easy to apply to any human service organization.