Changing Society Challenges And Strategies

The most common view of the relationship between social work and society seems to be the perspective that social work is an intermediary profession, acting between the individual and society. In this intermediary capacity, social work is somehow able to act in ways that are in the best interests of both the individual and society, seeking to empower the individual and to improve society. Critics of social work reject the view of social workers as neutral and objective, and see them rather as agents of social control, largely acting in ways that perpetuate existing inequalities. Social workers are, or can be, agents and catalysts of social change, as intermediaries objectively balancing the pressures of social control and social change.

Different types of social change agents and catalysts in society operate in a wide range of sectors and industries. In the first chapter, some major theoretical perspectives in the study of social change and individual socioemotional functioning are reviewed. The authors of the second chapter explore the aforementioned agents and catalysts that can create a more meaningful and lasting impact in society if efforts, strategies and resources are aligned. In the third chapter, the effect of radical social change on the diffusion of professional norms across contexts is examined. The fourth chapter helps evaluators and program managers understand the importance of considering culture in program design and evaluations, with particular emphasis on culturally specific vulnerable populations. The fifth chapter studies two social change conceptions, very popular in sociological literature: modernity and modernisation. Chapter 6 explores the effect of social changes and demographic variables on the importance of work outcomes. In Chapter 7, the authors' describe the impact of social welfare and government trust in society on its citizens. The authors of Chapter 8 discuss the recent developments of school music education in China, focusing on Beijing and its long and rich history dating back more than 3,000 years. Chapter 9 aims to investigate the role of entrepreneurial ecosystem in the various steps of the development of a start-up and to verify the role of the social mission as an enabler factor in the enhancement of relationship with the actors in the ecosystem. In Chapter 10, the author theoretically develop and empirically test for the utility of the concept of social intermediaries (SI) in explaining social change. The last chapter of the book aims to give an account of the process of development, adaptation and change in the social structure at the microlevel, as a result of changes in the policies of development and the alteration of the global order.

We are at the beginning of the sustainability era. The biggest challenge of our generation is to reach the Sustainable Development Goals. For this we must be willing to understand and change the root causes that create these challenges in the first place. The system itself needs to change. But how to do that? This ground-breaking book Changing the Game reveals the missing insights and strategies to actually achieve system change. The authors Lucas Simons and André Nijhof bring decades of real life and academic experience, and state that most of the sustainability challenges are actually caused by the same system failures, every time. Therefore, the way to accelerate and manage system change is also similar every time – if you know where to look and how to act. The theory of sustainable market transformation and system change is described in a compelling and easy to understand eight-step approach applied to eight different sectors. The authors, together with respected sector experts, describe the drivers, triggers and dominant thinking in each of these sectors as well as the strategies needed to move towards higher levels of sustainability. This book is highly accessible and engaging, and is perfect for use by professionals, leaders and students for understanding how to move markets to a more sustainable future.

The aim of this book is to make better sense of a long, complex, messy, change process through the stories of those who were involved. Over fifty participants were interviewed during the course of the study and their uniquely personal perspectives have been woven into a compelling story of organisational change. This book describes their ingenuity and effort in bringing about change that they and their organisation valued. Between 2009 and 2012, Southampton Solent University (UK) engaged in an unprecedented and highly complex strategic initiative which ran across the entire institution, its structures, processes and systems; it aimed to produce a fundamental shift in institutional culture. Such an all-embracing approach is rare in universities. This programme of organisational change is seen through the eyes of people who were immersed in the process. Their perspectives and feelings will resonate with anyone who has tried to bring about significant change in a university. Universities are inherently creative places but too often there is a pervasive inertia that prevents ideas from being turned into new and better practices. This programme aimed to create a culture of innovation. Conventional project planning techniques were deliberately avoided and replaced with an approach based on complexity theory, recognising that the process of change requires constant adaptation, acceptance of non-linear progress and subversion of conventional management discourse. Offering an unusual example from the higher education sector, this study is a distinctive contribution to the extensive literature on organisational change. Learning gained from participants is related to theories and research from this wider literature. The study proposes a holistic and integrated approach to change which might offer a more culturally relevant and sustainable model both for higher education and for those sectors of industry and commerce from which much change management practice has conventionally been drawn.

Welfare is a current global issue challenging the lives of many. Investigations are constantly being made to find answers in search of the most proficient social model. This book presents the usefulness of an enhanced model for welfare regime analysis and shows the localisation of social professional orientations. This includes social quality, social professions, traditions, public services, globalisation, child protection, retirement plans and other social services.

For more than a decade, international troops have been deployed to Afghanistan. Out of all NATO members, this mission was the most difficult for Germany that had thus far never engaged in combat and offensive military activities. This book analyses how Germany's experiences in Afghanistan have changed the country's strategic culture.

The Trajectory of Change charts a course for the growing, international movement against corporate globalization. Michael Albert, a longtime activist and analyst of popular struggles, challenges the movement to reach out to "ordinary people" by demonstrating how their lives are negatively affected by creeping corporatism. Albert connects issues confronting working people in the United States (such as access to health care, workplace rights and safety, declining wages, and unemployment) to a critique of institutions that currently dominate the global economy. And he offers a compelling argument for a strategy based on civil disobedience and protest rather than individual acts of vandalism or violence. Albert also suggests reasons for the recent revival of political protest, from the Battle in Seattle to the demonstrations in Quebec, Canada, and Genoa, Italy. At the same time, he argues that it isn't enough for protesters to stand against global economic injustice. To be effective, Albert argues that we need to develop a clear vision of what we stand for. He makes the case for collectively creating a vision of a participatory, democratic, and egalitarian society. Michael Albert is a founder of Z Magazine and Z Net, a web site and electronic commentary service based in Woods Hole, Massachusetts. He also co-founded South End Press. He is the author of Looking Forward (with Robert Hahnel) and Stop the Killing Trade, among other books on economics and social change.

We are at the beginning of the sustainability era. The biggest challenge of our generation is to reach the Sustainable Development Goals. For this we must be willing to understand and change the root causes that create these challenges in the first place. The system itself needs to change. But how to do that? This ground-breaking book Changing the Game reveals the missing insights and strategies to actually achieve system change. The authors Lucas Simons and André Nijhof bring decades of real life and academic experience, and state that most of the sustainability challenges are actually caused by the same system failures, every time. Therefore, the way to accelerate and manage system change is also similar every time – if you know where to look and how to act. The theory of sustainable market transformation and system change is described in a compelling and easy to understand eight-step approach applied to eight different sectors. The authors, together with respected sector experts, describe the drivers, triggers and dominant thinking in each of these sectors as well as the strategies needed to move towards higher levels of sustainability. This book is highly accessible and engaging, and is perfect for use by professionals, leaders and students for understanding how to move markets to a more sustainable future.