The Siren's Call

Appeals court blocks Albert Woodfox “Angola 3” prisoner's release

2015-06-17T13:27:00.000-06:00

As of this week a federal judge (for the 3^rd time, has rules Albert Woodfox’s conviction is to be overturned due to lack of evidence and unfair jury selection.

As he was set to walk out of that iron door solitary cell, the state of Louisiana put in an emergency appeal. Three days later the 5^th circuit court of appeals ruled in favor to keep in imprisoned until the appeal is decided.

Source.

15 June 2015

A federal appeals court ruled Friday that Albert Woodfox, the last “Angola Three” prisoner still behind bars in Louisiana, must remain incarcerated for the time being. The decision came despite a district court judge’s ruling Tuesday that Woodfox be freed after more than four decades in solitary confinement.

In the earlier ruling, Judge James J. Brady of the US District Court for the Middle District of Louisiana also barred a third trial for Woodfox. He was convicted twice for the murder of a prison guard, but both convictions were overturned.

Woodfox, now 68, is one of a group of three prisoners at the notoriously brutal Louisiana State Penitentiary in Angola who came to be known as the “Angola Three.” Members of the Black Panther Party, the three were targeted by prison and state authorities for their political beliefs and outspoken comments against conditions in the prison.

Angola, the oldest and largest maximum-security prison in the US, sits on the site of a former slave plantation turned into a prison at the end of the Civil War. It derives its name from slaves who once worked its fields, most of whom came from the African nation of Angola. Seventy-seven percent of inmates at the prison are African-American, and prison labor still works the fields.

Woodfox and Herman Wallace were convicted of the April 1972 killing of Brent Miller, a prison guard at Angola. They were tried and convicted by an all-white jury within two hours. Robert King, the third man, was convicted of the death of a fellow inmate in 1973. Combined, the three have spent more than 100 years in solitary confinement.

Wallace was set free October 1, 2013, at the age of 71, after a campaign waged by Amnesty International (AI) for his release on humanitarian grounds. A grand jury reindicted him two days later, but did not arrest him. He died the following day of advanced liver cancer.

King was released in 2001, after a court reversed his conviction. He has remained a tireless advocate for Wallace and Woodfox, writing on his web site, “I may be free from Angola, but Angola will never be free of me.”

In overturning Woodfox’s convictions, federal courts have ruled that his constitutional rights were violated through racial discrimination, prosecutorial misconduct, inadequate defense and suppression of exculpatory evidence.

A 2011 report by AI condemned the legal case against Woodfox and Wallace, stating: “No physical evidence linking the men to the guard’s murder has ever been found; potentially exculpatory DNA evidence has been lost; and the convictions were based on questionable inmate testimony.”

Despite the lack of physical evidence and Woodfox’s twice-overturned convictions, the state of Louisiana is demanding further retribution. A spokesman for Louisiana Attorney General James D. “Buddy” Caldwell said Judge Brady’s order Tuesday “arbitrarily sets aside jury decisions and gives a free pass to a murderer based on faulty procedural issues.”

According to Woodfox’s attorneys, he suffers from high blood pressure and health and kidney disease. Having been held for the vast majority of the last 43 years in solitary confinement, he is believed to have spent the most time of any US prisoner in what Angola authorities refer to as “closed cell restriction.”

He has been held alone for 23 hours a day in a six-foot by eight-foot cell with views through metal bars of only a concrete corridor. In the remaining hour, he is allowed to shower and walk up and down the corridor or to have an isolated walk in the exercise yard, weather permitting.

Woodfox’s attorney George Kendall told the Guardian last year, “There is no other American prisoner who has been as long in solitary. If you ask other prisoners who have spent time in solitary, they will tell you that it is the worst thing that can happen to you in prison—it’s as lonely and painful as it gets.”

In 2008, Woodfox described the bouts of claustrophobia he has suffered frequently in his cell: “When I have an attack I feel like I am being smothered, it is very difficult to breathe, and I sweat profusely. It seems like the cell walls close in and are just inches from my face. I try to cope by pacing, or by closing my eyes and rocking myself.”

Juan E. Mendez, the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Torture, in 2013 called for Woodfox’s immediate release from solitary confinement, stating: “Four decades in solitary confinement can only be described as torture.”

The horrific conditions of Albert Woodfox’s incarceration are an indictment of the US prison system, which houses an estimated 2.4 million inmates in its prisons and jails.

While there is no government reporting system to count the number of prisoners in solitary confinement nationwide, the Vera Institute for Justice estimates that more than 80,000 people are placed in isolation in state and federal prisons on any given day. This is likely an underestimation, as the figure does not include those in jails, military facilities, juvenile facilities or immigration detention centers.

The recent suicide of Kalief Browder has focused renewed attention on the barbaric practice. Browder, who was accused of stealing a backpack at age 16, was incarcerated for three years at New York’s Rikers Island prison, where he was tortured and starved in solitary confinement without ever having been convicted of a crime. He committed suicide after returning home, psychologically shattered by the experience.

A recent Human Rights Watch report exposed that mentally disabled prisoners in the U.S., including minors and the elderly, are frequently subjected to solitary confinement. These prisoners, who are incarcerated in record numbers due to the shutdown of mental health services, often spend months, years and even decades locked in solitary confinement, being allowed only three to five hours a week of “recreation” alone in caged enclosures.

Woodfox’s advocate, Angela Allen-Bell, a professor at the Southern University Law Center visited Woodfox after the 5th circuits ruling to keep him incarcerated. He is so strong after all he has been through. It breaks my heart this nightmare continues. Here Allen-Bell describes the effect being moved from a state prison to a parish prison has adversely effected him.

Source

AUDIE CORNISH, HOST:

Albert Woodfox, the Louisiana prisoner who has spent 43 years in solitary confinement, will not be set free today. A three-judge panel ruled this afternoon that Woodfox will remain behind bars while it considers whether he can be retried for the 1972 murder of a prison guard. His conviction has twice been thrown out. Earlier today, we spoke to Angela Allen-Bell, an advocate for Woodfox and a professor at the Southern University Law Center. She visited Albert Woodfox yesterday and said he was prepared for the judge's decision either way.

ANGELA ALLEN-BELL: He has been through litigating this case, now, consistently since 1972. And so he's developed an ability to sort of understand that, you know, he has control over only one set of things, which is the truth, and nothing more. And so he does not allow himself to become very optimistic. He's very cautious when it comes to the judicial system because his experience has taught him that that is best.

CORNISH: After these last 40-plus years in solitary confinement, how is his physical health? I mean, what evidence can you see of the effects of his isolation?

ALLEN-BELL: Well, one of the things that I can often notice is, in the letters that he writes, his handwriting differs when he is under the duress of this confinement. And so a lot of times, when you read the writing, it almost looks like a child learning to write, like a toddler's writing. And when I see that, I know that he's succumbing to those conditions. The other thing is, he has panic attacks regularly. He also has diabetes. He has high blood pressure. And, you know, he's 68, and he has all of the issues that goes along with living in the body of a 68-year-old. But many of those things are enhanced because of these extreme conditions that he's living under.

CORNISH: We know that his initial imprisonment was at Angola, and he's now at a separate detention center. But the conditions, it sounds like, have been the same. He's been kept away from the general population. He's been in solitary confinement. How does he describe that - the size of the cell, what he's allowed to do or not do?

ALLEN-BELL: In that cell, he has a small bunk, and there's a very thin mattress that would be akin to what you would send to preschool with your kid. He has a toilet, and he has a small desk area. And it measures about six-by-nine. For the larger part of the 43 years, he actually had bars on the outside of his cell so that he could actually hear the television or hear the guards as they move about and even hear other inmates, sometimes screaming in agony. But he had the pleasure of hearing other people up until about two months ago, when he was moved to West Feliciana. Now, he has a solid metal door on the outside of his cell, and he's sealed behind the metal door, and that seems to be taking a toll on him because he's having a lot more panic attacks and issues with anxiety as of these last few months.

CORNISH: Now, Albert Woodfox - his original crime was armed robbery. His solitary confinement came after now questionable convictions for the death of the prison guard, Brent Miller. But at the time, his advocates said that he also was being punished, in a way, for being an organizer within the prison of the first chapter of the Black Panthers. The group was organizing against inhumane conditions at the prison. Angela Allen-Bell, has Albert Woodfox ever expressed to you any regret or concern about his activity during that time?

ALLEN-BELL: Absolutely not, and it's odd that you ask that question because that was some of the conversation we had on yesterday, when he was telling me of some of the things that he would like to do when he's free. And one of the things that he says that he would love to spend time doing is mentoring young boys who grew up without a father, like himself. And I said to him, well, Albert, I said, do you think maybe you should not try to help other folks? You know, try to be a little selfish? I mean, actually, you trying to be a public servant is what got you in this. And he said, absolutely not, I'll never do that. He said, that's what I was called to do.

CORNISH: What are next steps?

ALLEN-BELL: Well, his steps have always been to trust the judicial system, but what I expect also will happen is the public will become more involved in this, and this is going to turn into a bigger movement. This is not going to quietly go away. The people are now invested in this case because of what has been done to Mr. Woodfox.

CORNISH: Angela Allen-Bell. She's a professor at the Southern University Law Center. She spoke to us about Albert Woodfox. Thank you so much for talking with us.

ALLEN-BELL: Thank you for having me.

What can we all do? As Allen-Bell points out, the only way to push Louisiana Attorney General, Buddy Caldwell is for us to gain momentum on an international scale.

Please share this meme world wide!

Please join the 1000s of people who support Albert Shaka Woodfox by contacting Gov. Bobby Jindal to NOT to waste anymore tax payer money in prosecuting this case. Consider yourself acting on behalf of a turning tide of justice, equality, dignity, & history.

Here are some ways you can contribute:

Sign Amnesty Petition Below:

http://www.amnestyusa.org/our-work/cases/usa-the-angola-3

Call Buddy Caldwell’s office and ask him to withdraw his appeal: 225-326-6079

The conditions where he is right now are the very worse he has been in. Anyone who wants to write him and show support to him directly, he can use your words of encouragement.

His address is:

Albert Woodfox #72148

West Feliciana Parish Detention Center

PO Box 2727

St. Francisville, LA 70775

‪#‎StopSolitary ‪#‎FreeWoodfox

You will be shocked at how ignorant Americans are

2015-04-23T21:36:00.001-06:00

You will be shocked at how ignorant Americans are

If you think the widening chasm between the rich and the rest spells
trouble for American democracy, have a look at the growing gulf between
the information-rich and-poor.

Earlier this year, a Harvard economist’s jaw-dropping study of American’s
beliefs about the distribution of American wealth became a viral video. Now a new Pew study of the distribution of American news consumption is just as flabbergasting.

According to the Harvard study, most people believe that the top 20 percent ofthe country owns about half the nation’s wealth, and that the lower 60percent combined, including the 20 percent in the middle, have onlyabout 20 percent of the wealth. A whopping 92 percent of Americansthink this is out of whack; in the ideal distribution, they said, the lower 60 percent would have about half of the wealth, with the middle 20 percent of the people owning 20 percent of the wealth.What’sastonishing about this is how wrong Americans are about reality.

In fact, the bottom 80 percent owns only 7 percent of the nation’s wealth,
and the top 1 percent hold more of the country’s wealth – 40 percent – than 9 out of 10 people think the top 20 percent should have. The top 10 percent of earners take home half the income
of the country; in 2012, the top 1 percent earned more than a fifth of
U.S. income – the highest share since the government began collecting the data a century ago.

But America’s information inequality is at least as shocking as its economic inequality.

Pew sliced the TV news audience into thirds: heavy, medium and light. In my Jeffersonian fantasy, that distribution would look like a bell curve; in fact, it looks like a cliff. Heavy viewers watch a little over two hours of TV news a day, but medium viewers barely watch a quarter of an hour and light viewers average only two minutes a day. The top third of the country does 88 percent of the day’s TV news viewing; the middle third watches only 10 percent of the total time; the bottom third sees
just 2 percent of the minutes of news consumed. Two-thirds of Americans live in an information underclass as journalistically impoverished as the minuscule bazillionaire class is triumphant.This month, the Pew Research Journalism Project reported how Americans get their news at
home. If you think it’s from the Internet, you’ll be surprised that the 38 percent of us who access news at home on a desktop or laptop spend an average of only 90 seconds a day getting news online. America’s dominant news source is television, and the disparity between heavy viewers of TV news and everyone else is as startling as the gap betweenthe plutocrats and the people.

As for those heavy news viewers, says Pew, “There is no news junkie like a cable junkie.” A
heavy local news viewer watches about 22 minutes of it a day at home,
and a heavy network news viewer watches about 32 minutes a day. But a
heavy cable news consumer averages 72 minutes of it a day. The gap
between heavy, medium and light cable news viewers is especially stark.

If you’re reading this, you’re probably in that 72-minutes-of-cable-news-a-day class.
But medium cable news viewers see barely more than three minutes of it a day, and
light cable news viewers see about 12 seconds of it a day. In other words, either you
live in the country that watches more than an hour of Blitzer, O’Reilly,
Maddow, et al, a day – or in the country that watches virtually none of
them at all.

If you want to know where this is heading, consider another cheery piece of Pew research.
Americans 67 to 84 years old spend 84 minutes a day watching, reading
or listening to the news. Boomers (48 to 66) are close behind, at 77
minutes a day. But Gen Xers (33 to 47) spend 66 minutes, and
Millennials (18 to 31) spend only 46 minutes a day. The kids are tuning
out. I love it that 43 percent of “The Colbert Report” audience, and
39 percent of “The Daily Show” viewers, are 18 to 29 years old;
the young audiences of those fake news shows get real news from them.
But fewer than a million and a half Americans under 50 are watching
them.

Much has been made of the ideological news bubbles we live
in, where we see the world exclusively through Fox-colored lenses, or
filters manufactured only by MSNBC or CNN. The Pew study upends this
belief. It’s true that about one-quarter of American adults watch only
Fox News, another quarter watch only CNN and 15 percent watch only
MSNBC. But 28 percent of Fox News viewers also watch MSNBC, and 34
percent of MSNBC viewers watch Fox. More than half of MSNBC viewers,
and nearly half of Fox viewers, watch CNN, and of CNN’s viewers, about 4
out of 10 also watch Fox, and 4 out of 10 also watch MSNBC.

It’s encouraging that our self-segregation into polarized news ghettos is a
bit of a myth. But whatever joy there is in that finding is blunted by
the disparity between people who watch a lot of news and people who
watch almost none of it, and by the trend toward an even deeper division
ahead. The danger democracy faces isn’t so much that different
segments of our country inhabit alternative realities constructed from
different data delivered by different news sources. It’s that a
minority of the country watches a fair amount of news, and a majority
may as well be living on the moon.

This article originally appeared on AlterNet.

Bobby Jindal - Please Release Herman Wallace of the Angola 3 to compassionate release

2013-07-11T21:56:00.001-06:00

Herman Wallace shouldn't have to die behind bars.

Herman is 71 years old and has advanced liver cancer. He and fellow prisoner Albert Woodfox have been held in solitary confinement longer than anyone else in modern U.S. history. The men have spent the past 41 years of their lives alone in tiny cells for 23 hours a day, deprived of any meaningful human interaction.

No human being deserves to live like this. Herman Wallace should not die alone.
Why wouldn't Louisiana officials simply release an elderly prisoner with advanced cancer on humanitarian grounds? Evidence suggests that it is in part because Herman, Albert, and King, 3 black panthers dared to organize and speak out against inhumane treatment and racial segregation inside one of United States' most brutal prisons, Angola.

Herman Wallace and Albert Woodfox are the two imprisoned members of the ‘Angola 3', three young black men who were thrown in solitary confinement after working against continued segregation, systematic corruption, and grave abuses in the infamous Angola prison. Originally imprisoned for unrelated cases of armed robbery, Herman and Albert were later convicted for the murder of a prison guard in 1972. However, no physical evidence links either man to the murder. In fact, King was 150 miles away in another prison when the murder happened.

In the decades since Herman and Albert's conviction, numerous legal concerns have risen to the surface from the racially charged underbelly of the U.S. prison system. These are just a few glaring flaws we documented in our report ‘100 Years in Solitary: The 'Angola 3' and their Fight for Justice' :

DNA evidence that might have established the men's innocence was somehow "lost"
Outcomes were based on questionable inmate testimony
Prison officials bribed the main eyewitness
One witness later retracted his testimony
The prison guards widow is convinced these men were set up and her husbands murderers were never identify. She as well has worked for years for their release.

Prison authorities have broken their own policies to justify Herman's continued incarceration in harsh and inhumane conditions. After decades in these conditions, a highly questionable conviction that continues to be challenged by the courts and the now a tragic prognosis of terminal cancer, the next step seems all too clear: Herman Wallace should be released.

Video here from msnbc just days ago (sorry I could not embed it)
http://www.nbcnews.com/id/46979745/vp/52407812#52407812

To quote from this clip filmed in New Orleans with Herman’s attorney
Herman Wallace, one of the remaining two imprisoned members of the Angola 3, has been diagnosed with liver cancer. Wallace’s attorney believes it is time for him to be let out of solitary confinement and more importantly receive a compassionate release.

Attorney Nick Trenticosta detailed his client’s condition on Saturday’s Melissa Harris-Perry. “He’s lost about 55 pounds in four months, and he is being treated completely negligently. I would say he’s being killed through intentional neglect.”

Currently 71 years old, Wallace has been in solitary confinement for more than 41 years for his 1972 conviction in the murder of prison guard Brent Miller. It is a conviction that he and the other members of the Angola 3 have fought because they have maintained their innocence in the brutal stabbing.
Given his critical diagnosis, his lawyers and organizations like Amnesty International are pushing for a compassionate release.

Asked whether he thought there was any chance that Wallace would receive a compassionate release, Trenticosta’s response was telling. “I don’t think so, and part of the reason is the state of Louisiana in the past six years has spent $6 million dollars in lawyer fees to keep a 71-year-old man in solitary confinement.”

PBS recently premiered “Herman’s House” about the relationship between Herman Wallace and artist Jackie Surell who learned about Herman from a class on solitary confinement where Robert King, the only release member of the Angola 3 was lecturing. Ironically, it was not premiered in north Louisiana with the rest of the country. You can stream this documentary here.

http://www.pbs.org/pov/hermanshouse/...p#.UdyJuW2tqJY

Here is the trailer

http://hermanshousethefilm.com/

Buddy Caldwell, the attorney general involved in this case has stated he will not release Herman and Albert because, “If he releases these men, he will have to release the others” but in the same breath states they were never in solitary confinement.

Please help us contact the governor of Louisiana and ask him to release Herman on compassionate release. He doesn’t have much time left. You can use this form to do it.

http://takeaction.amnestyusa.org/sit...ce=W0000ACFACE

Or write to Jindal via the Louisiana state website
http://www.gov.la.gov/index.cfm?md=f...email_governor

We also need to follow this link and join the movement here
http://hermanshouse.org/get-involved/
http://www.nrcat.org/torture-in-us-p...tary-statement

Another documentary that tells the complete story to date on the Angola 3 is
"In the Land of the Free" narrated by Samual Jackson. The trailer is here
http://youtu.be/Zkr03dYtlQQ

And Attorney General Caldwell is correct. If Albert and Herman are released from long term solitary confinement in Louisiana, it could set a precedent and hundreds of others in solitary will be released.

More information
One of the most comprehensive Angola 3 sites on the web
http://www.angola3.org/

Kings personal website
http://www.kingsfreelines.com/

In addition to concern for Herman Wallace, the worsening conditions of confinement for Albert Woodfox in David Wade Correctional Center, near the town of Homer in Louisiana.
For approximately two months, Woodfox has been subjected to additional punitive measures, including strip-searches each time he leaves or enters his cell, being escorted in ankle and wrist restraints, restricted phone access, and being limited to non-contact visits through a perforated metal screen. Temperatures in the cells are reportedly extremely high, regularly reaching up to 38 degrees Celsius, a serious health risk for inmates confined to their cells for up to 23 hours a day. These risks are even greater in the case of the elderly or infirm, as their bodies are unable to adjust to the heat as quickly as those of healthy, younger adults.

2013-06-18T20:46:00.000-06:00

Peanut Butter Bar

No-Stick Cooking Spray

1 (18.25 ounce) package Butter Cake Cake Mix

1 cup organic Peanut Butter

1/2 cup water

1 large egg

Peanut Butter/Chocolate icing

1/3 cup butter, softened

1/3 cup creamy peanut butter

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar

1/3 cup baking cocoa

1/4 teaspoon salt

4 to 5 tablespoons almond milk

Directions

Peanut Butter Bar

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray 13 x 9-inch pan with no-stick cooking spray. In large bowl, combine cake mix, 1 cup peanut butter, water and egg on low speed, mixing 2 minutes on medium speed. Spread into prepared pan.

Bake at 350 degrees F for 20 to 25 minutes or until puffed and light golden brown. Cool completely.

Icing

Mix all ingredients together until blended. Spread over cooled bars

Key Lime cupcakes

2013-06-16T14:10:00.000-06:00

Cupcakes
1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® lemon cake mix
1 box (4-serving size) lime-flavored gelatin
3/4 cup water
1/3 cup Key lime juice
1/3 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
2 or 3 drops green food color, if desired

Glaze
1 cup powdered sugar
2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons Key lime juice

Frosting
1 package (8 oz) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
Grated lime peel, if desired

Heat oven to 350°F (325°F for dark or nonstick pan). Place paper baking cup in each of 24 regular-size muffin cups. In large bowl, beat cupcake ingredients with electric mixer on low speed 30 seconds, then on medium speed 2 minutes, scraping bowl occasionally. Divide batter evenly among muffin cups, filling each about two-thirds full.

Bake 19 to 24 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan 10 minutes. Remove from pan to cooling rack. With toothpick or wooden skewer, pierce tops of cupcakes in several places.

In small bowl, mix 1 cup powdered sugar and enough of the 2 to 2 1/2 tablespoons lime juice until glaze is smooth and thin enough to drizzle. Drizzle and spread glaze over cupcakes. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

In large bowl, beat cream cheese and butter on medium speed until light and fluffy. On low speed, beat in vanilla and 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar until mixed; beat on medium speed until fluffy. Frost cupcakes, mounding and swirling frosting in center. Garnish with lime peel. Store covered in refrigerator.

Makes 24 cupcakes

"8" at River City Repertory February 17th- 7:30pm

2013-02-15T23:03:00.001-07:00

"8" premiered in L.A. with a star-studded cast that included supporters of marriage equality like Brad Pitt and George Clooney. The Shreveport performance will feature local celebrities.On February 17th at 7:30 pm at the Karpeles Museum, River City Repertory Theatre will do a 1-night only performance of "8", the play based on the Prop 8 trial.

Tickets can be purchased by calling 318-868-5888 daily from 11-4. All seats are $30. Profits go to the American Foundation for Equal Rights.

AFER is the nonprofit that spearheaded the court challenge to Prop 8, which took away the right of same-sex couples to marry in California. This court challenge drew lots of attention because our side (proponents of marriage equality) had as its legal representation the dream team of liberal icon David Boies and conservative icon Ted Olson, who were on opposing sides in the landmark Bush v. Gore which decided the 2000 election. Boies and Olson were successful and Prop 8 was overturned. This court decision has been appealed all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court which has agreed to hear the appeal.

Why "8"

Uncover the truth about marriage for gay and lesbian Americans. "8"-a new play by Academy-award winning screenwriter Dustin Lance Black (Milk, J. Edgar)-demystifies the debate around marriage equality by chronicling the landmark trial of Perry v. Schwarzenegger (now Hollingsworth v. Perry). Learn about the historical context of marriage from expert testimony. See the human cost of discrimination. Uncover the arguments used to justify bans on marriage for gay and lesbian couples. Using the actual court transcripts from the landmark federal trial of California's Prop. 8 and first-hand interviews, "8" shows both sides of the debate in a moving 90-minute play.

See video from the original play at AFER's web site: http://www.8theplay.com/ and at River City Repertory Theatre's web site: http://www.rivercityrep.org

The Rep is being supported by P.A.C.E. and the ACLU of Louisiana

RSVP for "8" on Facebook, and get more information.

Leadership Born From Collective Action

2012-12-09T20:39:00.000-07:00

"AIDS is essentially a crisis of governance, of what governments do and do not do to and for their people – we have the drugs to treat HIV infection, we have the tools to confront the risks that drive HIV transmission and prevent infection itself – what we don’t have is national political will necessary to scale-up our response. We have demanded too little from our leaders, excused far too much." Gregg Gonsalves, speech at the 2006 Toronto AIDS Conference.

I became an HIV/AIDS activist in 1986 when I was in my twenties. Personal loss, anger, and a vow to see the end of HIV/AIDS has kept me moving towards this goal for twenty five years. To be young and idealistic and following a calling, so many have, it’s what young people do, but what happens when the stakeholders are so affected they continue into the years that follow? Strides are made along the way, small victories, with as many setbacks. There is nothing more compelling than losing a love one to a disease perceived as a moral justification to sin. It was the loss of one special person that moved me into the realization of what social injustice is. Up until that point, I had never been affected by anything so compelling as to be driven beyond my comfort zone and shake my fist at the status quo.

The interesting part of my leadership is that it came from a collective action organization. Many of the leaders of ACT-UP Shreveport went on to become executive directors and project managers of HIV/AIDS resource centers. It was a tricky migrating from fighting the system to working to build a system. Leaders of a grassroots organizations experience major milestones as their organization builds their culture and history. Unfortunately, not every change process leads to permanent expected results. This is where leadership skills play at major role in how leaders and followers deal with setbacks and accomplishments. Change processes and change projects have become major milestones in many organizations’ history.

Due to the dynamics in the external environment, many organizations find themselves in continuous change. For those who are new to leadership, building skills to face crisis’ that many times involved life or death to those they serve can be extremely terrifying. The scope reaches from smaller change projects in each department of the organization, up to organization wide transformation processes but effects many individual lives the most. Our motto had become, “Change is the only constant.” This article will outline my first experience as a leader and an agent of change, describe who was affected, where it took place, the change model that was used, and how we rewarded failed policies and victories.

The Beginning

ACT-UP Shreveport at the Action on NIH

AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) is an international direct action advocacy group working to impact the lives of people living with AIDS, (PWAs) and the AIDS pandemic to bring about legislation, medical research and treatment and policies to ultimately bring an end to the disease by mitigating loss of health and lives. ACT UP was organized as a leaderless and effectively anarchist network. This was intentional on the founder of the group, Larry Kramer's part; he describes it as democratic to a fault. “We used a simple formula for recruitment, to a certain extent, this is how democratic politics is supposed to work in general. You convince people of the validity of your ideas. You have to go out there and convince people"(actupny.org, 1987).

My loss of a dear friend probably isn’t much different than every AIDS activist who is either infected or affected by HIV/AIDS. Those who are personally affected or traumatized, combined with a social environment, usually are people who will find themselves “answering the calling”. I found myself as one of five founding members of the newly formed ACTUP Shreveport, with the idealist notion that we would see the end of the AIDS epidemic.

ACT-UP Shreveport was considered one of the leading local branches of the national network. Quoting from the National Institute of Health’s history of HIV/AIDS website that features ACT-UP Shreveport, “The original ACT-UP group from New York inspired numerous other branches nationwide, as well as campaigning in their own states, local groups from across the country attended major rallies” (NIH.com). Hundreds of people locally responded to the call. Along with one sympathetic local physician, we were able to bring forth the first HIV/AIDS resource center, The Philadelphia Center (Philly) and clinic in north Louisiana, The Viral Disease Clinic at LSU Medical Center. It was an amazing accomplishment for those initial six people, two of which were diagnosed with AIDS, and three people who loved them dearly, and the very compassionate doctor, Marcus Spurlock (D-Demaree, 2011).

Part of ACT-UP Shreveport’s agenda was to assist in acquiring funding for an AIDS Resource Center. As we lobbied and protested at the state level, we eventually saw funding available for the center we envisioned. As many activists, I chose to work within the system and not protest against it. With funding available, lower income clients would receive their medication, housing, and other basic needs. It was a victory in our eyes. In the early years, HIV/AIDS took many lives due to the lack of antiviral medications, Social Security set up harsh restrictions disallowing those infected to receive disability income unless they were near death. More than often, people were too sick to work, therefore too sick to afford medication, food or housing. The need for ACT-UP Shreveport, The Viral Disease Clinic, and the Philadelphia Center in Shreveport, Louisiana, was growing expediently week by week and month by month.

The Organization

The Philadelphia Center’s mission is to provide supportive services for people who have AIDS and who have contracted HIV as well as prevent the spread of HIV with education and prevention programs. The center also works to improve the quality of life for those who have contracted HIV. Several of the ACTUP Shreveport members went on to help build the Philadelphia Center from the vision to a grassroots organization. In an era of stigma and fear, there were many obstacles to over come. We were determined as a grassroots organization to overcome the barriers before us and reach the mission of the organization.

People Centered Change

People centered change alters the behavior and skills. For there to be people centered processes, communicating, motivating, leading, and interaction within the group must be ongoing (Dougherty, 2002). As leaders, encountering answers to solve problems, and educate internal and external forces in order to build the organization. Open communication between the different entities .opened up many questions that would be addressed before making any steps towards building the structure of the organization.

Leading Strategic Change

The first step was to research foundations and federal grants that would provide funding in these areas. Once national and community foundations were identified, the process of application submission and grant writing began. The Philadelphia Center was able to acquire the new Ryan White funding the federal government was issuing to assist those living with HIV/AIDS. With the Viral Disease Clinic newly formed, clients could be segregated from other patients at the hospital and not withstand further stigma and scrutiny. This was a major accomplishment for clients. Once someone tested positive for HIV antibodies, we could work together getting them into the clinic for follow up tests and then back to our case managers for other needs such as housing and basic needs.

The criteria in most grant applications are there has to be evidence of collaborative efforts with other community agencies. This ensures that the work of a nonprofit will have cross beneficially effect with more than just one agency’s demographic. This was a major instrument in bringing in other local agencies who were dependant on grant and foundation funds. Once other agencies realized they could document and profit from collaboration with the center, they publicly accepted the organization, and in turn public opinion began to shift. This is how we were able to motivate others to join us in acceptance within community agencies and with individuals and fostered collaboration and we were aspiring others to achieve. In the beginning, The Philly was looked at as a model HIV/AIDS organization because of the history we had established, building it from a vision into a grassroots HIV/AIDS organization.

Change Model

There were two change models applied to achieving establishing the “Philly Center.” Kotter’s Eight Step Change Model was used initially. Midway through the change process the Tipping Change Theory was applied. The first discussion of the change model will be Kotter’s Eight Step Change Model and the steps taken.

Kotter’s Eight Step Change Model

The first step we took in the Eight Step Model was to create urgency for change. This began when the Board of Directors, Executive Director, and employees of the Philly tapped into the intellectual capital of the shareholders and employees by brain storming different paths to take when scouting out new income sources. We then went to external forces by inquiring from those affected by the disease, sister organizations, and other community agencies to assess and evaluate the needs. According to Kotter, for the change to be successful, 75 percent of the organization needs to buy into the change (Farris, et al, 2009). We were able to become more accepted in the community, being invited to come and teach HIV transmission and prevention within the community and in return began to see community financial support, as well as forming a powerful coalition locally, regionally, and nationally.

As we learned to lead in the community, we were able to understand what our vision should be. By creating a vision and urgency, those affected could internalize the change. Each time we went into the community, we would communicate our mission statement. We spoke of it often, internally and externally.

Removing obstacles

Once the vision buy in was complete, obstacles to the change became apparent. We were able to identify the change leaders and what their roles would be to deliver the change. We set up a system to recognize and reward people who were making change happen. Case managers were given bonuses if they exceeded their monthly quota in units billed to the Ryan White funding source. HIV testing counselors were rewarded bonuses based on the number of people they tested in the community. Once we identified those who were resisting, we worked to remove barriers to the change, which was establishing the resource center’s place in the community, the state, and the country.

Create Short-term Wins

Nothing motivates more than watching the success of change. One way to do this is to create mini goals and short term wins. Some of the ways we created short term wins was to find full proof projects that were perceived as non-threatening to those involved. The organization grew slowly and did not jump into goal targets that were expensive. As funding came in, each department grew until other projects like the Mercy Center, a residential facility; The Mercy Center for homeless people living with HIV was acquired by a local hospital system.

Building confidence as Leaders

Kotter stated that change projects fail because victory is declared too early. Real change runs deep and there are no short cuts to lasting change (Farris, et al, 2009). As leaders of the Philly Center, we did this by analyzing what went right and how to improve the change. We continued to remove obstacles and set goals to a path of achievement. Once the achievements toward change were met, we engrained it as part of the organizations culture. We made sure constant efforts to ensure that the change permeated through every aspect of the Philly Center. By doing this, it gave the change a solid hold in organization's culture.

The Role of the Leader

There are three leadership qualities of leadership; visionary, participant, and transactional, which produce effective organizational change (Manz, et al, 1991). When leaders act as advocates for change, they won’t allow the process of change to falter from lack of attention. They are willing to invest their political capital to rally those affected. They must be the role model for those in the organization. They must be the decision maker and take responsibility for those decisions. They must be the voice, motivator, and enforcer. Others in the organization need someone to look up to while processing the change they are going through. A good leader will be assessable to them making the process seem easy.

I am convinced because we came from a collective action activist background, we were instinctively grounded in these leadership qualities. We were visionary; we still are. We led by example; we had only ourselves to follow up with tasks. The day we heard Ryan White funding was granted a second funding cycle, we celebrated the victory and then went out and distributed condoms at truck stops and gay bars. We led by being followers and in return, rallied many volunteers and supporters.

Lessons of Leadership Learned

I continue to learn many lessons as a leader, but in the early days of ACT-UP Shreveport and the Philadelphia Center, experiences that were new stuck with me the most. In the beginning many emotional components were the important characteristics of leadership. I was desperate for knowledge about HIV/AIDS for effective decision making and relied on others to help me with it. I learned there was more than one right solution and learned to evaluate facts from various points of view. I learned to listen to clients, their needs came first, and I saw anti-gay and anti-AIDS policies as something to rebuke, not something to bow to.

The most important thing I learned, the importance of transferring ownership to everyone I worked with and to proclaim everyone as hero. This in my opinion is the most important precondition for success; the buy in and involvement of others. I learned to hate the word subordinate and replaced it with co-hero. Everyone in this battle is a hero, the struggles are beyond belief, with the backdrop being the Deep South. Commitment can only be gained when others are given the opportunity to give. That leads me to the final lesson; “The Ask.” Asking for what you need to make others lives better. It is a gift to give and most people want to give, they just don’t know how. Everyone needs to know their contribution is important and valued. When they do, they own successes everyone has worked together to achieve.

Conclusion

As one of the leaders of ACT-UP Shreveport and The Philly Center, I learned how to progress from one milestone to another by creating a plan to overcome barriers that mapped out structure and time restraints. There were many plans. Work plans that were subject to change based on whatever crisis happened that day. Service plans for clients to meet their needs, even though ultimately those needs were never met because they died too soon. Funeral plans and helping grieving families and partners through the months that followed. Plans were the only way we were going to meet the demands of so many variables.

Barriers to implementation were preoccupation with the day to day details, lack of teamwork, conflicting priorities, and funding issues. I learned that execution takes time, especially when grant requirements usually demand evidence based outcomes that must be documented over time. By implementing the “tipping point” theory of change, which was scribbled on our things to do chalk board, improvements that appeared to be small, functions that needed to empower consumers, were better executed to reach our mission; to serve more people with greater outcomes.

Over thirty three million men, women, and children are thought to be living with HIV. Even with the strides made today, discrimination, stigma, ignorance and the lack of effective preventive measures are still huge barriers that stifle reaching the ultimate goal; the end of HIV/AIDS. We just can’t afford the enormous medical expense and the loss of life. Twenty five years and counting, and the battle is still as enormous. I always knew it wasn’t going to be easy. I always knew it was going to be worth it.

References

Against The Odds:A New Disease. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://apps.nlm.nih.gov/againsttheodds/exhibit/action_on_aids/new_disease.cfm

Dougherty, D. (1992). A practice-centered model of organizational renewal through product

innovation. Strategic Management Journal (1986-1998), 13, 77-77. Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com/docview/231179375?accountid=32521

Farris, K. B., PhD., Demb, A., Janke, K. K., PhD., Kelley, K., & Scott, S. A., PharmD.

(2009). Assessment to transform competency-based curricula. American Journal of Pharmaceutical Education, 73(8), 1-158. Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com/docview/211313601?accountid=32521

Philadelphia Center: Northwest Louisiana HIV/AIDS Resource Center. (n.d.). Retrieved from

http://philadelphiacenter.org/

The Siren's Call: Agent of Change- HIV/AIDS Activists Demand the End to the Madness. (n.d.). The Siren's Call. Retrieved from http://d-demaree.blogspot.com/2011/12/agent-of-change-hivaids-hope-for-and.html

No Electorial Choices? Then Don't Vote.

2012-09-28T22:40:00.000-06:00

To elect a master or many, for a long or short time, is to resign one's liberty.

Call it an absolute monarch, a constitutional king, or a simple M.P., the candidate that you raise to the throne, to the seat, or to the easy chair, he will always be your master. They are persons that you put "above" the law, since they have the power of making the laws, and because it is their mission to see that they are obeyed.

For the first time in my life, my right wing conservative father and I have decided neither of us are voting for Obama or Romney. "Who should we vote for then," he asked. Never been asked that of my father, I had a suggestion, "Let's just not vote".

Bad Leaders or Bad System?

The Democratic party bemoaned the fact that Obama "immediately made huge concessions to forces to the right of him." Rather than place this action in an institutional context, the forces placed on the elected person by the state machinery and pressures from big business, the Republicans portray these decisions are the failings of an individual. They argue we "need to keep up the pressure to demand Obama listens to ordinary workers and not to business."

As well as economic pressures from capitalists resulting from capital flight, withdrawal of support, and so on, representatives also face pressures within the state itself due to the bureaucracy that comes with centralism. There is a difference between the state and government. The state is the permanent collection of institutions that have entrenched power structures and interests. The government is made up of various politicians. It is the institutions that have power in the state due to their permanence, not the representatives who come and go. We cannot expect different politicians to act in different ways to the same pressures. However, this is all ignored by the Democrats in favour of wishing Obama was more a liberal and could ignore the demands of the dominant class in society while in charge of one part of its protector and creation, the state.

They also argue that the low level of turn out in the elections indicate "a sign of deep alienation that millions of people feel from the whole political system, one which does not reflect their views or give them a voice." Presumably, the Democrats seek to give these people "a voice," to involve them in the political system by getting them to vote on various social issues. They can only do that by overcoming the alienation people feel towards the capitalist system by ensuring that it does "reflect their views." If that is the case then surely this implies that the Democrats will be working within the capitalist system, trying to influence it from within and, by necessity, subject to the same institutional pressures that generated reformist, unless, of course, they argue that it is the ideas of the party leaders that are the decisive factor rather than the social environment in which they operate?

What is significant, however, than Lenin's arguments were fundamentally idealist in nature, looking to the intentions and will-power of the individuals involved rather than a materialist analysis based on the nature of the capitalist state, the way it is structured to protect and enforce bourgeois rule, the influences and pressures of the permanent state apparatus on the elected representatives, the economic pressure exerted by capital, and so on.

Parties and Power

The use of electioneering has a centralising effect on the movements that use it. Political actions become considered as parliamentary activities made for the population by their representatives, with the 'rank and file' left with no other role than that of passive support. Only the leaders are actively involved and the main emphasis falls upon the leaders. It soon becomes taken for granted that they should determine policy (even ignoring conference decisions when required -- how many times have politicians turned round and done the exact opposite of what they promised or introduced the exact opposite of party policy?). In the end, party conferences become simply like parliamentary elections, with party members supporting this leader against another.

Soon the party reflects the division between manual and mental labour so necessary for the capitalist system. Instead of working class self-activity and self-determination, there is a substitution and a non working class leadership acting for people replaces self-management in social struggle and within the party itself takes shape. Electioneering strengthens the leaders dominance over the party and the party over the people it claims to represent. And, of course, the real causes and solutions to the problems we face are mystified by the leadership and rarely discussed in order to concentrate on the popular issues that will get them elected.

Working in the state ensures a statist perspective becomes dominant. Everything is seen in terms of state intervention, following the decisions of the leaders and quickly results in radicals "instead of weakening the false and enslaving belief in law and government . . . actually work[ing] to strengthen the people's faith in forcible authority and government." [A. Berkman, Op. Cit., p. 84] Which has always proved deadly to encouraging a spirit of revolt, self-management and self-help -- the very keys to creating change in a society.

Thus the 1870 resolution of the Spanish section of the First International seems to have been proven to be totally correct:

"Any participation of the working class in the middle class political government would merely consolidate the present state of affairs and necessarily paralyse the socialist revolutionary action of the proletariat. The Federation [of unions making up the Spanish section of the International] is the true representative of labour, and should work outside the political system." [quoted by Jose Pierats, Anarchists in the Spanish Revolution, p. 169]

Instead of trying to gain control of the state, for whatever reasons, anarchists try to promote a culture of resistance within society that makes the state subject to pressure from without. Or, to quote Proudhon, we see the"problem before the labouring classes . . . [as] consist[ing of] not in capturing, but in subduing both power and monopoly, -- that is, in generating from the bowels of the people, from the depths of labour, a greater authority, a more potent fact, which shall envelop capital and the state and subjugate them." For, "to combat and reduce power, to put it in its proper place in society, it is of no use to change the holders of power or introduce some variation into its workings: an agricultural and industrial combination must be found by means of which power, today the ruler of society, shall become its slave."[System of Economical Contradictions, p. 398 and p. 397] Direct action is the key way of doing this and the means of creating such a "combination."

State and Structure

The simple fact is that the bourgeois state has been developed to enforce minority rule. Its structure is no more an accident than the structure of a bird's wing. The wing has evolved to enable flight. The state has evolved a structure based upon minority, top-down rule that ensures the continence and protection of that rule. And as Kropotkin argued, anarchists "maintain that the State organisation, having been the force to which minorities resorted for establishing and organising their power over the masses, cannot be the force which will serve to destroy these privileges." [Peter Kropotkin, Kropotkin's Revolutionary Pamphlets, p. 170]

The same means cannot be used to serve different ends as there is an intrinsic relationship between the instruments used and the results obtained -- that is why the bourgeoisie do not encourage participatory democracy in the state or the workplace! Just as the capitalist workplace is organised to produce proletarians and capital along with cloth and steel, the capitalist state is organised to protect and reinforce minority power. The state and the capitalist workplace are not simply means or neutral instruments. Rather they are social structures which generate, reinforce and protect specific social relations. These social relations are based on delegating power to others, letting leaders act for you, letting others fight for you. These have an impact on those who use these tactics, both the individuals and the organisations.

The "essence" of state is, to use Luigi Frabbi's words, "centralised power" and "hierarchical despotism." It is based on delegating power into the hands of a few -- in a democracy, elected representatives and the state bureaucracy. It should be a truism that elections empower the politicians and not the voters. Parliamentarianism focuses the fight for change into the hands of leaders by its very nature. Rather than those involved doing the fighting, the organising, the decision making, that power rests in the hands of the representative. The importance of the leaders is stressed, as it must be in a centralised system.

Not voting? Not Enough!

As part and parcel of anarchist support on direct action is abstentionism. This signifies the rejection of voting. However, there is more than one kind of abstentionism. There is passive and active abstentionism. Passive abstentionism is that associated with alienation, apathy and a-politicalism. The one which bases itself on a "cannot be bothered," cynical attitude and little else. This form of abstentionism easily leads to rejecting all forms of struggle and politics, including direct action and anarchism. Anarchists are against this just as much as any socialist voter.

Rather, anarchists see abstentionism as a positive statement, a means of turning the natural negative reaction to an unjust system into positive activity (i.e. direct action, solidarity, self-activity and self-organisation). So, anarchist opposition to electioneering has deep political implications which Luigi Galleani addressed when he wrote: "anarchists' electoral abstentionism implies not only a conception that is opposed to the principle of representation (which is totally rejected by anarchism), it implies above all an absolute lack of confidence in the State. . . Furthermore, anarchist abstentionism has consequences which are much less superficial than the inert apathy ascribed to it by the sneering careerists of 'scientific socialism' [i.e. Marxism]. It strips the State of the constitutional fraud with which it presents itself to the gullible as the true representative of the whole nation, and, in so doing, exposes its essential character as representative, procurer and policeman of the ruling classes.

"Distrust off reforms, of public power and of delegated authority, can lead to direct action [in the class struggle]. . . It can determine the revolutionary character of this . . . action; and, accordingly, anarchists regard it as the best available means for preparing the masses to manage their own personal and collective interests; and, besides, anarchists feel that even now the working people are fully capable of handling their own political and administrative interests." [The End of Anarchism?, pp. 13-14]

I reject the view that society is static and that people's consciousness, values, ideas and ideals cannot be changed. Far from it and anarchists support direct action because it actively encourages the transformation of those who use it. Direct action is the means of creating a new consciousness, a means of self-liberation from the chains placed around our minds, emotions and spirits by hierarchy and oppression. Therefore, anarchists urge abstentionism in order to encourage activity, not apathy. The reasons why people abstain is more important than the act. The idea that the USA is closer to anarchy because around 50% of people do not vote is nonsense.

Abstentionism in this case is the product of apathy and cynicism, not political ideas. So anarchists recognise that apathetic abstentionism is not revolutionary or an indication of anarchist sympathies. It is produced by apathy and a general level of cynicism at all forms of political ideas and the possibility of change.

Not voting is not enough, and anarchists urge people to organise and resist as well. Abstentionism must be the political counterpart of class struggle, self-activity and self-management in order to be effective.

Source

The Process of Organizational Reconstruction- How the Deaf Action Center of Shreveport reorganized and came out on top.

2012-09-11T21:05:00.001-06:00

Developing an organizational structure that will transform an organization to meet the demands of its shareholders is difficult and challenging. One key to this process is communication. “An organization’s long-term survival may best be judged by its ability to manage change rather than by its current balance sheet” (Clampitt & Berk). Most organizations are more than able to crunch numbers and evaluate rates of return than they are capable of effectively measure implemented change efforts.

Here you will find an historical account of a nonprofit in need of reorganization, its challenges, the change model needed, and the changes needed to meet the demands of everyone affected by the change. David Hylan, the Executive Director of the Betty and Leonard Phillips Deaf Action Center in Shreveport Louisiana knew he would need to envision goals and create a new mission statement that would create income revenue from secure grant money as to create a continuum of care for the consumers they served. He understood that many of the consumers were in transition as well. Many were affected by governmental budget cuts to those who are disabled, as were the employees themselves. This article will outline how The Deaf Action Center in Shreveport Louisiana, transformed into a vital organization by reorganizing internally as well as externally.

The Organization

The Deaf Action Center in Shreveport, Louisiana is the only agency of its kind in north Louisiana. Their innovative services are being accessed by other agencies throughout Louisiana and the country. They work with any agency in north Louisiana who requires hearing translation, which includes schools, government, hospitals, and social settings. Being one of the most innovative Deaf services agencies in the country, they rarely face duplication of services. Many programs are unique and are not offered anywhere else in the state and in some cases the nation. In addition to the wonderful service programs the Center now offers, they are continuously evaluating new research data and emerging technologies to develop innovative solutions that directly address their client’s needs.

The Mission Statement

The Mission Statement of a nonprofit organization informs employees, shareholders, vendors, and consumers how it will achieve the organizations mission. There is a tremendous amount of employee buy in when the mission statement is geared towards inspiring those involved (Brueckner, 2012). The mission of the Deaf Action Center is to serve as a provider of direct services and as a coordinating, cooperative and referral center utilizing the services of otologists, audiologists, counselors, educators and other professional personnel. The Deaf Action Center (DAC), seeks to cooperate with and not compete with, all present agencies and organizations working in the field of deafness and other hearing impairments. It constantly evaluates its own purposes and accomplishments in relationship to the current and future needs of Deaf and hard of hearing persons. It seeks to fill the needs which are not being fully met, as determined by objective evaluations, and/or through technical support, it encourages other agencies or organizations to meet these needs (Hylan).

Issues confronting the Organization

The organization was not in a financial well standing two years ago. Governmental budget cuts in the state of Louisiana had left DAC with nearly a fourth of the budget it has been working with. The closure of the organization was projected to happen by the end of the funding period. Compounded to the fiscal issues, a problem in the region, Louisiana lost 60% of its American Sign Language (ASL) interpreting workforce to migration since Hurricanes Katrina and Rita. Louisiana interpreters now number only 46 for the whole state. Yet, even before the effects of this loss of skilled interpreters, the National Organization on Disability conducted a 2005 special needs assessment following the Katrina emergency and concluded: “the most underserved group was those who are deaf or hard of hearing.” Having actual people to interpret for the Deaf was a huge crisis in the state (EEPHL, n.d.).

The Executive Director, David Hylan, decided to diversify and expand services outside of sign language interpretation that were being provided to various entities in the community as well as created an avenue to provide sign language interpretation as well as classes to teach interpreters through video conferencing and webinars. As with most other agencies, the DAC looked for other income outlets. The agency had been providing some American Sign Language training classes via video conferencing as well as some case management to clients, even though there was no actually funding in place to provide these services. It was then David Hylan decided to expand their services to provide webinars across the country to professionals to receive continuing education units (CEUs) which social workers, lawyers, and nurses all need for licensure renewals. The Deaf Action Center realized they would need extensive upgrades to expand services and create a vital income source for the organization. Due to the nature of American Sign Language (ASL) high definition equipment would be needed to offer regularly scheduled webcasts for the Deaf, more live training for interpreters & underemployed or unemployed deaf people. If this goal could be realized, then a viable continuing income source would be established that would be independent from relying on contractual restraints lasting two to five years of foundation grants.

Organizational and Structural Changes

Organizational structure is the base of operational policy development. The structure is responsible for the culture of the organization as well. The DAC found it necessary to change the structure of the organization to become more competitive, especially competing with so many other nonprofits who had suffered huge losses from government funding. The DAC would need to be unique and innovative when competing for foundation grant monies.

The first step was for Hylan to assess the type of change needed. When looking from the inside out, it is not easy to perceive the problem and the magnitude of the change. Those initiating change often underestimate the impact that the change will have. The upgrades needed to become a full video conferencing studio that needed professional guidance from similar service providers as well as educational needs of the staff. With all participants on board, an urgency was created, and along with it, an excitement for the upcoming change.

People Centered Change

People centered change alters the behavior, skills, and how productive employees are. For there to be people centered processes, communicating, motivating, leading, and interaction within the group must be ongoing (Dougherty, 2002). Hylan encountered a need to change how problems would be solved, the way employees would be educated in new skills, and a reconstruction of employee self perception.

Open communication between the different entities .opened up many questions that would be addressed before making any steps towards such an overwhelming change to the structure of the organization. Some of the questions that would need addressing were:

· Are the benefits readily observable?

· Will key relationships be adversely impacted?

· Is management prepared for employee reactions to change?

Strategic Change

It became evident that to add to an already underfunded over worked operation, it would be necessary to adjust the strategy of the former goals of the organization, including the mission statement, to foster the expansion of the new demands. By doing so, Hylan found himself considering adjusting the fundamental approach to how the DAC was doing business. To expand the presence of the DAC from a local community organization to a nationally respected cutting edge nonprofit, the kinds of products he would have available, how they would be sold would be as far reaching as state and national markets. It would also give partnering organizations the opportunity to provide CEUs in their prospective fields for a fee. This kind of collaboration is gold to prospective grantors. There is nothing a foundation loves more than to see than the money they grant be used as seed money for bigger projects, and become self containing. That is exactly what Hylan did; offer one or two nonprofit agencies an opportunity to buy in by educating their demographics through webinars for a fee to those seeking to earn continuing education units (Clamped & Berk).

Process Oriented (Funding) Change

Expanding the capacity to a continuous revenue source by offering CEUs to professionals, creating the capacity to offer ASL classes online, as well as other webinar services that included English as a Second Language classes to the Deaf, would more than make up for the lost federal grants that had kept the agency afloat for many years. The first step was to research foundations that would provide funding in these areas. Once national and community foundations were identified, the process of application submission and grant writing began.

Create Boundary Crossing Partnerships

The criteria in most grant applications are there has to be evidence of collaborative efforts with other community agencies. This ensures that the work of a nonprofit will have cross beneficially effect with more than just one agency’s demographic. They would be expected to explain the differences and similarities of the DAC to other agencies providing similar services, and they would have to show any efforts undertaken to eliminate duplication of services. Most importantly they would have to be able to eloquently tell the story of not only their mission, but stand above all the other agencies that were battling for an ever decreasing amount of funds. In this economy, even foundations are feeling the effects and are unable to increase the amount they give or continue to give the amounts they had in the past (Chatfield).

Structural

It was evident there was a need to streamline structures and with that there would be staff changes and changes to the organizational chart. In one case, it was determined there would need to be staff layoffs or the combining of two positions into one. New staff would need to be hired to over see the functions of new equipment if funding for these innovative projects were met through foundation grants. With these new observations, Hylan began restructuring the organizational chart to reflect the changes to the organization’s staff requirements.

Change Model

There were actually two change models applied to achieving the reorganization of the DAC. Kotter’s Eight Step Change Model was used initially. Midway through the change process the Tipping Change Theory was applied. The first discussion of the change model will be Kotter’s Eight Step Change Model and the steps taken.

Kotter’s Eight Step Model

Step One: Create an Urgency

The first step Hylan took in the Eight Step Model was to create urgency for change. This began when Hylan tapped into the intellectual capital of the shareholders and employees by brain storming different paths to take when scouting out new income sources. He then went to external forces by inquiring from vendors, sister organizations, and other community agencies to assess and evaluate the needs. According to Kotter, for the change to be successful, 75 percent of the organization needs to buy into the change (Farris, et al, 2009). Once he accomplished this task, he moved to the second step.

Step Two: Form a Powerful Coalition

To create a powerful coalition, one must convince people that the change in necessary. To accomplish this, strong leadership and support for external and internal forces are needed. Most importantly, change cannot be delegated. Hylan didn’t dispense duties to department heads and expect them to follow through, leadership began with him. He was willing to put as much work into making the change as those he led. His way of leading was to form change coalitions and work as a team.

Step Three: Create a Vision for Change

He created a clear simple vision that could easily be internalized by those affected by the change. To create the vision of change, he determine the values that are central to the change and developed a short simple summary that captured what he saw as the future of the DAC. He then created a strategy to execute that vision. He made sure those involved in the change could describe the vision to ensure they would buy into it and he communicated his "vision speech" often to himself and others.

Step 4: Communicating the Vision

Communicating the vision would be determinate of his success. To ensure the vision was properly communicated, Hylan and staff talked about the change vision often. He created an open door policy where honest dialog and concerns were addressed. He applied all aspects of operations to incorporate the vision for change. And most importantly, he led by example.

Step 5: Removing obstacles

Once the vision buy in was complete, obstacles to the change became apparent. He then identified the change leaders and what their roles would be to deliver the change. He then set up a system to recognize and reward people who were making change happen. He then identified those who were resisting and removed barriers to the change.

Step 6: Create Short-term Wins

Nothing motivates more than watching the success of change. One way to do this is to create mini goals and short term wins. Some of the ways the DAC created short term wins was to find sure fire projects that were perceived as non threatening to those who would be critical. The organization grew slowly and did not jump into goal targets that were expensive. As funding came in, the studio grew with better equipment. It slowly evolved and Hylan was able to justify the investment with each project.

Step 7- Build on the Change

Kotter stated that change projects fail because victory is declared too early. Real change runs deep and there are no short cuts to lasting change (Farris, et al, 2009). Hylan did this by analyzing what went right and how to improve the change. He set goals to continue on the path of achievement.

Step 8: Anchor the Changes in Corporate Culture

Finally once the achievements toward change were met, he made sure it became part of the organizations culture. He made sure constant efforts to ensure that the change permeated through every aspect of the DAC. By doing this, it gave the change a solid hold in organization's culture.

The Role of the Leader

There are three leadership qualities of leadership, visionary, participant, and transactional which produce effective organizational change (Manz, et al, 1991). When leaders act as advocates for change, they won’t allow the process of change to falter from lack of attention. They are willing to invest their political capital to rally those affected. They must be the role model for those in the organization. They must be the decision maker and take responsibility for those decisions. They must be the voice, motivator, and enforcer. Others in the organization need someone to look up to while processing the change they are going through. A good leader will be assessable to them making the process seem easy.

The Plan to Overcome Barriers

Barriers to implementation include preoccupation with the day to day details, lack of teamwork, conflicting priorities, and funding issues. A good start is implementing a work plan to map out structure and time restraints. One of the strategies that were used at the DAC was an understanding that planning and execution is dependant on success. Execution takes time, especially when grant requirements usually demand evidence based outcomes that must be documented over time. Once those figures were in place, Hylan was able to reach out for funding in the private sector. The “tipping point” theory of change was implemented,, which means even with improvements that appear to be small and functions needed to empower consumers, they were able to serve more people with greater outcomes, financially as well as the quality of services with enormous impact that reached not only those who require our services locally, but also be a model for other agencies to implement when fulfilling their mission statements.

Conclusion

With these change theories in place, various foundation grant providers have given of over $1,000,000 since the financial crisis two years ago. The funding received has provided new jobs for professionals in this field, as well as acted as seed money for a lasting revenue source without outside assistance. Over the last year, just webinars alone, has generated nearly $60,000 in a year, not counting various classes via the web. As a community project and grant requirement, DAC has offered the use of the facility to other nonprofits to offer CEUs as an income generator. It is what grant givers dream of in a nonprofit organization. And here today is the final product of his and the organizations efforts. The video capibilities are exception and down right fancy.

References:

Brueckner, T. K. (2012). The importance of mission buy-in by staff and clients. Senior Market

Advisor, , n/a-n/a. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/963393279?accountid=32521

Chatfield, M. (n.d.). Self-Directed and Self-Managed Teams. http://www.imetacomm.com. Retrieved September 10, 2012, from http://www.irism.com/selfteam.htm

Clampett, F., & Berk, L. (n.d.). Strategically Communicating Organizational Change. iMetacomm. Retrieved September 9, 2012, from http://www.imetacomm.com/otherpubs/pdf_doc_downloads/strat_commg_org_change_v5.pdf

Dougherty, D. (1992). A practice-centered model of organizational renewal through product

innovation. Strategic Management Journal (1986-1998), 13, 77-77. Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com/docview/231179375?accountid=32521

Emergency Planning for People with Hearing Loss. (n.d.). http://www.hearinglossweb.com.

Retrieved September 10, 2012, from

http://www.hearinglossweb.com/Issues/EmergPlan/emerg_plan.htm

Farris, K. B., PhD., Demb, A., Janke, K. K., PhD., Kelley, K., & Scott, S. A., PharmD. (2009).

Assessment to transform competency-based curricula. American Journal of

Pharmaceutical Education, 73(8), 1-158. Retrieved from

http://search.proquest.com/docview/211313601?accountid=32521

Hylan, D. (n.d.). The Deaf Action Center - About us. The Deaf Action Center.

Retrieved September 10, 2012, from http://www.deafactioncenter.org/

Manz, C., Bastien, D., & Hostager, T. (1991). Executive leadership during organizational

change: A bi-cycle model. HR.Human Resource Planning, 14(4), 275-275. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/224591172?accountid=32521

Charismatic Leaders: Wonderful or Dangerous? BUS660

2012-09-09T23:36:00.001-06:00

Heroic military leaders are a perfect study group that can show us the nature of charismatic leadership.

Che Guevara stands out as one of those leaders who possess charm, intelligence, and inspires others to get on board and follow. El Che is considered an authority figure who put his life in jeopardy to lead others to a better life. He is considered the ultimate freedom fighter to many South American countries as well as abroad in Russia, France, and Africa.

Che Guevara not only was a handsome man, but when he spoke, could move those that heard him, be inspired to fight against injustices that the poor endured by those in power. In military terms, Guevara was the epitome of a romantic tragic martyr that quickly became iconic to those who fight injustice in the world. Military defeat can sometimes become a cultural victory and that is exactly what happened in the making of Che Guevara’s place in history.

A photo that was taken of him standing next to Fidel Castro after defeating the bloody Batista regime in Cuba is the most duplicated image in the world. In the myth making of Guevara, he is now perceived as a Christ like figure. As one of his modern day followers is quoted from the documentary, Chevolution, “Che is a hero to many because he resisted a truly ugly system, remained true to his ideals, and conveniently died before the Revolution’s slow, pathetic demise became apparent to nearly everyone“ (Tutor, n.d.). Of course his memory does not take on the role to some who found his ideals were to be resisted. Paul Berman, author of Terror and Liberalism offers an intense iconoclastic critique when he was quoted as saying, “The cult of Ernesto Che Guevara is an episode in the moral callousness of our time. Che was a totalitarian. He achieved nothing but disaster.” Needless to say, Che’s image can be found the world over as the symbol of freedom of oppression and the symbol of rejecting worldly excess and the values of those resisting injustice in the world (Tutor, n.d.).

On the other hand, some of the most evil men to rise to power got to their position because they were charismatic. One of the most evil authoritarian leaders ever to live was Pol Pot. Pol. Pot oversaw the brutal deaths of over a million Cambodians in the 1970s. His horrendous crimes were against his own people. Pol Pot has been described as a leader that is worse than Hitler and a genocidal maniac. The blood baths occurred so that he could push forward his ideology of collectivist agrarian utopia on an unwilling nation. Its hard to understand how someone has evil can fool those who follow him. His own people did not remove him from power that was exposed to the world in 1979. He continued to rule until his death in 1998. Pol Pot's entrance onto Cambodia political landscape was inspired by the desire to bring about such social and political changes to benefit the poor masses. Pol Pot's speech as "harmonious and persuasive; he used examples skillfully. He made himself easy to like (Chandler, 1999). In the end, it was evident he was a much worse than those before him and used speech to persuade his followers he would make their lives better than before. His love for ultimate power resulted in the deaths of more than a million compatriots, one in seven Cambodians, in less than four years.

References

Chandler, David P. Brother Number One: A Political Biography of Pol Pot. Boulder, Colorado: Westview Press, 1999.

Hughes, R.L. & Ginnett, R.C. & Curphy, G.J. (2009). Leadership: Enhancing the

Lessons of Experience (6th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Irwin. ISBN: 9780073405049

Tutor, J. (n.d.). Che Guevara was the ultimate charismatic leader.

The Whole Vision Thing

2012-09-03T15:10:00.002-06:00

I keep being confronted by the whole epiphany thing while studying the whole vision thing and how to implement a successful outcome when given a project. Examining structural features can impact upon a leader’s effectiveness. It is obviously true, however, that leadership is contingent upon what a leader actually does. In this regard, a major implication of our analysis is that leaders’ capacity to marshal support for their plans will be enhanced to the extent that they are able to advance the collective interests and aspirations of the group they lead. Moreover, because much of the demand for leadership emerges in competitive contexts it also follows that this will often involve promotion of the in group at the expense of an out group.

Again, the key to leadership lies not in getting followers to say that they agree with a vision, but being the inspiration as a leader that works along followers helps make that vision a reality. Many a leader’s grand designs have been left in tatters because the support that they initially elicited was never translated into anything concrete. What counts is their sweat and toil (and sometimes their blood and tears). Accordingly, these are more dearly sought, and less easily bought.

Haslam and Platow found that students only generated arguments and ideas that backed up a leader’s plans for improving their campus, if that leader had a record of making decisions that supported positions that were normative for the group. This is one reason why party followers scrutinize Senate voting records so closely when deciding who to back (and work for) through the Presidential nomination process. By the same token, candidates routinely point to their rivals’ voting records in order to strategically undermine their support base.

This same point also emerges from the carefully observed ethnographic field studies of Clifford Stott and John Drury (2000). These examine the evolution of riots during public events (e.g., protest rallies, soccer tournaments) and show that individuals who seek to engage in conflict with police only assume a position of leadership (whereby they are able to influence others to participate in violent acts) once relations between police and those they are policing (e.g., protestors, football fans) have become antagonistic and violence is seen to define an appropriate response to the intergroup situation at hand. Critically too, at apractical level, it is the leader’s possession of particular skills that the group needs in these contexts (e.g., to resist, to fight) that make others turn to them. However, in the absence of such dynamics, those who promote violence are typically dismissed as dangerous thugs and rarely gain influence. Moreover, it is worth noting that sensitivity to such dynamics on the part of police in Europe has played a major role in reducing the incidence of major disturbances at public events in recent years. Indeed, this line of research gives powerful testimony to the practical advantages of a theory that accounts for the ongoing interplay between leadership and group dynamics (see Stott et al., 2007).
Source

Such is the case of The Big Changes in the Small Hospital a case study from BUS660 Master's level Contingency Theory of Leadership.
Story is rounded around F .NICHOLAS JACOBS. He started work for small hospital named as Windber Medical center facility as a president. Firstly he was dread when he entered in new environment. Then he started to work under their culture. He discussed issues with employees and community. Taken idea about people who are directly and indirectly involved with hospital. Then he provides authority to seniors of hospital for improvement. He created a community center that would allow members of community to ask health related question with professionals. Under Jacobs’s leadership Windber has established an affiliation with the Planetree treatment system, which integrates meditation, massage, music and other holistic methods in to traditional health care. Now Windber’s wellness center which offers fitness training, yoga and acupuncture. Very soon they stated to generate profit. Infrastructure are renewed, no of employees are increased. Finally the winder research institute, Windber’s heart disease reversal program has treated about 250 patients.
When considering the factors from the situational leadership theory First and foremost, Jacobs came into a situation where the hospital he was hired to turn around was in a very bad financial situation. The building was deteriorating, and employees had taken a 30 percent pay cut. There was a high turn over in staff and morale was very low because of lack of security on the job.

Jacobs did in house focus groups and interviews polling the employees asking what they expected from their jobs in regard to wants and needs. He reached out to the community leaders bringing them into the organization as consultants for needs evaluations. After evaluating the problems faced by the hospital he began to assess the issues needing to be dealt with.

He realized there was a lack of communication between employees and management and began opening avenues for productive communication. He evaluated the vision/mission of the hospital and reformed it so that he could produce successful outcomes. He incorporated a learning organizational culture where two way communication was accessible to employees and implemented a delegating style to increase emotional buy in by employees.

Taken from the Situational Leadership Theory model, Jacob incorporated the selling factor component by engaging those affected internally and externally. He took that information he gathered, as a high task before him. His goal was not only to keep the doors open even though other hospitals had not survived. It was a large task and involved a high relationship from everyone involved.

Another component of the Situational Leadership Theory used was the telling approach. Windber was high task with little employee emotional buy in. Many employees left for employment elsewhere. They were not emotionally attached to a “sinking ship” and had very little relationship in building it back up. With a 30 percent pay cut and the dismal environment of the hospital, there was a lack of willingness to participate in the turn around process that could have been from untrustworthiness of the management from the past.

How did Jacobs score on the least-preferred-coworker scale? Why?

I would consider Jacobs a high LPC leader. High-LPC leaders thrive in situations where motivation and relationship building skills are used. People like Jacob love creating and building relationships. His first step was to connect with and build working relationships with everyone from the top to the bottom. His goal was to meet the needs of those involved by how the hospital was run. He took ownership of the problems and made them his own to resolve. As all visionaries, he identified problems, set in motion specific changes, and made his vision a reality.

Based on the success of Windber the range of overall situational favorability Jacobs fell on the continuum illustrated

When the turn around was in beginning stages, it appeared the situational favorability was low. According to the model, the situation to reverse would need a high-LPC leader. Jacob dove straight into the problem and made quick progress by turning to those most effected by the hospitals downfall. A low-LPC leader would have been effective which as the text indicates, there are short comings and criticism of this theory.

Job Analysis and Hiring Practices

2012-06-18T12:10:00.002-06:00

When I started my career in HIV/AIDS nonprofit organizations twenty years ago, not many people applied for positions to work in my field of choice. Stigma was a huge issue, the lack of prevention education as it is now, some 30 years later. I was taught by example what an executive should be in the early days by the first executive director of our center, Bobby Darrow. Since then, we’ve had several executive directors to gather what to do and not to do as well as my experience as interim director to give me insight in regard to hiring new employees. There are many facets of hiring the right person for case management to those who live with HIV/AIDS. All the usual requirements such as a job description, interviewing new prospects, hiring and training the right person are involved, but finding someone who is compassionate and empathetic, are qualities also needed to be a good case manager. It is not something that can be measured with any tool. The Human Resource process is ongoing. I have used my own hiring process as a tool, my job description, and took it upon myself to research several human resource theories used by other grass root nonprofits like the one I worked for. I definitely felt the stress of picking the right person for the job. The interview process was a learning experience in itself. I did use an HIV/AIDS educational test to see which of the candidates studied up on the disease before their interview. Going through the questions and answers, and their reactions and questions about the subject, gave me insight as to how judgmental they would be

towards those living with AIDS.

I will use the tools I learned from my wonderful first executive director, as well as human resource theories to outline the creation of the job description. The organization being new had not developed a job description and policies and procedures for the new case management department, so as interim director, I was a part of that process as well. Dessler (2011) says, “A job description is a written analysis of what the job holder actually does, how the responsibilities are performed and under what conditions.” For the first job description we analyzed exactly what the case managers would be doing, including education skills, responsibilities, and job experience. The creation of a job description will attract candidates who are most qualified for the position.

Hiring an HIV/AIDS Case Manager

Job Description

POSITION TITLE: Case Manager

REPORTS TO: Case Management Supervisor

POSITION SUMMARY: Responsible for the provision of case management services to PLWH/AIDS and affected family members by accessing needed services available in the community and/or through the program. Case file documentation is maintained through daily contacts, monthly progress reports, progress notes, and the development and evaluation of goals with the client. Home visits are routine part of case management.

POSITION ACCOUNTABILITY:

Conducts intakes and assessments/reassessments of people seeking services through the Center.

Provides case management services to PLWH/AIDS and their families.
Maintains accurate documentation and audit preparation.
Makes referrals to resource agencies half of consumers when needed.
Develops case management plans for HIV/AIDS consumers verifiable to case logs.
Monitors, evaluates and revises service plans as indicated.
Arranges for all services identified in the case management plan.
Interacts with other team members to facilitate productive and efficient team functioning.
Works in a collaborative mode with other team members.
Participates in other program activities for educational activities.
Follows all policies and procedures adopted by the Center.

JOB SPECIFICATIONS:

EDUCATION: A Bachelor’s degree in human services-related field from an accredited institution and one year of paid post-Bachelor’s degree experience in a human service-related field providing case management services.

EXPERIENCE: One year of case management experience.

SKILLS: Excellent written and verbal communication skills, ability to access services for clients, ability to work as a team member and adapt to culturally diverse populations.

Computer proficiency is a must.

WORKING CONDITIONS: May be exposed to infectious and contagious diseases, occasionally subject to irregular hours, subject to varying and unpredictable situations.

Travel and home visits required.

SALARY: Based on previous experience to be negotiated at the time of hire.

Recruitment and selection

One of the most important elements of selecting the appropriate candidate for case manager is hiring someone who will fulfill the mission statement of the organization. The organization’s mission statement is three fold.

1. Provide support services for people who have Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) or have contracted the Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV), the virus that causes AIDS.

2. Prevent the spread of HIV by educating the public with regard to how HIV is contracted and how its transmission may be avoided.

3. Improve the quality of life for all people affected by HIV/AIDS regardless of race, color, religion, gender, sexual orientation, disability, national origin, political beliefs, financial status or any other non-meritorious basis.

Those who have worked in other nonprofit organizations are familiar with confidentiality issues social workers deal with on the job. Even with previous basic training in sexually transmitted diseases, the new employee will have to be willing to undergo very specific OSHA and universal precaution education. Surprisingly, many candidates do become concerned with the transmission of HIV as well as a host of other infectious diseases they could be exposed to. This makes the selection process a very sensitive matter. It is mandatory of the Ryan White ACT that nondiscriminatory hiring practiced are documented and carried out. The job posting can be done internally of the organization, but is mandatory to be placed publically for at least two weeks. This opens up the posting to publically to ensure hiring practices are transparent and fair. Candidates can apply by eesponding by email or by mailing in their resumes.

The Interview Process of the HIV/AIDS Case Manager

Candidates will be selected from the resumes and appointments made to speak to candidates face to face. If the candidates are not local but are willing to relocate, online interviews can be done through internet video conferencing. It is important to have this time with the candidate to see how prepared they are and to elaborate on the skills and experience from their resumes. Interviewing also allows the candidate to express their passion and empathy to the consumers they will be serving. The interviewing team will consist of myself and the Client Services Director for the first round of interviews. When we conduct the last round of interviews, we will have narrowed it down to three candidates. The final interviewing team will consist of myself and the other case managers. It is important for them to be part of the team building process.

The interview will also include a basic HIV/AIDS test, not just to analyze their knowledge of the disease, but to find out how prepared they were for the interview process. Today with all the funding cuts to HIV/AIDS nonprofits, there is less money for education and prevention. Our scope in community education isn’t as far as it has been in the past, so how well someone goes out of their way to learn about HIV education will be a good indicator how assertive they will be in all areas of the position. Education is ongoing in this field.

Other interview questions will be in regard to how well the applicant will adapt to change. With funding cuts, changes in grant and legislative policies, change is constant. An example would be the legislative cuts in thirteen states to AIDS Drug Assistance Programs. HIV consumers are being put on waiting lists for their HIV medications. It is now up to case managers to find alternate drug assistance programs from foundations and pharmaceutical companies for their consumers. With these drastic changes in policy, the case manager is expected to take on more duties unexpectedly. Time management skills, working efficiently alone, and within the team are essential to meeting the mission of the organization.

The case management position requires behavioral questions as part of the interview process. According to research data, an estimated seventy percent of all companies use behavioral questions as part of the interview process. Behavioral interviewing is open ended questions that ask are situational/task questions, action questions, and result questions (Whitacre, 2007). An example would be scenario based questions or “give me an example when” questions. The purpose of this type of questioning is to allow the candidate to use previous experiences and apply them to the job they are interviewing for. It also would allow the interviewers to assess the candidates ability to perform the job duties based on past job experience. Most importantly, to keep within our mission statement and antidiscrimination laws, all questions would be created to be fair and within the federal and state guidelines. Based on my years in the HIV/AIDS field, I have been asked what my sexual preference was as well if I am HIV infected, both being illegal according to the law. “Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 and 1991prohibits discrimination in employment based on race, color, sex, religion or religious beliefs, and national origin; prohibits sexual harassment” (Cascardo, 2011).

Seeing there isn’t a test in place for the case management position, we would rely on other qualities of the candidate. The interviewing panel would narrow down the candidate to three people . For any of these three people to be the successful candidate, a testing system based on questions asked by the panel would be used. Peers and supervisors who have been in this field for any length of time would be able to identify those who have similar qualities to ensure the team would work well together. Those qualities would be based on the ability to adapt to change, technical skills, and teamwork.

Performance evaluation

Now that we have hired the candidate that can best meet the job, a performance evaluation would be used to determine their progress. I would first make a check list of different tasks she has been trained in and use it to evaluate her performance in each category. During the probation period, which would be up to six months, the new hire, our supervisor, and I would meet once a week. During these meetings, we would discuss feedback about the challenges of the job, successes accomplished, and questions and answers from the candidate. It is important to have feedback sessions with her so she will feel comfortable about issues she is not familiar or comfortable with. Feedback and communicating with those who lead in the organization is important to the success and retention of a new hire.

After the new hire has worked a year in the position, a yearly annual review will be conducted. Those in attendance would be myself, the new hire, and our supervisor. A Bahaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS) would be used. A BARS is made up of narrative and critical incidents, quantitive ratings, by anchoring a qualified scale with good and poor performance (Dessler, 2011, p 178). Depending on the outcome of the BARS, a discussion of pay increase would be discussed. Once discussed by the staff, a recommendation would be made to the Executive Director.

Salary

The case management position is set by the limitations of the grant that funds it. Usually everyone starts at the lower end of the scale, but depending on experience, can be negotiated. It is a salaried job, with bonuses if the case manager reaches the quota. The amount negotiated would depend on if the candidate met the requirements of the position or if they brought experience and education to the job. Once they have been on the job for two years, then raises and bonuses could be discussed, but with the funding cuts experienced by most nonprofits, raises aren’t an option at this point and discussion of those limitations would be discussed at the time of hiring. It is important that the salary negotiation process is fair in every respect with transparency being a priority so the candidate is informed as much as possible when they accept the position.

Training and development

There are specific grant guidelines that have to be documented for the center to bill for case management units. The old saying in case management is, “If you don’t document it, it didn’t happen.” We are reimbursed by the number of units the case managers bill. It is usually any contact with the consumer, their family member, or other resource contacts. Many things that seem like would be billable aren’t, so very specific training is given in documentation. The training manual will teach the candidate what is expected of her for billing purposes. The best way to teach many of the duties of case management is by watching and learning. I would mentor the new hire and walk her through many of the processes that she will need for the job. Direct coaching from myself and our supervisor, our team members, and leadership development conferences are tools that my supervisor used to train me, and I in return would use. Also having a day out with other case managers to show short cuts they have developed for time management would be included. “Job rotation, in which an employee (usually a management trainee) moves from job to job at planned intervals, is another on-the job technique” (Dessler, 2011, p. 148). Informal training is just as important as formal training when teaching new hires.

Conclusion

Being part of the hiring process and training someone to replace a position I have excelled in gives me a unique perspective on what to look for in a candidate. Skills alone are not enough when selecting a case manager. Someone who is willing to go that extra mile in the care of others be highly adaptive to change, and realize case management is sometimes considered a thankless job. One has to be there because of a calling to help others, be compassionate.

Compassion being important, skills, teamwork, and the ability for adapt to change is also needed for the job. Learning from a good leader, as well as using what I was taught through experience and research, I was able to create a hiring model that would be very effective choosing the right candidate for the case manager position. The model I used included a job description, interview and testing, salary requirements, and training. Once the candidate was hired, a development plan for the new hire would be implemented that would focus on the wellbeing of the new case manager. By adhering to federal and state hiring regulations, as well as using the Mission Statement of the organization as guidelines, this hiring process should prove to be instrumental in hiring the right candidate that can thrive in a stressful work environment and be a productive case manager for those living with HIV/AIDS.

References

Cascardo, D.. (2011). Everyone Looks Good on Paper: How to Hire Your Ideal

Employee. The Journal of Medical Practice Management : MPM, 26(6), 367-

370. Retrieved June 18, 2012, from ProQuest Health and Medical Complete.

(Document ID: 2408653551).

Dessler, G. (2011). A Framework for Human Resource Management (6th ed.). Upper Saddle

River, NJ: Prentice Hall.

Whitacre, T. (2007). Behavioral Interviewing-Find Your STAR. Quality

Progress, 40(6), 72-73. Retrieved June 18, 2012, from ABI/INFORM Global.

(Document ID: 1298920031).
- OMM640

Stress in Organizations- Those most vested are the most stressed.

2012-06-12T12:48:00.000-06:00

Job Stress in Organizations

Job stress has a high occurrence in the modern workforce. More than half of those employed in the U.S. cite pressures from stress on the job. There has been extensive research to support excessive stress adversely affects the emotional and physical health of those workers. This article will outline job related stress, its symptoms, and ways to reduce stress for managers and their employees.

Stress Defined

According to Dessler, on the job burnout due to stress, is the total depletion of physical and mental resources caused by excessive striving to reach an unrealistic work-related goal. Defining stress can subjective and dependent on internal and external causes as it relates to the symptoms people experience. Stress can also occur when workers think about the future and away from thought of “here and now”. Some say there is no difference between what is considered good stress and bad stress if thoughts are created about future outcomes. When the stress is relieved by good outcomes then we perceive it as motivating. If there is no outlet for it, then it is incapacitating for us. In reality both good and bad stress is still stress (Milbourn, 2012).

Managers often deal with many sources of stress which can be define in two categories, one being the lack of principled organization , the other being the lack of supportive leadership. Workers become stressed when the vagueness of responsibility as well as conflict of having to carry out responsibilities under these conditions. When workers are allowed a greater level of satisfaction due to their jobs, then they will experience less symptoms of job related stress (Milbourn, 2012).

Stress and it Causes

On the job stress originators are divided into internal and external conflicts. Individual/Internal can be related to fears (specific and nonspecific), guilt, and stress that occurs when there are perceived environmental threats. Some of the external conditions can be defined by lack of opportunity, excessive responsibilities, monotony, and value conflicts can seriously affect work performance, which are things that are beyond one’s control there are other situations that can be just as stressful. Physical environment, lack of diversity or work pace, conflict in responsibilities, quality of work, on the job relationships, and career development stressors attribute to feeling overwhelmed and stressed. “ The effects of these sources of stress on various measures of physical and mental health ranging from absenteeism to poor physical health (Carr, Kelley, Keaton, & Albrecht, 2011). Job demands, individual differences, social demands, all influence the level of chronic stress felt in the workplace.

How Stress is manifested in the Workplace

Stress can create a number of behaviors which may be a positive or negative effect on the individual’s physical and emotional wellbeing. Some of the positive outcomes may be the development of neutral behaviors to avoid stress points such as becoming fit, social networking, and other activities. These outcomes will lower negative responses to stress. On the other hand, negative responses would include smoking, drinking and the use of prescription and illegal drugs.

Managing Stress

Because of the dual perspective of stress for managers, there is a need for balance and stability. For managers and workers alike, finding ways to minimize stress will lead to higher productivity. There are three specific strategies that deal with on the job stress, treat the symptoms, change the person, or remove the causes of stress. (Carr, Kelley, Keaton, & Albrecht, 2011). First and foremost the first thing to do is help the person who suffers from stress by relieving the symptoms. Providing health care and counseling services can identify what is needed. From there, the person should be taught how to build stress management skills to help alleviate the possibility of getting to that point again. Some of the ways this can be achieved would be time management and relaxation skills. Another would be taking a healthier approach by exercise and diet changes. A third approach would be the reduction of the environmental causes that created the stress.

Conclusion

On the job stress can manifest in many ways. Much depends on the person experiencing the stress. It is important to identify stress, learn how to recognize and deal with it in a positive manner. A stress less work environment is nearly impossible to achieve. Although it is in the best interest for management to make dealing with on the job stress a priority, rarely is anything done about it until the individual already exhibits symptoms. It is important to put into place outlet for workers to release the stressors on the job. Such programs must be deemed important from management first.

References

Dessler, G. (2011). A Framework for Human Resource Management (6th ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall. I

Jolynn Carr, Becky Kelley, Rhett Keaton, & Chad Albrecht. (2011). Getting to grips with stress in the workplace. Human Resource Management International Digest, 19(4), 32-38. (Document ID: 2371839441).SBN: 9780132556378.

Milbourn, G.. (2012). Job Stress and Job Dissatisfaction: Meaning, Measurement and Reduction - A Teaching Note. Journal of American Academy of Business, Cambridge, 18(1), 1-9. from ABI/INFORM Global. (Document ID: 2682334301).

deepsouth, A new HIV/AIDS documentary to be released in July

2012-06-12T08:49:00.000-06:00

Last week, the Internet was buzzing about the trailer for a new documentary about HIV in the South. The film, deepsouth, follows a young, black, gay man from the Mississippi Delta who is doing his best to endure the stigma and homophobia; two best friends who are preparing for their annual HIV retreat in rural Louisiana; and an Alabama activist who travels throughout the country speaking her truth.

The film deepsouth, follows a young black gay man from the Mississippi Delta who is doing his best to fight stigma and homophobia; two best friends who are preparing for their annual HIV retreat in rural Louisiana; and an Alabama activist who travels around the state speaking her truth.

Many variables are the cause for most new cases of HIV are in the South. Baton Rouge Louisiana ranks #2 in the nation for new infection rates. Another troubling trend in the city is that more young people and more women are being infected with the virus now than in previous years.

The Southern AIDS Coalition says federal funding to fight the disease has not followed the epidemic's path, with an unfair share of money for treatment, education and support services remaining in other, wealthier parts of the nation that have fewer new HIV cases and declining death rates.

deepsouth, is set to be released in July.

Organizational Cultures- Are you in a toxic work environment?

2012-05-31T15:05:00.002-06:00

Culture typically includes the totality of socially transmitted behaviors, beliefs, attitudes, human thoughts and creations. It affects every aspect of our lives -- the way we look at things, the way we act and react and how we express our feelings.
Culture also has a pervasive impact on business practices and organizational behaviors. Harrison and Huntington (2000) have provided compelling evidence that national cultures and values shape human progress and influence economic prosperity. For example, Asian values of personal relationships and family ties served East and Southeast Asia well for over three decades but hindered their economic development in the last few years.

In spite of the pervasive influence of national culture, within each nation exist different types of organizational cultures, because the personality and philosophy of the founder/leader may also shape the culture of each corporation. According to Reh (2002), "It is the leader's job to provide the vision for the group. A good executive must have a dream and the ability to get the company to support that dream. But it is not enough to merely have the dream. The leader must also provide the framework by which the people in that organization can help achieve the dream. This is called company culture" (p.1).

Generally, organizational culture refers to the prevailing implicit values, attitudes and ways of doing things in a company. It often reflects the personality, philosophy and the ethnic-cultural background of the founder or the leader. Corporate culture dictates how the company is run and how people are promoted. Leaders and managers need to understand how different types of corporate cultures may either facilitate or inhibit organizational efforts to improve performance and increase productivity. They also need to have the necessary competency to foster corporate cultural change. Cameron and Quinn (1998) pointed out the importance of transforming organizational culture in order to adapt to changing times. They have developed an assessment instrument to identify four types of cultures, namely, market culture, advocacy culture, clan culture, and hierarchy culture.

Toxic organizational cultures

The following organizational cultures are described as toxic because they are dysfunctioning in terms of relationships and adjustment to changing times. They undermine the social/spiritual capital, poison the work climate and contribute to organizational decline.

(1) Authoritarian-hierarchical culture - The big boss alone makes all the major decisions behind closed doors. Even when the decisions are harmful to the company, no one dares to challenge the boss. The standard mode of operand um is command and control, with no regard to the well being of employees or the future of the company. In this kind of culture, employees are to be controlled, manipulated and occasionally pacified like little children. Workers are motivated by fear rather than love for the company or passion for the work. They are expected to do what they are told without questioning. The main criterion for promotion is loyalty to the boss, rather than competence and commitment. As a result, star performers who dare to question some of the administration's decisions are sidelined or let go, while those who obey the boss blindly and who are willing be hatchet men get the nod for promotion.

Hierarchies are not necessarily bad in and of themselves. Some sort of hierarchy in terms of decision-making and responsibility is always inevitable. However, when hierarchies are used to control and abuse workers, problems inevitably occur. Hierarchies without accountability tend to have a corrupting influence on ambitious, autocratic leaders. When the boss is dysfunctional and has the power to impose his selfish, irrational decisions on others, the entire company suffers.

(2) Competing-conflictive culture - There is always some sort of power struggle going on. Leaders are plotting against each other and stabbing each other on the back. Different units and even different individuals within a unit are undercutting, backstabbing each other to gain some competitive advantage. There is a lack of trust and cooperation. People often hide important information from each other and even sabotage each other's efforts to ensure that only they will come up on top.

There is no regard for the larger picture and the overall goal of the company. It is everyman for himself. Both management and workers are obsessed with their own survival and self-interests. As a consequence, the organization is fragmented and there is a lot of waste of valuable resources because of duplications and sabotage. Such intense competition within the company creates a climate of divisiveness, conflict and mistrust. A house divided cannot long survive in a highly competitive globe economy.

(3) Laissez faire culture - There is a vacuum at the top, either because the leader is incompetent and ignorant, or because he is too preoccupied with his personal affairs to pay much attention to the company. Consequently, there is an absence of directions, standards and expectations. When there is an absence of effective leadership, each department, in fact, each individual does whatever they want. The leadership void will also tempt ambitious individuals to seize power to benefit themselves. Chaos and confusion are the order of the day. No one has a clear sense where the company is going. Often, employees receive conflicting directions and signals. Often, decisions are made in the morning only to be nullified in the afternoon. Given the lack of direction, oversight and accountability all across-the-board, productivity declines. In this kind of culture, the company either disintegrates or becomes an easy target for a hostile takeover.

(4) Dishonest-corrupt culture - In this culture, greed is good and money is God. There is little regard for ethics or the law. Such attitudes permeate the whole company from the top down to individual workers. Bribery, cheating, and fraudulent practices are widespread. Creative accounting and misleading profit reports are a matter of routine. Denial, rationalization and reputation management enable them carry on their unethical and often illegal activities until they are caught red-handed or exposed by correcting forces of the market. When management are blinded by greed and ambition, their judgment becomes distorted and their decisions become seriously flawed; as a result, they often cross the line without being aware of it. Enron serves as a good example.

(5) Rigid-traditional culture - There is a strong resistance to any kind of change. The leadership clings to out-dated methods and traditions, unwilling to adapt to the changes in the market place. They live in past glory and any change poses a threat to their deeply entrenched values and their sense of security. Workers are discouraged or even reprimanded for suggesting innovative ideas. Their accounting, marketing and delivery systems are no longer competitive with the fast-paced technology-driven market place. Their products and services have not responded to changing market demands. Their mantra is "We have always done things this way." As a result, the world passes them by and eventually they are left with an empty shell of the former self.

The above five types of toxic cultures are not mutually exclusive. For an example, an organization may be both authoritarian and traditional. Similarly, an organization can be both authoritarian and corrupt. When a company suffers from a multiple of diseases, drastic operations are needed to save it from demise. Unfortunately, not many managers are competent in the diagnosis and treatment of toxic organizational cultures.

Harrison, L. E., & Huntington, S. P. (Eds.) (2000). Culture matters:Cameron, K. S., & Quinn, R. E. (1998). Diagnosing and changing organizational culture: Base on the competing values framework. Baltimore, MD: Addison-Wesley Publications. How values shape human progress. New York: Basic Books.

Reh, F. J. (2002). Lessons learned from Enron: Say "No" to "Yes-men".

Can ethical behavior really exist in business?

2012-05-07T16:46:00.000-06:00

"I challenge anybody to show me an example of bias in Fox News Channel."

- Rupert Murdoch

The decision making and behavior of an organization is guided by set principles known as a code of ethics. A code of ethics is used as a guideline for members of an organization to insure ethical choices within an organization. Most credible employees insist on professional integrity and rely on a code of ethics for the organization’s principles and standards of practice. This paper will outline what a code of ethics of an American corporation is, the business practices of Rupert Murdoch’s News Corporation, and what happens when corporations control multimedia news broadcasting as well as provide examples of questionable ethical decisions within the journalism profession.

Corporate Ethical Behavior and Code of Ethics

Ethical behavior is more than simply following the law of the land. In business ethics, a code of ethics formally defines what those ethics are. “Business ethics and the codes that formally define it always include elements that go beyond strict legality; they demand adherence to a higher standard” (USLegal.com). For instance, it is unethical to lie, but only illegal in some circumstances of the law.

Corporate social responsibility originated in the 1960’s because of increased public interest and criticism in consumerism and the effects on the environment. There was a rise in speculation and mistrust after the Enron and World.com corporate scandals. Legislation passed in 2002; The Sarbanes-Oxley Act (SOX), which requires corporations to publish their code of ethics to ensure those who trade in stock, must publish their code of ethics along with changes to those codes when updated. Small businesses are not required to publish their code of ethics because they do not have a public trade option. Corporate code of ethics was designed to win investor confidence as well.

A corporate ethic code applies to all members of an organization. Actions will be judged by the professionalism of those who engage in activities to the best of their knowledge. According to Murdoch’s News Corporation code of ethics, “Who must follow these Standards? All directors, officers and employees of News Corporation companies must act according to the principles set forth in these Standards. We also expect everyone working on our behalf, including consultants, agents, suppliers and business partners, to adhere to our ethical standards. We may never ask a third party to perform any act that would violate these Standards” (Newscorp.com).

The other issues that are covered in the News Corporation Code of Ethics:

Trust in the workplace- Equal Opportunity, non-discrimination, harassing, health and safety, accommodations for those with disabilities, drug free work-place, data privacy, crisis management, and on site security.
Trust in employees and a commitment to stockholders- Integrity and transparency of conduct. Areas covered are brides and kickbacks, self dealing, Truthful statements to the Company, misleading others, avoiding conflict of interest, gifts entertainment and hospitality, associations with other companies, improper benefit, safe guarding reputation and property, and safe guarding company information.

Trust in the Free Market and commitment to the public- Truthful and complete financial information, maintaining credibility, responsibility of senior executives, inside trading, and fair competition and Anti-trust.
The Integrity of the Law and commitment to the Global Community- Good citizenship, corporate social responsibilities, avoiding corruption and bribery, and engaging in political activities and lobbying.

News Corporation expects that every employee, at every level, to conduct him or herself with integrity. These Standards are in place to identify prospective integrity issues, and gives regulation on dealing with potential problems. The News Corporation has implanted a very detailed Code of Ethics for all employees. When the corporation is one that owns a large amount of the media in the western world, how can a code of ethics for a corporation combined with the code of ethics of journalism, still stay within the boundaries of both?

Journalism Code of Ethics

According to the American Heritage Dictionary, Second College Edition, "Ethics" is defined as "The rules or standards governing the conduct of the members of a profession." From the same dictionary, "Journalism" is defined as "The style of writing characteristic in newspapers and magazines, consisting of the direct presentation of facts or occurrences with little attempt at analysis or interpretation" ( Houghton Mifflin, 1982). When these two definitions are combined, the rules of conduct for journalists are to present the facts without favoritism and to abide by the Fair Use Act The "Freedom and Innovation Revitalizing United States Entrepreneurship Act of 2007" (Fair Use Act) was a proposed United States copyright law that would have amended Title 17 of the U.S. Code. including portions of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). (Wikipedia). The bill was intended to establish and encourage innovative new technology and the improve library safeguarding efforts and to protect consumers in fair use rights. It also released companies from being responsible financially as well as liable for copy right infringement.

When a corporation’s main commitment is to their stockholders, many would argue it is very difficult to adhere to any code of ethics of a corporation and be an ethics multi-media journalist corporation at the same time. Journalism is very competitive. There is a need to be the first on the scene, report a story before a competitor, and have ground breaking news daily if not every hour. Unfortunately with those elements at play, accuracy and objectivity are not going to be priorities. News outlets often sacrifice ethics to be the first to break a story. As in the case of Fox News reporting the 2008 presidential election, G.W. Bush had won the election before he actually had done so. Even though the information was inaccurate and there was no clear winner, some of the other news outlets followed suit and reported he had won even though they had projected Gore as the winner. This is one of the first incidents that implicated Fox News had not followed the code of conduct used by journalists. They were biased in their reporting and many believe changed history forever.

When discussing what constitutes a good journalist it is important to understand what journalists do. The definition of a journalist is “a person engaged in journalism; especially a writer or editor for a news medium or a writer who aims at a mass medium” (Merriam-Webster.com). Today in a high tech world everyone is a reporter or news broadcaster. Not only are there multimedia corporations, reporters, broadcasters and radio personalities, but anyone with a smart phone can easily upload any incident to Youtube.com or other social media websites. The First Amendment in the Constitution gave all Americans the right to express free speech and how that right is used is the key to ethical decision when reporting newsworthy stories.

Business ethics and journalism combined with Corporatism doesn’t appear to exist in recent times. Journalists are often confronted with ethical decision making when presenting information. Major news outlets like Fox News often do not verify their sources as in the Bush election in 2008. Without verifying news events for accuracy and consistency ethics of journalism are violated. In the case of falsely announcing the 2008 Bush election, ultimately the consequences were merely a public apology from Fox Networks CEO.

Critics of Murdoch and his media empire including Fox News, claim the network is biased, leaning far right politically. Murdoch and the executives at Fox News adamantly deny charges of biased journalism, insisting the new room reporters provide neutral reporting and do not favor either side of the political spectrum.

One of the aspects of the Fair Use Act is unbiased reporting. If a reporter is presenting one side of an issue, then he must balance the story with the other perspective and to allow the public to make the decision on how they feel without persuasion from news commentators. According to the Fair Use Act, it would be unethical to get the scoop on a story just to keep a rival news outlet from getting it.

Another point of ethics in journalism is the principle of compassion for victims or subjects featured in news stories and articles. An example of unethical news reporting by Fox News from their critics happened during the Terri Schiavo case. Terri Schiavo was a young woman who had been kept alive by life support after a massive heart attack. Often consideration for family members is set aside to be the first to break the story. Another controversy with Fox News over violation of ethics came during the Terri Schiavo case. Several Fox News commentators, Sean Hannity, Brit Hume, Bill O’Reilly, Neil Cavuto, and John Gibson all expressed passionately for Miss Schiavo’s feeding tube be reinserted and life support to remain in place. Media Matters for America, a watchdog group criticized Fox commentators for siding with the family, referring to the incident as “Terri’s Fight” (S.S.M. 2005). Media Matters documented Fox News as well as other cable news outlets, showed support to keep Ms Schiavo hooked to a feeding machine and later to keep her on life support, When referring to an incident in this manner, it is clearly biased reporting, to draw sympathy from their viewers, especially before the court case was determined on whether or not Terri Schiavo would want to stay on life support and live an vegetative existence.

Those that defend Fox News say that the liberal media is running amuck, therefore Fox News lend its self to balancing the trend by how the news is presented. According to the network, they are filling a void with conservative programming and commentary. A former Fox News personality, Eric Burns, in an interview, explained this line of thought by suggesting that Fox News "probably gives voice to more conservatives than the other networks, but not at the expense of liberals" (Wikipedia).

A third example of unethical reporting came from Carl Cameron, a chief political correspondent of Fox News. According to Cameron, three falsified news articles were authored in 2004 that contained quotes that were unfairly attributed to John Kerry, the Democratic presidential candidate who lost the election to G.W. Bush, the Republican candidate. Fox news later admitted the quotes they attributed to Kerry were not true. They later retracted the story. A public apology to their readers and John Kerry claiming it was printed in jest and blamed fatigue and bad judgment as the causes (Foxnews.com).

Conclusion

In conclusion, good business ethics in corporation news reporting is vital. Honest news reporting relies on integrity and principles. The impact of false information or news that is not verified as fact is sometimes not only unethical but illegal. The News Corporation and its affiliates like Fox News bombard mass information through many types of communication mediums to millions of people all over the world.

Unbiased news portraying both sides of a story has become a thing of the past. Both conservative and liberal media has now shifted and the Fair Use Act is rarely considered in cable news network reporting. How news is reported can effect how we perceive national and international events. When news reporting could affect our national security, even more care should be taken to ensure the information is correct. Often times, media corporations order certain twists when explaining issues in certain countries, while neglecting severe problems in others that could affect those of us living in this country. Priorities are often made excluding vital stories, but then again, as small as the world has become, it’s impossible to keep up with everything that is happening in the world. The decision to cut or run a story is decided by corporate executives that are not going to report against their interests.

When a news corporation makes the decision to run a story, usually its politics, philosophy, or religion that drives peoples emotions. These same topics are also the topics behind unethical bias. Fox News has proven through countless documented incidents the stockholders and CEO have been accused of unethical business practices when reporting the news.

Rupert Murdoch has sat in front of English and American statesmen on more than one occasion, each time to plead he was either unaware of those beneath him or apologized for misrepresentation. Even after all of the hearings pertaining to his and News Corps unethical practices, News Corp still continues to report the news how they see fit.

References

Boatright, J. R. (2009). Ethics and the conduct of business. (6th ed.). Upper Saddler River, New Jersey: Prentiss Hall.

Details About Employees Featured in 'Outfoxed'. (2004, July 13). Foxnews.com. Retrieved May 6, 2012, from http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,125437,00.html

Fair Use Act. (n.d.). Wikipedia.org. Retrieved May 6, 2012, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/FAIR_USE_Act

Houghton Mifflin (1982). The American Heritage Dictionary: Second College Edition. (2nd ed.). Wilmington, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin.

Journalist. (n.d.). Merriam Webster Onine Dictionary. Retrieved May 6, 2012, from http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/journalist

M, S. S. (2005, March 26). John Gibson's and Fox News' description of Schiavo case: "Terri's Fight". Mediamatters.org. Retrieved May 6, 2012, from http://mediamatters.org/research/200503290002

Standards of Business Conduct. (n.d.).http://www.newscorp.com/PDF/StdBusinessConduct_2011.pdf. Retrieved May 4, 2012, from http://definitions.uslegal.com/c/code-of-ethics/

The Shreveport Times featuring my journey finding Edward Clark, Jr after Hurricane Katrina

2012-03-29T16:27:00.001-06:00

"I may be sick. I may be offline for a while."

That was the last thing Ed Clark's online friends and followers heard from him for more than two years.

A former member of the left-wing Students for a Democratic Society, Clark posted his political musings once a week starting in 2003. He was typing on an August night in 2006 when a funny feeling washed over him. His left hand fell lifeless onto the computer keyboard as a stroke gripped him.

"It's like something coming unplugged on your body," Clark recalls.

Clark's online essays were part of his life-long dedication to leftist thinking and Cuban communism in particular. He joined the SDS in the early 1960s. In 1964, just after the Cuban missle crisis, he and others defied U.S. authorities to spend a summer in Cuba learning about the country's Communist government.

"I met Fidel. He came around to say hello to everybody and shake hands with everybody, kind of like politicians everywhere."

He moved to New Orleans after returning because "I wanted to do radical political work in the South."

In 1975, he moved to San Francisco, but in 1992 headed back to New Orleans, for good, he thought. Then came Katrina and the beginning of a journey that brought him to a Shreveport nursing home.

Deborah began searching for Clark after the hurricane. She came to know Clark through online political and religious debates. She tried to meet him a couple of times when visiting New Orleans but things always came up.

"After Katrina, that was the first question on everybody's mind, 'How's Ed?'" she said.

The confusion in those post-hurricane months stymied her search. Clark popped up online in 2006 and let people know he was OK. Then came the last message he was able to type.

"We knew something must be wrong," Debora said.

Clark's neighbor from New Orleans logged on and said Clark had suffered a stroke but didn't provide many details.

Questions from the other forum members prompted Allen to start looking for him again. A bout with cancer interrupted the search. Prompted by Clark's online friends, she resumed the search in 2008 but kept hitting dead ends when nursing home social workers refused to answer her questions.

Clark can be demanding and sharp-tongued. He criticized the quality of care in some of the nursing homes and complained about not being able to smoke. He talked social workers at some of the facilities into getting him moved. By the time Allen started her search again, he was in his fifth nursing home.

She made one final, desperate call, to the nursing home that first admitted Clark.

She hit pay dirt, in the form of social worker Brent Montou, who helped her track down Clark.

"For some reason, he thought I was Ed's sister," Debora said.

She didn't hesitate. She was still sick from chemotherapy, but talked a friend into driving her to south Louisiana to bring Clark back to Shreveport.

"Ed had no one in his life at that point. I couldn't not be there for him. It was something bigger than myself and something bigger than my not knowing him personally," Debora said. "It was worth taking that chance to ensure he wouldn't ever be alone again. I just cannot imagine how heartbreakingly painful it must be, to face death alone. I wouldn't have been able to live with myself knowing he was down south all alone."

She found the 6-foot-tall Clark was a shadow of himself. His weight had dwindled to 98 pounds.

"He was on hunger strike," Allen said.

Clark says he wasn't starving himself, just refusing food he considered inedible.

"I don't put things that taste bad and smell bad in my mouth," he said. "San Francisco and New Orleans have great food."

Clark begged for some fried chicken on the way back to Shreveport, so they stopped at a mom-and-pop store in Keatchie. These days, Debora brings him anything he wants to eat. Packages of cookies and chips sit atop piles of magazines beside his bed.

The magazines, among them The Economist, are gifts from online friends like Stephen Smith, of Preston, England. Smith, 24, has been one of Clark's online followers since 2003.

"I got involved in helping him because he's a very intelligent and deep-thinking person that had been through a lot in his life," he said via e-mail. "When he had his stroke, it did come as a shock, but many people who knew Ed were more than happy to help in any way they could."

Some forum members also send postcards and pictures. Debora hopes they'll support an effort to get Clark to an eye doctor and get him new glasses so he can see his computer screen again.

She expects he'll have to ride to the doctor's office in an ambulance because he can't sit in a wheelchair for long periods of time. Medicaid and Medicare won't cover the ride, but one or the other probably will pay for glasses, she said.

"Once I get my vision back, I expect to spend every day online," Clark said. "During those months at the nursing homes in south Louisiana, I wouldn't have minded that being the end, but not now, not if I have a chance to get back online."

Written by Melody Brumble

Learning Organizations and Effectiveness

2012-03-26T16:16:00.002-06:00

Learning Organizations and Effectiveness

A learning organization is skilled at two things; first it creates, acquires, interprets, transfers and retains knowledge. The second is to act, by modifying behavior to respond to new knowledge. It

comes up with new ideas, moves them around in the organization, and keeps the organization whole by creating policies and procedures. It actually acts, using new knowledge as a basis for responding. “A learning organization is an organization skilled at creating, acquiring and transferring knowledge, and modifying its behavior to reflect new knowledge and insights” (Garvin, 1993). This paper will outline the characteristics of an ideal learning organization, what barriers may be present, and strategies to overcome those barriers.

Characteristics of the Ideal Learning Organization

Learning processes and the learning environment are what makes learning possible, but more importantly, leadership that fosters and inspires the learning processes and helps create the learning environment. "The rate in which organizations and individuals learn may become the only sustainable source of competitive advantage" in the future (Senge, 2012. p349). Products and services can be copied as well as processes, but if learning is more rapid than the competition, then the organization can get ahead and stay ahead. If the rate of learning isn’t ahead of the rate of global change, then the organization will fall behind.

When learning organizations work under the assumption that learning is valuable, permanent and effective, certain characteristics will emerge. Peter Senge, who was named the ‘Strategist of the Century’ by the Journal of Business Strategy, is one of the leading authorities on the concept of the learning organization model. According to Senge, “The dimension that distinguishes learning from more traditional organizations is the mastery of certain basic disciplines or ‘component technologies” (Smith 2011). Five dimensions of an ideal learning organization are:

· Systems thinking

· Personal mastery

· Mental models

· Building shared vision

· Team learning

When people are learning agents, they are able to act within the learning structures and systems they become a part of. “All the disciplines are, in this way, ‘concerned with a shift of mind from seeing parts to seeing wholes, from seeing people as helpless reactors to seeing them as active participants in shaping their reality, from reacting to the present to creating the future” (Senge 1990: 69).

Systems thinking – the cornerstone of the learning organization

In The Fifth Discipline, Senge provides the introduction to the basics and uses of systems thinking. Systematic thinking is the foundation of the learning organization. The observable behaviors of systems thinking is the capacity to create complex systems from simple frameworks.When there is an appreciation of systems, then appropriate action will follow.

A good example of systems thinking is the Shreveport Master Plan 2030. Revitalization of downtown Shreveport was one of newly elected Cedric Glover’s main election platforms. He called upon the citizens of Shreveport to help facilitate a master plan to oversee the transformation of the urban blighted neighborhoods. He invited experts and citizens alike to participate in focus groups. Crime was an issue in the older Shreveport neighborhoods. Citizens that lived in these areas expressed a strong need to remove drug trafficking that was so prominent. Mayor Glover, as well as other city officials, made this a priority. The mayor himself knocked on doors of those that lived in that area to stimulate resident participation.

Once the mayor incorporated a systems building model into the Master Plan, focus group participants assisted in creating solutions to the blighted the area. The outcome of several focus groups; if new families would move in, then new commerce would follow. The Mayor and city council also voted to give tax cuts to anyone who would move in or set up new businesses downtown. The results were successful. Crime went down, people began feeling safe enough to move back into the area and new construction began. One of the largest companies to take advantage of the new tax incentives the city of Shreveport offered businesses to set up downtown was Millennium Film Studios. Not only is the neighborhood safe for new housing developments, but the amount of revenue the movie business has brought to Shreveport has boosted the economy beyond anyone’s dreams. Mayor Glover’s Master Plan 2030 is a prime example of a learning organization put into motion for successful outcomes.

Personal Mastery

Personal mastery is the discipline of repetitively expounding and furthering our personal vision, of staying focused, of developing patience, and being objective. Mastery is the furthering of proficiency, competence and skills. It is when vision and creativity isn’t just a good idea but it becomes part of the organizational structure. “Organizations learn only through individuals who learn. Individual learning does not guarantee organizational learning. But without it no organizational learning occurs” (Senge 1990: 139). Attaining personal mastery makes an individual a work in progress. It is to live life with purpose and integrity.

An example of personal mastery would be attempting to change a bad habit. Focusing on the behavior is the first step to correcting it. But if one wants to change their behavior, they have to move away from the mindset they are in and move to a new mental model. Changing the way one thinks is the key to becoming a person with new outcomes. To summarize, personal mastery will help develop self awareness, a better attitude, and behavior changes.

Mental models

A mental model is one that is constructed and replicated within a conscious mind and to be aware of the world and how you relate to the world. Many mental modes are assumptions based on past experiences. Some models simply help us make sense of the world. Changing a mental model is to see the world differently by restricting what is familiar into a new way of thinking.

"Mental models are deeply ingrained assumptions, generalizations, or even pictures or images that

influence how we understand the world and how we take action. Very often, we are not consciously

aware of our mental models or the effects they have on our behavior." (Senge 2012:p.8).

Building a shared vision

When an organization has a shared vision instead of being expected to learn through tradition means, people want to learn. Strategies needed to build a shared vision are:

· initiating a shared vision

· translating the vision into action by using systems thinking

· The ability to communicate and convince others of the vision to others

· The ability to stay focused to the essence of the vision when unforeseen obstacles pop up.

Team Learning

Team learning is more than group thinking. Team learning comes from the ability to explore a problem deeply. Senge says in the Fifth Discipline that the IQs of the group are collectively higher than one individual. This truth has been incorporated into a local homeless coalition’s plan of action to end homelessness in Shreveport, Louisiana.

The board of directors of Hope for the Homeless is a good example of team learning and sharing the collective intelligence of the group. Each member of the board comes from a different organization in the community that caters to the homeless population of the city. When there is a chronically homeless person who has never been housed permanently, the group will come together, each person with a set of skills and resources. Many times a homeless person has a mental diagnosis and getting that person into treatment may be impossible. If that person has no personal identification card or social security card, then the local clinics will not see them. It is fascinating to watch how someone who represents the clinic will find a way for that person to get in to see the doctor outside traditional means. Once on medication, the homeless person becomes compliant and each agency represented can volunteer their services until that person is living in their own apartment or home. The success rate of maintaining these individuals in housing has become focus nationally. Other cities are adopting the strategies Hope for the Homeless as formulated into successful programs in other cities. When team learning happens in this manner, the group solution developed, it is evident it surpasses the work one member could have done by themselves.

Barriers and Strategies

Barriers to the success of a learning model can happen when an organization does not incorporate all the facets of the learning paradigm. Personal mastery is a difficult characteristic to incorporate because it is a subjective concept with no measurable outcomes. Senge states, “To empower people in an unaligned organization can be counterproductive.” (Senge 2012 p.136). When individuals do not share a common vision, personal mastery will only serve to benefit personal visions.

Another barrier in the success of moving a tradition organization into a learning model is the lack of a learning culture. A learning culture will not develop if individuals do not feel they can share their ideas and knowledge. When an environment can be created where individuals can share their knowledge without being devalued or ignored, then a learning culture can grow.

Resistance to change by the individuals in an organization can be detrimental to the learning process. Resistance can happen if individuals feel threatened or believe they will have something to lose. Unless learning is implemented across the organization, learning may be considered elitist and for senior staff only. Many times resistance happens because there are people who are closed minded and are not open to the idea of a shared vision. Those that suffer a closed mind will see training and development as controlling instead of beneficial to them personally as well as an organization as a whole. Other barriers are the size of the organization, lack of resources such as time and commitment, lack of leadership skills, and studying the problem too long.

Assessing Learning Progress

As with any project, the way to test whether the organization is moving into a learning organization would be through assessment. The assessment process is an opportunity to train staff members in learning principles and will assist in gauging the knowledge base and learning skills of the group. There are specific characteristics that need to be addressed during the assessment phase. Focus groups and oral and written evaluations are good assessment tools to use. Another option that can be used to assess learning in a group is to allow individuals of the group to do self-assessments. Here, an individual will express what they found helpful and what they feel they can use assistance with. Self assessment can give the learning instructor a wealth of information about the person.

Group interviews are another excellent tool.” Learning practices at the team, company, and inter-company levels relate to group dynamics, such as communications and coordinated efforts. Participants describing both sides of knowledge transfers can offer more complete perspectives” (Bohlin, N., & Brenner, P).

The use of stories and scenarios is another assessment tool. Getting answers to abstract questions can be very telling when attempting to assess learning. The creative use of anecdotes and stories will ignite remembering memories or incidents and mastering new processes.

Four compelling characteristics of a learning organization

There are four characteristics that would greatly assist an authoritarian organization in becoming a
learning organization. They are psychological safety, appreciation of differences, openness to new
ideas, and time for reflection (Garvin & Gino 2008), Psychological safety- If members of an organization feel threatened to speak up for fear of retaliation psychological safety has been jeopardized. They must be able to ask questions, express ideas without ridicule or fear of their ideas being used as the ideas of their supervisors without credit being given to the one whose idea it was. If a member cannot feel comfortable psychologically, then learning isn’t going to be successful.

Appreciation of differences- Diversity of ideas will bring forth learning if those with opposing ideas
can see diversity as a tool to expand ideas and learn. Differences can create new energy and
alternatives through motivation and changing the way members think and respond to those who are
different than themselves.

Openness to new ideas- Members of an organization should feel comfortable taking risks and
exploring the unknown. Learning is much more than solving problems. Creating innovative
approaches should be just as much a priority as correcting mistakes.

Time for reflection- Lack of time is a barrier most organizations experience. When people are bombarded with tasks and not enough time to do them, they are unable to think creatively. It is harder to learn from experiences when individuals are stressed out. When learning environments are in place, people are better able to think analytically.

Organizational barriers and strategies to resolve them

Strategies are available to organizations that are experiencing barriers within learning organizations.

Here are a few that may assist in forming a learning organization. Essential elements for change effort are:

Define the problem

Define the target population

Define effective treatment strategies and establish procedural guidelines

Establish performance measures; set goals

Define effective system changes and interventions

Develop leadership and system change strategy

Conclusion

The learning needs of a company will change as it revises its vision and strategy. The fundamentals of a learning organization can be summarized when a group’s commonly shared goals continue to improve through a learning culture. Learning processes environments are what make learning possible, as is positive leadership that inspires the learning processes and creates the learning environment. Five dimensions of an ideal learning organization are, systems thinking, personal mastery, mental models, building shared vision, and team learning. Four characteristics of a successful learning organization are psychological appreciation of differences, openness to new ideas, and time for reflection. Senge states, “learning organizations are developed and valued by five disciplines and that the basic meaning of a learning organization is one that is continually expanding its capacity to create its future” (Senge 2012 p.14). It is questionable whether there has ever been a true learning organization; however organizations that are considered the most successful do embrace these ideals and are seeing the value of how the individual is the most important resource.

References

Bohlin, N., & Brenner, P. (n.d.). Assessing and Valuing Progress. Measuring Learning. Retrieved March 24, 2012, from http://www.adlittle.de/uploads/tx_extprism/1995_q3_22-28.pdf

Garvin, D., Edmondson, A., & Gino, F. (2008, March). Is Yours a Learning Organization?.Harvard Business Review. Retrieved March 24, 2012, from http://hbr.org/2008/03/is-yours-a-learning-organization/ar/1

Senge, P. (2012, March 24). The Fifth Discipline: The Art and Practice of the Learning..Amazon.com. Retrieved March 24, 2012, from http://www.amazon.com/Fifth-Discipline-Practice-Learning-Organization/dp/0385260954

Smith, S. K. (2011). The Learning Organzation. Infed. Retrieved March 23, 2012, from http://www.infed.org/biblio/learning-organization.htm

Fly Away- The Second Coming

2012-02-03T16:55:00.003-07:00

This is a story I wrote on the second coming. It was published when I was in college. I thought I had lost it, but it was in an old blog. Bobby Darrow was my editor. It was my first published piece, back in 1988 in a college competition.

It’s been really lonely around here without Carol Jane and lil Dan. I miss yelling at Danny. The boy was a spitting image of me, always into something. Why last week ol’ Miss Eula was pounding on the door, something ‘bout Lil Dan throwing water balloons at her big butt as she was bent over in her black berry bushes. Carol Jane, eight months pregnant, looked like she had swallowed a watermelon, was always running after the boy, chicken legs, toppled by a belly, I love her, with every thing I’m made of. She was a good woman, putting up with the two of us. She called us, Pete and Repeat. She was always pleading with me to come worship Jesus with her at the Hopewell Redeemer Pentecostal Fellowship Church over in Ida. I guess I should have listened to her, but that damn Rev. Huey Partian just didn’t rub me the right way. They called him Bro. Crutch, something about being our Crutch to lean on in times of need. Something was seriously wrong with that man. That boy of his Teddy, all curly headed, cocked eyed, and had a hell of a stutter, that just wasn’t of natural origin.
It was a week ago today, Easter Sunday. I had promised Carol Jane I would make it to the meeting on time. I just needed a little drive in my old pickup truck down the back road to gather my emotions. Of course, a twelve pack didn’t hurt either.
It was a beautiful morning. All the yellow and red wild flowers swayed back and forth in unison along the old black tar road. The smell of beer and magnolia trees was making me woosey. I almost forgot where I was going. I didn’t realize what was in store for me at the end of that worn driven road.
I was a little late getting there, but hey, that was fine with me. My stomach was churning and my head was spinning from the mixture of drinking too fast and the thought of all those fat sweaty women fanning away with a glazin’ look in their eyes as they cherished and worshiped every word that ol’ Brother Crutch had to say.
As I stepped out of the truck, my legs were like rubber, but I made it to the church door. When I entered the sanctuary, everyone was in their pews and the piano was playing, “Love Lifted Me”. The women were already beginning to sway to the music. The ceiling fans were blowing and a soft breeze was flowing through the multi colored glass windows panes that you can prop open in hot weather. All there was left was a corner seat on the back pew. I knew Bro. Crutch would have something to say about back row Baptists. As I sat down, I felt a big hairy beer belch come up. Miss Eula turned around starring me down, just fanning away. I just stared back at her thinking, what the hell am I here for? I looked around for Carol Jane and lil’ Dan. They were on the third row opposite side of the church. She looked back at me smiling not caring that I didn’t make my way to the front of the church to sit with her and my boy. She was just proud I had kept my word and showed up. Damn, that woman! She looked so pretty in her homemade yellow Easter dress. I can’t stay mad at her. I smiled back.
Bro. Joshua, the associate pastor, was going down the rows shaking hands. As he gets to Carol Jane, she points me out to him. The most evil look came upon his greasy little face. I cringed as he came towards me. Word has it, Bro. Josh spent a few years in Angola. He just couldn’t stand the idea of his first wife leaving him for a woman. They were found together with bullet holes right between the eyes.
“Hello Brother George, I haven’t seen you here in about a year,” he said to me. “Its good to see you’re setting a good example for that boy of yours. He’s been picking on Teddy Boy in Sunday School and as you would have to agree, that’s just plain mean. I hope you will have a nice civil father/son talk with him about cruelty to those less fortunate.”
He was shaken my hand so hard for so long, that I wanted to puke all over him, but I refrained, being in church and all.
Up ahead of me, I noticed Bear and Tonya. Tonya is about to give birth for the first time. She was always a little wild and wooly and used to keep an unkept look about her until recently. She used to go down to Fatso’s Truck Stop and drink and flirt with all the truckers when Bear would go on a motorcycle ride with his biker brothers. But since she’s got pregnant, the fear of the Lord has taken over, so she doesn’t wear make up or pants anymore and her knees are always covered.
Bear must have been suckered into Easter services too. He was there but hadn’t backed down in his appearance. He was dressed in his typical biker gear. His long jet black hair was pulled back with rubber bands all the way to the end of his pony tail. Along with his leather vest and chaps and all those evil skull tattoos showing for everyone to see. Hell, he was actually dressed up for Sunday services. I don’t care what they say about him, he’s one hell of a guy. At least twice a week, I’ll go down to his tattoo parlor and watch him tattoo all those young girls that come in, or if he’s in the mood, he’ll work on one of mine. We drink beer, then ride out to Blue Hole on our bikes and get high. Yup, Bear’s about as happy to be here as I am, judging from the uncomfortable look on his face.
All of a sudden, or so it seemed, the choir entered in procession down the middle isle to the choir booth behind the pulpit. They were clapping and singing robustly, “I’ll Fly Away”. Charlie Allen, Lil Dan’s principal, led the choir in their rejoicing. He’s always making an example out of Lil Dan- everyday he is on the boy, like dirt on a pig. When Charlie and I was boys, I once found him putting Barbie clothes on his G.I. Joe. Of course I told the whole football team their half back was cross dressing his G.I. Joe. He’s never forgiven for that and now my youngun has to pay. I hear he keeps a lingerie collection of his own in the trunk of his car. I sure wish I could get a hold of those car keys. I bet then he would leave my boy alone.
After the choir was in their place, Bro. Crutch entered through the side door and stood at the pulpit. All these colored track lights were beaming down on his bald head. He’s smiling with his hands lifted towards the heavens. Everyone was standing and swaying and mumbling words that didn’t make no sense. All I did, was sit there getting dizzy watching them. It made me wonder if Jesus was watching this in enjoyment, kind of like the All American Wrestling Match that comes on TV every Saturday night. Its seems so real that you can’t tell if its fake or not.
A few of the women approached the alter and laid flowers around where Brother Crutch was standing. They stood, just this side of the podium. Crutch won’t let the women behind the pulpit because it would be defiled according to the book of Leviticus. The idea always left a sour look on Mildred Partians face. Mildred, being Brother Crutches sister. If you ask me, Mildred would make a better preacher than Crutch. She is a large woman, with her hair dyed fiery red and a lot of teasing. She always wears red lipstick to match her hair. She has a strong loud speaking voice, too. She had often been in the tattoo parlor looking for a tattoo, secretly. Many times she has told me of her past, before coming to the Lord.
For a while she had been an emcee in some bar in Nashville. She said the place was called Charlie’s Truck Stop and Drag Bar. She would announce the performers before they would do their female imitations. If you ask me, sounds like the kind of place our very own Charlie Allen would like. Mildred loves those tattoos of hers. She’s been one of Bears best most loyal customers over the years, again, secretly of course, coming in after hours. I cant stressed that confidence enough.
Mildred loves those tattoos of hers. They have all been place strategically where no one can see them unless Mildred’s naked. She has one on her butt of Elmer Fudd, another one on her breast that said, “Anthony” inside a heart, but after her breast reduction, all that was left was “ANT”. She’s got plenty more, but those two are my favorite. What’s funny is, Crutch and the family doesn’t know anything about them!
Getting back to Crutch, after he had felt he had enough adoration from the congregation, he motioned for everyone to sit down. It took everyone a little while to settle down and catch their breath. He began to welcome the visitors. The ushers came forward with visitation cards and little pencils. Crutch would then welcome the unfaithful and ask them to stand and say their names. I hate that part, so I just sat there, scrunched down, hoping he couldn’t see me half passed out on the back row. The ushers made their way through the congregation. I thought, Whew, I made it through that.
“ Well hello, John Golden. I see you found yourself a seat way back there on the last row. I say, back row Christians will be the last to enter the gates of heaven on that glorious day of the Rapture!”, as he pounded both fists on the podium.”Do I get an amen, folks?”
“Amen!” Everyone hollered.
Dammit, I thought, I knew that would happen. Carol Jane turned around and blew me a kiss, and Lil Dan was giggling at me. I just winked back at the two of them.
Brother Crutch sat back down, with a smug look on his face, and allowed Brother Joshua to give the announcements., The first announcement given was about them picketing the abortion clinic in Monroe. Crutch and Joshua feel they have the calling of God to be spiritual activist and to cleanse the Earth of all abominations against the Lord. They’ve even led the congregation to be arrested for throwing baby dolls covered in red paint on the lawn of the abortion clinic. I have always felt those two were responsible for the Leesville abortion clinic being torched to the ground.
Brother Joshua went on to make an appeal to all the saved.
“Now all you born again Christians out there aren’t doing what you know is right- what Jesus would do.” he solemnly said. “You all know that once you’re saved, you are to go out into the heathen world, door to door, spreading the gospel. Now soul-winning groups go out on Saturday mornings and I expect all of you to be there.”
“Praise Jesus!”Brother Crutch shouted.
All of a sudden Crutch stands up quoting from the Bible.
“He that believeth on me, believeth not on me, but on him that sent me! And he that seeth him that sent me.”
Well as usual that confused the hell out of me. I mean I know that quote was scripture and Jesus said it, but Crutch made it sound as if he had made it up and it was about him. He was good at suckering people like that. Here was a whole church suckered. These poor simple people. All that wanted was to do what was right.
I was already starting to get pissed off and we weren’t even through the announcements yet. Crutch must have noticed my face, twisted in anger, because he was staring straight at me when he said,
“Twice a year on Christmas and Easter I get some of you heathens in here, so I’m going to keep you here for a while. Ushers, lock the doors, nobody is leaving here until I have my say!”
The ushers then proceeded to chain the doors together. Crutch ten sat back down and gave Brother Joshua the pulpit. Joshua was breathing real hard and sweating. Those colored lights above him, looked like they were sucking energy from his head. We wiped his brow and proceeded with the announcements.
The next announcement was to congratulate Mr. And Mrs. Ovis Snead on the arrival of their sixth child. Oh Lord, I thought, poor Janey Snead is twenty years old, been married eight years, and done given birth to six kids.
“Now, that’s what I like to hear”, Brother Joshua said. Janey is doing her God given duty to populate this world with babies and we will do all we can to mold Ovis’ offspring into servants of God. Let’s just pray they all don’t look like Ovis.”
Everyone just laughed and some hollered “AMEN!”. Ovis just sat there near me on th the back row, with a wrinkled brow and his mouth half opened, looking as if to be thinking, I got six kids. I’ve filled my quota. On that cheerful note, Josh sat back down, grinning real evil like.
Charlie Allen stood to lead the choir and congregation in song. Being Easter, he chose the hymn The Old Rugged Cross as his selection. I could feel tears welling up in my eyes as they began to song. My mother would sing that song as she did the laundry on her old ringer washer on the back porch. We later had it sung at her funeral sixteen years back.
The mood was real serious after that song. We put up our hymnals and waited for what was next. Crutch then took the stand. He stood there a while real quiet with his head bowed. He slowly raised his head looking up into the colored lights. There were big tears running down his face. Then I realized
it was offering time. Those tears must have been the clue for the ushers to come forward with the offering plates. They were sliver, lined in purple velvet, glue to long sticks. Crutches bottom lip began to quiver as he spoke,
“Blessed be the gift givers, for theirs are the kingdom of God! Folks, I want you to reach in your pockets real deep and give all you got to the Lord.”
The piano began to play and the ushers moved from row to row.
I didn’t have any money on me, because I spent it all on beer and gasoline for the truck. The usher got to me and pushed the plate right up under my nose. I pushed it back at him.
“John, John, John.” He whispered under his breath.
The ushers then moved forward to the pulpit. The head usher took the money from the plates and placed it in a large purple bag and handed it to Crutch. He then sat the bag under his chair and sat their grinning like he just laid a big golden egg.
Well, I figured we were less than halfway through this nightmare, and I had to go take a leak real bad. I was trying to figure a way out, but those damn doors were chained shut. There was a side door I could use, but it was way up there by Crutch and his chair so I just sat there holding the urge with my legs crossed.
Crutch moved forward. He walked down the middle isle. He was checking out people for evil possessions. His arms were held in the air like some kind of thermometer to catch devils. He walked back and forth, up and down the isles mumbling. There was one little boy over by Teddy who was wearing an old flannel shirt, faded jeans, and old tennis shoes that were worn and frayed. My guess was that Crutch sent Teddy out to find some poor backwoods child that needed a few bucks. Sure enough the thermometer stopped in front of the boy. Crutch’s arms started shaking, then his torso, then his legs. With a wobbling voice, he said,
“What’s your name boy?”
Bless his heart, the boy was half scared to death. He answered,
“Brian John, sir.”
The boy closed his eyes and stood up. Then he started shaking too. Crutch then screamed,
“I feel a spirit of illness in this boy. Brian, do you have an ailment of any kind?”
“Yes sir, he said. “I been havin’ trouble with stomach worms and I’m always hungry.”
Crutch pulled the boy up in front of the church so that all could see. He first laid hands on the boys belly, then his head. He then raised his hands to the heavens and said,
“In the name of the Lord I command this boy to be healed!”
Little Brian doubled over like he was about to hurl chunks.
He gagged and growled and then spit something into Crutches hands.
“Praise God,” Crutch hollered. “This boys been set free!” The he held the evidence up for all to see. What looked like night crawlers were coverings his hands and arms. A few fell from his hands and landed in Miss Eula’s freshly done hairdo. She began to swat at her head and bounced around in her pew. I think she was cussing a little bit too.
Teddy led the boy out the side door. Lil’ Brian went and sat under an oak tree near the woods. He sat there with his head in his hands. A few minutes later he stood up, wiped off the back of his pants, and walked off into the woods.
Meanwhile the choir had started the special music. Three of the old women in the choir came down and sat at their instruments. The guitars started strumming and the fiddle joined in. Everyone was shouting praises for the healing of little Brian.
As the song progresses, I noticed it was getting dark outside. The forecast had predicted pretty weather for the whole week. Damn, and I was going to take Lil’ Dan Easter egg hunting after the meeting. After the special song, the women went and sat down in the choir loft.
Brother Joshua then went to the pulpit.
“Does anyone have a testimony they want to share on this special day?”
Everyone looked around at each other to see who would stand and speak. It seemed everyone in the congregation was afraid to speak. Finally Eula stood.
“I had a special blessing this week,” she said.
Her voice bellowed out of her forcefully. She stood holding on to the back of the pew in front of her.
“As most of you know, my Aunt Audrey has not been doing too good with a disabilitating condition. She wants to thank all of you for your prayers and wants me to tell ya’ll her gout is getting better, thanks to you all. Would like to ask for your prayers. I’ve been thinking about my boy lately. It’s near his birthday and he would have been thirty nine years old come Friday. As she sat back down, I noticed she gave Crutch a looked as if to damn him to hell.
She had always held Crutch responsible for the death of her son Patrick. About twenty years back, when Crutch took over the church, Patrick was the youth director. Crutch always called him Patty, because he was such a pretty boy. He never had any girl friends and was pretty much a loner. He loved his youth group and devoted all his time and love to those kids. One morning in front of the congregation, Crutch asked for Patrick’s resignation. He then explained Patrick had confided in him that Pat sometimes had homosexual thoughts. Crutch then went on to hold a church vote. Patrick was asked to leave the church and not come back. Later that night, Eula found him hanging from the rafters in her barn. I firmly believe losing that boy was the very thing that turned Miss Eula into the crabby old mule that she is today.
“Thank you Miss Eula, anyone else got anything to say?” Brother Josh said.
Bout that time, Carol Jane stood up. The sunlight coming through the colored glass panes, shown on her as if to make her look like she had a halo of many colors.
“Yes, Carol Jane?” Josh asked.
‘I would like to share my greatest blessing of all, : She said. "God, chose to bless me by giving me a wonderful husband who is here today.”
Everyone kind of looked around at me.
“I have a healthy little boy and a precious baby on the way. I thank Jesus for them everyday.”
“Oh that’s real nice, Carol Jane.” Joshua said. “Real nice. Anyone else? If no one has anything else to add, I’d like to share something with ya’ll. I feel blessed to have a great man and prophet like Brother Crutch to guide me and show me the ways of God.”
“Preach on brother!”Shouted one of the ushers.
Joshua continued.
“Brother Crutch has shown us all the way to Heaven and when I look upon the face of this man, it is if the light of God is shining through.”
“Amen!” Everyone shouted.
Oh God, I thought. I just can’t take much more of this.
I looked over at Bear. He was squirming around in his pew like he couldn’t get comfortable. I was squirming too, but that was because that twelve pack had hit my bladder hard and felt as if it was about to explode.
“Thank you, ladies for your testimonies.” Joshua said.
He sat back down and Crutch took over.
“Wouldn’t this be a wonderful day to meet our Lord and Savior in the sky folks?” Crutch said. He proceeded to talk a bit about the signs of the times. “On that great last day, the saints will rise and meet the Lord in the skies. Those who are left behind will go through a great tribulation for seven years. Some will be saved, but will have to suffer torment. For those left behind, they will go through a great tribulation for seven years. Some will be saved, but will have to suffer torment. For those left behind, they will have to die for their salvation.”
I felt it get real hot and it felt like the blood was rushing to my head.
“I am a fundamental, independent, Bible believing, Pentecostal preacher,” He continued. “I also believe before we leave, this building, this morning, Jesus Christ could come for his church. This world is not my home, I’m just passing through. I think of a verse we should always be charged up by, Revelations 12:12- And it says, something like this, Woe unto you inhabitants of the Earth, for the devil has come down into you having great wrath, because he knows he has but a short time. In other words, old smutty face has done read the Bible. He’s probably read it a lot more than you have. He knows what is going to happen to him in the end, and he fights hard! It’s a shame that apostates and Satan worshipers work harder at their beliefs than we do for Jesus. Now my people here have heard this and it is repetition to them, but one thing I’ve learned about you folks, you forget too quick and to easy. Now if you will pay attention, ya’ll will come out a little different than you came in.”
Now one thing I have to say about ol’ Crutch, he is a dynamic preacher. His words have a way of getting down real deep into you and making you think. He went onto tell of the end times and the signs to watch for, like locust the size of cats with faces of women and tails two feet long, that will bite you until you scream in agony. What I was watching, was a terrible storm brewing outside. The sky had gotten so dark, it looked red.
“The sign of the times are upon us now.” he went on. “All our great riches will come to naught and if a man doesn’t put his faith in the Bible. He will be doomed, and the Bible says it gets worse. When it talks about these things, it makes me tremble to my knees and I know I’m going to heaven, I know I’m saved and I tremble. If you don’t know you are going to Heaven then you are a fool, a fool, a fool!”
Now, I wasn’t the only one squirming around at theat point. You could feel the fear of all congregated there, but I noticed something about Lil Dan. He was trembling and laughing and jerking around like he was having some kind of fit. Carol Jane had her arm around him trying to calm him but then it happened.
All of a sudden, he started rising upwards, first real slow, then when he started rising upwards, first real slow, then when he hit the ceiling, his body started migrating towards the window. Crutch had shut up and was ordering Carol Jane to catch him. Joshua was jumping in the air, trying to catch him by the feet, but he floated on out the window. Most everyone was trying to cram through the side door to get outside, seeing the back doors were chained shut. By the time I got outside, my boy was high in the clouds, so far away. I could barely see him. I found Carol Jane. She was crying. She looked me in the eyes and said,
“John, the Lord Jesus just raptured our boy! He’s done taken him home!”
Brother Joshua ran towards us yelling,
“What kind of joke is this, Carol Jane? Are you trying to make fools of us?”
Carol Jane calmly looked up at Joshua and said,
“No, its you that’s made us look like fools. Lil Dan was raptured.”
Joshua looked around to see if anyone heard what she said and took off running into the sanctuary.
We were all confused, not knowing what to do. The sky was like I had never seen it. It was as black as coal. The wind was blowing as loud as the women were wailing. Everyone was scared and confused. What the hell was going on anyway?
Bear walked up to me. I’ve never seen him so mad. He was madder than the time the deputy sheriff picked him up for marijuana, took it from him and paid $200.00 not to arrest him.
“John,” Bear said. “Crutch has led our women to believe they would go to heaven if they just did what he told them. We’ve gone through all this shit they’ve put us through. He’s lied to our women, John, and I’m going to kill him.”
“Wait a minute”! We turned around, here come Miss Eula with her sawed off shotgun.
“Lets kill the bastard!” She hollered.
We looked around and noticed everyone had figured out the same thing. Charlie Allen was opening the trunk of his car. He was yelling,
“Where the hell is my pistol?”
He didn’t seem to care to the fact pantyhose and lingerie was flying everywhere.
I looked around but I didn’t see Crutch or Joshua. I could hardly see anyway, it was so dark. I was able to see better when one of the car headlights came on. It was one of the ushers trying to start his car. Bear and I ran over there to find the purple velvet money bag sitting in the seat of his car.
“This will keep us high for a while”, Bear said as he threw me the bag. I stuffed it in my pants until I got the opportunity to hide it in Bears storage box on his Harley.
We walked back over to where the congregation was. They were all huddled together, crying, and holding on to each other, like cattle ready for the slaughter. Bear decided to take control of the situation. He stood on the front stairs of the church to make his announcement. Eula was right beside him. The old girl fired that shotgun in the air. Everyone quieted down and gave Bear their attention.
“Look everyone,” Bear said, “I’m gonna find that son of a bitch and we are going to decide what to do with him.”
Everyone followed Bear back to the church scouting down Crutch. As we entered the sanctuary, we found Crutch on his hands and knees looking for the bag of money. When he noticed us coming after him, he jumped to his feet with a look of terror in his eyes, and ran out the side door. Bear and I took off after him. We got outside and noticed Crutch heading for the woods. We knew if he got far enough into the woods, we wouldn’t be able to find him. Bear jumped on his bike and headed him off before it was too late. Charlie and I grabbed a rope from his open car trunk and pinned Crutch up against a tree. By the time we roped him up, the rest of the congregation was there to help.
“Crutch, Where did Joshua go to?” He asked.
“I think he’s in the woods waiting on me.” He said. “Look folks, there’s been a big misunderstanding ‘round here. It ain’t my fault this happened,” he said. “I told you folks how too find...”
“Shut up, you old lyin’ bastard!” Screamed Eula. Bout that time she butted him upside his head with her shotgun.
I’ve had it with all your lying. It’ll be a cold day in hell when I forgive you for killing my boy.”
“Look folks”, Bear said. “I don’t know if you realize this or not, but that old geezer has flim flammed your asses, he has gotten away with it for years. How much money has he squeezed out of you all? My God, you folks would participate in that Paycheck Sunday crap twice a year. Was it worth it to give your whole paycheck and what in the hell did he do with all that money anyhow? Now the raptures done got here and you all are still sitting here on Earth. Where are your heavenly rewards now?
Young Ovis quietly moved to the front of the crowd. His face was swollen from crying.
“For five years I’ve tried to do what is right”, he said. Janey and I was here every Sunday and Wednesday meeting time. She would be here working and cooking for the old folks on Wednesday morning seniors meeting. I would do repair on this building until the late night hour on Saturdays. I could have been home helping her with the kids. She was always so tired keeping a clean home and happy kids. Folks, I know most of you have good hearts, but You’ve been worshiping a man not God. Jesus didn’t come here to make you downhearted and to hate people you don’t understand. Crutch twisted the truth, you’ve been worshiping Crutch and turned your eyes away from Jesus. Its not too late though. We can get back on the right track. We can try real hard to find out how its done.
Crutch was still tied up to the tree. The crowd started moving closer around him. Mildred and Carol Jane were standing over to the side holding on to each other.
“Miss Eula, what do you think about shooting Crutch right between the eyes with your shot gun?” Bear asked. “I think you should have the honors.”
“It would be my pleasure to make right my boys death,”she said.
The rest of the crowd started to move back away from Eula and that gun of hers. They all knew what a bad shot she really was. Crutch was sweating and praying and trying to get himself unloosed.
“Please, please, Eula don’t shoot me. I don’t was to die just yet.”
“Maybe I should do it then,”Bear said.
He took the gun away from Eula. The he aimed it at Crutches foot and fired. Crutch screamed out in agony, then passed right on out.
“Stop it, stop it right now!” Carol Jane cried. She and Mildred pushed their way to the front of the crowd.
“Bear, she said, “Eula, we need to get back to what is important here. Do you realize we are going to live through the next seven years of tribulation? We are going to have to figure out what we are going to do. I think we should start by forgiving each other.”
“Lord, I’ve been wrong, too.” Ovis chimed in.”It’s not Crutches fault I’ve sinned, it’s mine.”
Suddenly in the sky, the clouds started rolling back and a great white light shined through. I looked around at everybody and they were on their knees. I looked over at Carol Jane and she was smiling at me. At that point, she and Mildred started rising up. I tried to get to her before she disappeared, but it happened in the twinkling of an eye. All I could hear was a faint whisper of her sweet voice,
“I love you, John, I’ll be watching over you.”
What was I going to do? Without her I was the biggest screw up you would ever have seen. She had such a calming effect on me. Why I Haven’t been in a fight since the night I met her ten years ago. All my old buddies are either dead or in jail and I would have been one of them if it hadn’t been for her love.

I just wish I could have told her good bye.
I looked around and noticed some people were missing. Mildred, Carol Jane, Ovis, Tonya, and ll the children were all gone. Bear started running around looking for Tonya, screaming her name. When he couldn’t find her, he just got on his bike and rode off down the road.
It was then I realized something. The tree where Crutch had been tied there was nothing there but a rope that was stained with blood.
“John,” Charlie said.” Did you see that?” He was pointing to the tree. “All of a sudden, Crutch woke up and stood. He said,
“Into they hands I commend my spirit”. And in a flash, the man just disappeared into thin air. The Lord took him up. He forgave Crutch for all the sorry things he did.

Like I said, that was a week ago today. Those dark clouds are still in the sky. The Earth feels like its been drenched in a coat of tainted blood and the air smells rancid. I talked to Eula yesterday. She had gone to the graveyard and Patrick’s grave looked like it had been busted into and his body was gone. She said there were a lot of graves that were upheveled. That gave her a rested feeling of peace about Patrick.
I guess you’re wondering what my feelings on the matter are. To tell you the truth, I really dont know, but I do know this, later on on in the day, I’ll ride down to Bears tattoo Shop. I’ll watch him as he tattoos those young girls that come in. Then we will load up our bikes and head on down to Blue Hole and get high. Then I’ll worry about what awaits my fate.

Innovative technology in HIV/AIDS Drug Treatment. What is it good for?

2012-02-01T23:07:00.001-07:00

HIV/AIDS prevention has changed drastically over the last 25 years of the AIDS epidemic. The CDC and other organizations have conducted various studies to gain statistics on behaviors of those who are newly HIV infected individuals. These studies have proven newly HIV infected take active steps to reduce behaviors that could transmit the virus to their partners. Early detection helps ensure these individuals will be linked to medical attention and life-saving treatment.

With new technology and new strides in anti-viral medication, it is now possible to reduce the further spread of HIV. New medical breakthroughs have gone from dispensing older HIV drugs (AZT) several times a day (which are now known to be as dangerous as the disease itself) to anti-virals that are created to battle specific strains of HIV. With the various cocktails designed for specific strains, these amazing new medications can reduce the HIV in cells to the point HIV is no longer detectable. If HIV is undetectable, then the transmission of HIV is further decreased. So not only are potential sexual partners of those on new HIV anti-viral medication less at risk, transmission of HIV from mother to infant has decreased tremendously with universal prenatal HIV testing and anti-viral medications.

Twenty years ago, this was unheard of. As I mentioned, there was one very toxic medication given to everyone who was HIV infected, which we later found out was as toxic as the disease its self. Now those who are HIV infected, take one or two pills a day in contrast to 10-15 a day as were prescribed in years past. Of course the barriers involved are the high costs of these medications. They range from $1000 a month and higher.

Today, right now, 7500 people cannot get the medication they need to continue a healthy life. At least 7,415 Americans are sitting on HIV/AIDS drugs waiting lists — and activists say some of them are dying in the queue. As of November 17, there are 6,595 people on waiting lists in twelve states, according to ADAP Watch, published regularly by the National Alliance of State and Territorial AIDS Directors (NASTAD), plus 445 people who have been dropped and 281 people unable to enroll because of lowered eligibility. These are under-estimates. At the Philadelphia Center in Shreveport Louisiana and statewide in Louisiana, we are seeing funding to AIDS Drug Assistance Programs frozen. Those newly infected are going to waiting lists. Prevention and Education dollars have been cut in half. With our capital city, Baton Rouge being #2 highest in the nation for new infection rates, we are having to scramble to compete with foundation and other possible private donations.

With state budgets stretched thin and increasing numbers of unemployed workers without health insurance, many states have been forced to cap enrollment in their AIDS Drug Assistance Programs. Hundreds of patients in need are being added to the waiting list each week. Thousands more Americans living with HIV/AIDS have been dropped from the program or made ineligible to receive medications through ADAP (ADAP) due to stricter eligibility requirements. ADAPs serve about one third of people on AIDS treatment in America, around 165,000 people.

Source 1

Source 2

Creative Disruption

2012-01-07T09:17:00.000-07:00

Developing technologies that solve the right problems can be enormously challenging as well as bringing technology to the people who need them the most.
Pros: Our lives have become very comfortable because of technology. Cell phones, computers, even my new coffee press has made modern society more efficient. Not only that, but technology is fun to use. I am often baffled by how far we have advanced. Had we ever thought that a single chip would replace an entire assembly line of workers? This has helped in eliminating human errors and made work faster and more efficient

There was a time when a person diagnosed as HIV positive was ostracized from the society as people thought that they would be infected too if they even touched the infected person. But thanks to the advancements in the field of medicine and health, now these people are treated with love and care and have a hope to live. I remember in the beginning day of HIV/AIDS, there was one medication to treat every strain of HIV, which was highly toxic and as dangerous as the disease itself. Now they have many anti-viral medications and can cocktail them after identifying what strain of HIV the individual has been diagnosed with. It is mind boggling to see the advancements made.

Other positive affects of technology in the work place include the improvement in peoples' daily lives, the expansion of transportation to get back and forth to work, and the various fields of employment we enjoy now.

Cons: I feel technological advances are also widening the gap between the various classes of the society. I fear that this might cause unrest amongst the underprivileged or the less privileged section of society and could lead to class war (something that I feel may not be a bad thing considering the amount of corporate bailouts and the shift away from workers rights).

The question that comes to my mind is just how far will we go? Will we use technology to feed to hungry? There should be no reason there are hungry or homeless people in this country. Or will the status quo cling to the technology to further their strong hold on this Earth’s resources? Some of the other negative effects of technology include environmental damage (undeniably), exploitation of workers, and political corruption.

I feel very lucky to have been born in this time period. I just hope my grandchildren can see their lives blossom and reach old age without the struggles past generations have endured.

Agents of Change

2011-12-19T20:43:00.001-07:00

Without change agents, successful change cannot happen. This is true no matter the size of the organization, whether it be large or small. Change agents may be found internally or externally within an organization, for a change agent to be successful, a good relationship with the decision makers within an organization is vital for successful change. In this research paper I will discuss change agent types, characteristics of change agents and their roles in organization that experience successful change.

“Change Agent is defined as a person who leads change within the organization, by championing the change, and managing and planning its implementation”(toolbox.com, 2008). Change agents are passionate about their causes, and are able to invoke passion in others. They are self motivated and need little direction. Change agents have their eye on the future and are capable to visualizing a finished product. But most importantly change agents must be able to empathize with others and let their understanding of others lead the way.

Many times a change agent can be effective if they are external from the organization. Because they are not bound by internal regulations, the organization’s culture politics, or traditions, they often will bring a different perspective that will challenge the status quo. There are disadvantages of bringing in external change agents if they are not familiar with how the organization implements policy and procedures. They can also be perceived by employees as untrustworthy, making it hard for the external change agents to grasp where the change needs to occur.

Internal change agents are those who work from inside the organization. They are individuals who work within an organization, have experienced its problems and have experience in improving those conditions. To bring about a fuller understanding of how to initiate change, organizations will sometimes bring in external change agents and pair them with an organization’s internal representative. Then a team of line managers will be called on to work as a team. If an organization is large enough, they will keep a change agent specialist in house. Within the change process, an external specialist would no longer be needed and will work directly with the change team to bring in change efforts.

FOUR DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHANGE AGENTS

There are four different types of change agents; outside pressure types, people change technology types, analysis for the top types, and organizational development types (Stephen, 2010).

Outside Pressure Types- These change agents challenge the status quo. They work externally from an organization, are sometimes radical in their approach. They have been known to exert various pressure tactics such as civil disobedience, mass demonstrations, violence and other direct actions tactic. Often times, actions such as this do not work alone. They usually are used to bring attention to the issues that will bring forth more conventional means to affect change. When these tactics are used, it results in examining many change alternatives.

An example of an outside pressure type would be ACT-UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) (ACT UP) is an international direct action advocacy group working to impact the lives of people living with AIDS, (PWAs) and the AIDS pandemic to bring about legislation, medical research and treatment and policies to ultimately bring an end to the disease by mitigating loss of health and lives. ACT UP was organized as a leaderless and effectively anarchist network. This was intentional on the founder of the group, Larry Kramer's part - he describes it as "democratic to a fault.” We used a simple formula for recruitment, "To a certain extent, this is how democratic politics is supposed to work in general. You convince people of the validity of your ideas. You have to go out there and convince people"(ACT-UP 20, 2007).

People Change Technology Types-

These change agents are concerned with the moral and motivation of employees. They will monitor employee absenteeism and turnover, and the quality control of other employees which include the quality of work performed. A lot of times these tasks are performed by managers and supervisors. Quality methods will include setting goals, behavior modification, and how to make the work experience better for employees. These are action goals that will bring forth individual change in behavior and in return will provide needed change for the organization.

Analysis for the Top Types- These change agents focus on the organizational structure of the organization that will enhance efficiency and output. Focus is on using analytical approaches to change the organizations structure or technology, Systems analysis, policy studies, research are tools used by these leaders and managers. Updates to technology have become necessary to keep up in most fields of business.

Organizational Development Types- These change agents focus on how the internal interactions work within group relations, how employees communicate and decision making within those groups. They use strategies that use intervention for a cultural change by analyzing how the culture of the organization works. Some of the tools used to gather this information are survey feedbacks, sensitivity training, and team building skills training. As with the other internal change agents, these types are often roles of managers and supervisors.

An example of organizational development types has been effective education within the HIV/AIDS community. By changing the perception of AIDS in the public arena less new infection rates occur. This can only come to pass when the culture of fear is dissolved and sensitivity training is given.

Management consultant Ric Reichard uses a simple formula to describe the issues which are usually at play TRUST = perceived competence + relationship RISK. Many times the change agent and consumer will over emphasize competency or the relationships when risk increases though the challenge is to balance both in order to develop trust (bdrconsultants.com, 2010).

People change when the status quo becomes too uncomfortable to bear. Most people view change as a last resort and do not like making an effort to change. Successful change agents understand this and can take a leadership role in leading the way in change.

Characteristics of a Change Agent

1. Change agents must identity issues that are disruptive to success within the status quo, analyze its impact and causes, as well as the potential benefits for removing negative elements.

2. Change agents must be capable of communicating the negative impact and possible benefits to key stake holders, take on the responsibility to actively participate in the change effort.

3. Change agents must be capable of in identifying and analyzing solution alternatives. Once identified, the change agent must internalize the solution and coordinate the selected solution.

4. Change agents must be able to network and incorporate partnerships with those they serve, whether in a non-profit or for profit setting. Mutual responsibility within these partnerships will assist in the efforts for change.

5. Change agents must be able to articulate a vision and interpret what the desired outcome should be. Once achieved, the agent must then motivate the workplace with the Vision Statement.

6. Change agents must be capable of setting a leadership agenda that defines ongoing roles typically executed by managers and leaders. Some of these roles include communicating tasks, role modeling, and ongoing reinforcement of desired behaviors.

7. Change agents must be able to solve problems and overcome the emotional and political dynamic that surround problems within the organization. They must also be capable of tuning into what dynamics are at play and have the courage to take sometimes difficult measures to resolve the issues while at the same time being sensitive to those involved.

Roles of a Change Agent

The roles of a change agent include consulting, training, and research. These are activities both internal and external change agents perform (Ludenburg, 2010). As change is implemented in an organization, taking on specific roles will aid in overseeing positive change.

1. Consultant- In the consultant role, a change agent will assist employees in generating data or expose them to data needed for necessary change. Once this occurs, employees can use information to find solutions through analysis of valid data.

2. Trainer- After a change agent assist employees in gathering needed data, they will teach members of the organization how to use the data in regard to the needed change. As a trainer, either the external or internal change agent teach individuals how to use the data to effect change and provide individuals with a new skill set to resolve future problems.

3. Researcher- When the change agent takes on the role of researcher, they are able to teach skills needed to evaluate how effective action plans may be. Within this scope the change agent may also design a component used to evaluate current problems as well as intervene before future problems occur.

Traits of Successful Change Agentry

Researchers have identified characteristic traits of effective change agentry These traits refer to the way in which change agents manage change rather than to any personal characteristics they may possess Included in these traits are empathy, linkage, proximity, structuring, capacity, openness, reward, energy, and synergy. (Anderson, 2011). Even with calculated data and structured programs policies, unless the human aspect of how people react to other isn’t taken into consideration, effective change will not happen. Change agents and organization members who are willing to communicate by listening, interacting, and being influenced by one another will be successful in fulfilling change goals.

1. Empathy –Being tuned into empathy will improve communication through understand and acceptance of the organizational members and change agent.

2. Linkage – When the change agent and organization member are connected through collective involvement and linkage is tight between individuals, the more likely change will be successful.

3. Proximity –is the physical and psychological connections between the change agent and organizational member. The closer the proximity, the easier it is to develop linkage.

4. Structuring – relates to the planning and organizing a clear plan and coordinating activities for the progression of the change effort.

5. Capacity – providing needed resources for a change effort to be successful.

6. Openness – Organizational members and the change agent’s willingness to listen, respond to, and allow each other to influence the other.

7. Reward - This would refer to the end result of positive outcomes in the change effort. Part of successful change agentry is to reward for the desire change.

8. Energy – the effort expended towards the change effort from both the change agents and the community members.

9. Synergy - and finally, the reinforcing effects the above factors have on each other. In other words, the synergy of the variety of people resources, and activities that are involved in the interactions between the change agent and community members.

Every organizational change, whether large or small, requires one or more change agents. A change agent is anyone who has the skill and power to guide and facilitate the change effort. Change agents may be either external or internal. (Stevens, 2008). The success of any change effort depends heavily on the quality and workability of the relationship between the change agent and the key decision makers within the organization.

Conclusion

When discussing the effectiveness of change agents, we have to look at the characteristics of a change agent, the types of change agents and the traits of successful change agentry. The four different types of Change Agents are Outside Pressure Types, People Change Technology Types, and Analysis for the Top Types, and Organizational Development Types. The characteristics Change agents vary depending on the needs of each role the change agent plays. Change agents effectiveness will be successful when external and internal change agents work as a team with organization members. Change agents cannot afford to ignore power dynamics, but be capable of identifying dynamics in the organization and using the knowledge towards effective change. Ultimately, we conclude that change agents will be more or less effective, when using collective data and incorporating the human aspects of communication, such as empathy and reward to a finished effective change.

References

ACTUP Capsule History. (1987). Actupny.org. Retrieved December 17, 2011 from

http://www.actupny.org/documents/cron-87.html

Anderson, L. A. (2011). The change leader’s roadmap: How to navigate your

organization’stransformation. New York, NY: Routledge. Burke, W. W. (2011).

Hartley, J., Benington, J. and Binns, P. (1997), Researching the Roles of Internal- change Agents in the Management of Organizational Change. British Journal of Management, 8: 61–73. doi: 10.1111/1467-8551.00040

Ludenburg, F. (2010). Managing change: The role of the change agent. Retrieved December 19, 2011 from http://www.nationalforum.com/Electronic Journal Lunenburg, Fred C.Managing Change The Role of Change Agent IJMBA, V13 N1 2010.pdf

Stevens. (2008). IT Management and Strategy. Retrieved from

http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/original-thinking/what-is-a-change-agent-23764

What is the change agent role?. (2010). Retrieved on December 19, 2011 from

http://www.bdrconsultants.com/agent_role.pdf

Women Hold up Half the Sky

2011-12-05T07:28:00.002-07:00

There are so many social movements that have originated in the US that have changed the world. But there are many who never really took off. I think the many successes of social movements can be attributed to what we know of as the “American Dream”, especially in the 20^th century. Some that come to mind are those that effect women, senior citizens, welfare recipients, people of color, and those that I work directly with, people living with or effected by disease. Each was sparked by grass root movements, by those affected the most or “change from below”. Because there are so many effected by the lack of medical insurance and universal health care, you have to wonder why it is just now become an issue that needs to be addressed.

One social movement that is still evolving is the feminist movement. It is so hard to believe 100 years ago, women didn’t even vote, many could not even spell their own names. Once given the opportunity, they began running for political office. In this area, feminism is still underdeveloped. Only a small fraction of politicians are women.

20th century feminism didn’t speak to all women, especially women of color. Those that led the feminist movement of the 60s were white middle to upper class women, who felt they needed to be freed from middle to upper class white men. Historically oppression towards these women was only from the male counterparts. Women of color, especially African American women, didn’t have the same struggles as these women. Many times than not, they are equals to African American men as far as oppression, therefore their oppression is different than Caucasian women. “Although it is contested that all struggles are the same, placing all women under feminism is the epitome of racist arrogance and domination, suggesting that white women’s experience is the standard and authority above any other experience” (Hudson-Weems 209).

With the third wave of feminism was coined the term “Womanist” by Alice Walker in her works, “In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens: Womanist Prose”. Walker’s “Womanist” is committed to the survival and wholeness of an entire people, therefore men are included in the definition.

To assume that a white woman’s experience is the same as a woman of colors is offensive to me. I just don’t believe you can define every woman’s experience to that of the ruling class. I don’t believe that Feminism is better or worse than Womanism, it’s just different. For this movement to be successful (and its far from it at this point) It’s a matter of understanding the differences that women in each group experience, recognizing that there are clear and distinct differences in each group of women and then tackling the forces that oppress each of us together.

References:

Hudson-Weems, Clenora.(2003). Africana Womanism. Out of the Revolution: the Development of Africana Studies. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield, Inc.,

Agent of Change- HIV/AIDS Activists Demand the End to the Madness

2011-12-04T18:03:00.002-07:00

"Hope will never be silent" Harvey Milk

Over the last few years, nonprofits in general are experiencing a decline in federal and state funding, donations in the private sector and availability of foundation and grant revenue. I became an HIV/AIDS activist in 1985 when I was in my twenties. Personal loss, anger, and a vow to see the end of HIV/AIDS is what has kept me moving towards that goal for twenty five years. It is one thing to be young and idealistic and following a calling. Many have done so. It’s what young people do. But what happens during the years that follow and strides are made, along the way there are a few victories, with as many setbacks. If one falls away and does not see it through to the end, are they still a change agent?

In the field I chose to work in, once funding was deemed necessary by the government in the form of the Ryan White ACT. It stated those of lower income will receive their medication, housing, and other basic needs if they are HIV positive, with or without an AIDS diagnosis. It was a victory in our eyes.Though in the early years, HIV/AIDS took many lives due to the lack of antivirals, Social Security set up harsh restrictions disallowing those infected to receive disability income unless they were near death. More than often, people were too sick to work, therefore too sick to afford medication, food or shelter.

As an agent of change and activist, I realized that just because we had won what we thought was a huge battle, it was only the beginning. It was a huge victory to have a system that the poor and sick could access, but it certainly wasn’t enough to fill their needs because the funding was and is to this day, considered a “last resort” funding mechanism. We were going to need public exposure and dispel the issue of stigma. It was at this point, we realized though we were strong, healthy, and loud, it was going to take those who were infected as well as affected by AIDS to advocate. Who would want to put themselves through such a process when they are already battling health issues, much less confronting social problems as well?

It was at this point, being a change agent took on yet another meaning; educator, by changing the perception of AIDS in the public arena. This realization was as complicated as the lack of medications to fight the disease. Now HIV/AIDS agents of change took on another hat.

By this time, we were a few years into what was now a pandemic. We had moved past the Reagan years (who never utter the word HIV/AIDS in the eight years of office) to the Clinton years. Homosexuality was being discussed and legislated by the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. Several celebrities were coming out, and a few were starting to announce they themselves were HIV infected with. Finally the face of AIDS was slowly changing.

Up until recently, we had become a bit lazy in the fight. We had anti-virals that suppresses HIV virus to the point it is undetectable in the cells. Those who were getting sick, were receiving basic needs through the Ryan White ACT. We never thought we would see the day where we were going to fight as hard as we did in the beginning. But that is where we are at. Even though people living with AIDS will be accepted into Medicaid based on an HIV positive status alone in 2014, it appears the renewal of Ryan White ACT may not see the same amount of funding it has in the past.

We are seeing the increase in new HIV infections among the young, but have zero new dollars for prevention and education. Even less money is funneled to the sick through government programs, making us rely on foundations and private sector. In this economy they are spending less and less on giving, because of the uncertainty of the market. But my worse fear is it will take the deaths of many people to motivate a new generation to the “calling”. I and those my age are growing older, and even though the passion is there, the energy and youthfulness isn’t. I will stay in this battle until I am dead or there is a cure. There’s always something to do, even if it is to rock babies born with HIV.

Bring that Confederate Flag down, Caddo Parish!

2011-11-30T08:01:00.001-07:00

Much like in the early days of the civil rights movement, It was one man who stood up to the status quo and brought a racist institution; the confederate flag.

During the jury selection duty of the murder trial of Felton Dorsey, Carl Staples stood before the court and said he was outraged by the sight of the Confederate flag in the courthouse lawn. Because of his statement, the judge allowed the prosecution to remove Mr. Staples from the jury. The prosecutor was then allowed to remove five of the seven qualified black prospective jurors.

Carl Staples, the prospective black juror, had refused to participate during jury selection in the trial of Felton Dorsey, saying that he was outraged by the sight of the Confederate flag in the courthouse lawn. According to the Louisiana Justice Institute, after Staples’ outcry, the judge granted the prosecutor the opportunity to remove him from the jury. The prosecutor then proceeded to strike five out of the remaining seven qualified black prospective jurors.

In my opinion, if a court is allowed to fly a confederate flag on its lawn, it obviously is not willing to address claims of racism. ““In a community that is 48 percent black, the tendency has been that only one black person is allowed to serve on the jury,” charged Ben Cohen of the Capital Appeals Project, who is also working on the case. The flag is a symbol of one of the most heinous crimes ever committed to another member of the human race, and I just don’t see how you could say that, I mean, you’re here for justice, and then again you overlook this great injustice by continuing to fly this flag which puts salt in the wounds of people of color.” (abajournal.com, 2011)

“Allowing it to fly outside the Caddo Parish courthouse sends a clear statement that capital punishment cannot be fairly administered within the courthouse walls,” pleaded ACLU Staff Attorney Anna Arceneaux before the Louisiana Supreme Court in defense of Felton Dorsey. The ACLU, along with a coalition of other civil rights groups and local protesters, rallied on May 3, 2011 for the removal of the flag. They were joined by Harvard Law Professor Charles Ogletree, who called Staples “the Rosa Parks of the criminal justice system, the juror who would not serve under a Confederate flag.” The Louisiana Supreme Court issued and opinion about the charge that its presence promotes racism, The opinion acknowledged “the display of a confederate flag would be offensive to some” citing cases from the 4th and 11th Circuit Courts that recognized that “the confederate flag has multiple ‘emotionally charged’ meanings and is viewed by some as a symbol of white supremacy” and that “It is the sincerely held view of many Americans, of all races, that the confederate flag is a symbol of racial separation and oppression… it is not an irrational inference that one who displays the confederate flag may harbor racial bias against African-Americans”(lasc.org, 2011).

After more than sixty years, 0n November 4, 2011, the request to remove the flag came before the Caddo Parish Commissioners who voted 11-1 the authorization to remove the flag from the grounds of the Caddo Parish Courthouse. It was a very heated and emotional outcome from those who see the flag as a symbol of heritage and those who see the flag as a symbol of racism. Personally I see it as a heritage of slavery, lynchings, the Ku Klux Klan, Segregation, Jim Crow, terrorism, and treason. I also never been one to hold back on my opinions.

Because of the possibility for violence to break out while the flag was being lowered, the courts removed the flag in the middle of the night instead of 4 pm the next day as requested by one of the Caddo Commissioners. In any event, it is gone now, and maybe real justice can be served in Louisiana. I hope it makes a difference, even though racism is still alive and well in the south.

Louisiana Supreme Court to consider impact on courthouse. (2011). Abajournal.com. Retrieved on November 30, 2011 from

http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/louisiana_supreme_court_to_consider_impact_of_courthouse_confederate_flag_i/

Blog of Rights. (2011). aclu.org. Retrieved on November 30, 2011 from

http://www.aclu.org/blog/tag/Caddo%20Parish

New Release #56. (2011).Louisiana Supreme Court. Retrieved on November 30, 2011 from http://www.lasc.org/news_releases/2011/2011-056.asp