One Media/Publication Administrative Perspective Analysis paper.

RUNNING HEAD: ANALYSIS FROM A SUPERVISION/ADMINISTRATION PERSPECTIVE 1

Toya Compton

HURES 5043- 01 Human Services Administration & Supervision

Analysis of an Agency from a Supervision/Administration Perspective

East Central University

14 th

February 2011

Analysis from a Supervision/Administration Perspective 2

Introduction

I have chosen to analyze an agency where I served first as a volunteer, then later as a

Board Member. This was a Crisis Center in a small island community whose main focus was

dealing with domestic violence matters. This agency was opened in 1988 and is currently

overseen by a Board of Directors consisting of eight individuals. There are also four (paid) staff

members, namely the Managing Director, Counselor, Administrative Assistant and Office

Assistant/Messenger. In addition, persons in the community are welcome to join the Center as a

“member” or a volunteer. Members and volunteers are invited to annual general meetings held

by the agency and could also be called upon as needed to assist in various projects and activities

of the agency, including participating in training exercises.

The areas I will focus on for analysis from a supervision and administration perspective

include the environment, goals, designing and planning, budgeting, training/staffing, referrals,

casework, resistance to supervision, promotions, and finally supervising, monitoring and

evaluations.

Environment

I will focus on the key stakeholders of this agency, which include the government as the

funding source, the Board of Directors, and the community which it serves. The relationship with

the government was generally positive, and there did not seem to be any stringent requirements

of accountability for the quarterly stipend given. In fact the Governor General of the island is a

firm supporter of the Center and its work, and often praised the work of the agency in the media.

In terms of the relationship with the community, the agency is also regarded mainly in a positive

light, as a supporter and advocate especially for women. The founder of the agency is still seen

as somewhat of a local hero, and is well respected both within and outside the agency, even at

Analysis from a Supervision/Administration Perspective 3

her advanced age and the fact that she is no longer intimately involved with the operations of the

agency. On the other hand, some feel that the Center’s focus is too limited on women, as they

claim that men are also victims of domestic violence. Aware of this criticism, the Center has

struggled to portray a more family oriented image and has tried to include men in its various

activities and projects. More recently a male Public Relations Officer was appointed to the Board

of Directors, and this has helped the public image to some extent.

Unfortunately the internal environment of the agency is more tumultuous and challenging

than its external environment. There is much tension between the President of the Board and the

Managing Director who runs the daily operations. This is mainly due to micromanagement and

miscomprehension regarding the role of Board Members versus operating staff. Further analysis

of this conflict will be covered in later sections.

Goals/Designing/Planning

Although from the outside the agency seems quite well managed, those who are

intimately involved with the operations are well aware of the many struggles that the Center has

in making and prioritizing goals, as well as in planning and designing programs and activities.

Indeed it is a plus for the agency that this is not obvious to outsiders, so that their good reputation

within the community is maintained. Also a strength of the agency is that the President of the

Board also runs her own event planning business. Therefore activities of the Center, while they

may not be properly planned, are often executed smoothly due to her expertise. However in

terms of strategic planning and long terms goals, the agency has encountered difficulties. A

critical example is that a Peace Corps volunteer was invited by the agency to assist in grant

writing proposals, and ended up working on a SWOT analysis for the center. Although many

board members were not clear as to how this change of assignment came about, it was agreed

Analysis from a Supervision/Administration Perspective 4

that the volunteer would proceed since conducting a SWOT analysis was deemed as urgent a

task as grant writing.

In conducting the analysis, the volunteer interviewed all board and staff members,

however the final document was met with much resistance by the Board, who entered into a

defensive mode, especially regarding the “weaknesses” of the agency. One Board Member even

claimed that nothing she had said had ended up in the final report. Nobody seemed to appreciate

that the whole point of a SWOT analysis was to link strengths within the agency to opportunities

in the environment, and also to be aware of weaknesses within the agency, so that threats or

challenges could be minimized, and defensive strategies developed. Perhaps the Peace Corps

volunteer could have done a better job at explaining the entire process to the board, and

especially to emphasize that this was not a “personal attack” on the Board and management of

the agency. On the other hand the Board of Directors themselves should have some expertise in

strategic planning in order to better fulfill their role. Bryson (2004) has suggested that there are

bad times to do strategic planning. It also seems to me that the negative internal climate in the

Center can be considered one of these bad times!

Budgeting

The agency receives a small subvention from the government of $7, 000.00 per quarter,

which it supplements by various fundraising activities. As a not for profit agency, this amount is

hardly enough to cover the operating expenses, including and especially the salaries of staff. Pay

is a point of contention mainly for the Managing Director and the Counselor, who feel

overworked and underpaid. Money is such a critical issue and is often discussed at board

meetings; however there is no formal reporting or tracking mechanism in place to accurately

monitor expenditure. For example, the reconciliation of the accounts of the Center has been long

Analysis from a Supervision/Administration Perspective 5

overdue and was talked about for more than a year. Ironically the reason for the Center not being

able to make a decision regarding the hiring of an employee to do the accounts is precisely that

there is no money to pay this person. From an administration perspective, I think that this is a

critical issue that should be resolved urgently. In order to monitor the little money that the

agency manages and also to meet legal and auditing requirements, perhaps the agency could

even consider having a professional volunteer to assist in putting the accounts in order.

Training/Staffing

As mentioned earlier, the paid staff consists of a Managing Director, Counselor,

Administrative Assistant and an Office Assistant/Messenger. The first two have a lot of

experience in their field and often benefit from various training activities and workshops

conducted by the Ministry of Health and Human Services. The Managing Director herself also

conducts training in the community, as part of an outreach program for awareness of domestic

violence. The Administrative and Office Assistants are more advanced in age and are no longer

adding maximum value to their positions. A tough management decision needs to be made to

replace these individuals so that the agency could be run more effectively.

Referrals

The agency enjoys close collaborative relationships with similar organizations in the

community, and there is an active referral system in place. Some of these agencies include the

Department of Social Services, a Women’s Shelter and various adult and children’s homes

around the island. In fact there was a booklet recently compiled which listed contact numbers for

all such agencies, and the Crisis Center was included. I think there is an opportunity for even

further collaboration of services among these agencies. For example, with the long standing issue

Analysis from a Supervision/Administration Perspective 6

of accounts reconciliation, the Crisis Center could perhaps network with another agency to have

someone assist with their accounts and to perhaps share the costs.

Casework

The Managing Director and Counselor carry the brunt of the work of the Center, and

have both put in requests for higher salaries because of this heavy workload. The Managing

Director, for example, is involved in several projects and activities such as community outreach,

radio programs, representing the Center at various functions and ceremonies, speaking to the

media and managing a student sponsorship program. The Counselor has a fair share of clients,

and has to do everything for them including intake, assessment, counseling, and follow up. From

an administration perspective, I think that the mandate of the Center could be narrowed down

some more so that the Managing Director does not have to be so “stretched” For example, is

managing a student sponsorship program really part of the Center’s mandate to deal with

domestic violence? To assist the Counselor, there are many professional and trained volunteers

who would be more than willing to assist in intake and counseling for an agreed number of hours

per week.

Resistance to Supervision

There is much conflict and tension mainly between the Managing Director and the

President of the Board, with the latter wanting more closer involvement in the daily operations of

the agency, while the former considering herself to be a fairly independent and experienced

professional in the field who can make it on her own. There is some disagreement and confusion

as to the role of the Board and the role of the Managing Director, which I think could be easily

resolved by consulting the bylaws of the agency, updating a job description for the Managing

Director, and/or networking with similar agencies to see how responsibilities are shared.

Analysis from a Supervision/Administration Perspective 7

Promotions

There is no real opportunity for promotions with the current staff structure; however both

the Managing Director and the Counselor have put in written requests for salary increases on the

basis of their workload and the fact that their salary had not been increased in a few years. I think

at least a cost of living increase should be agreed for each year that they did not receive such.

Perhaps the government could also be petitioned to increase the small subvention in light of

inflation over the years.

Supervising, Monitoring and Evaluations

There is not a strong performance management culture in this agency, perhaps because of

its more supportive and helping-oriented nature, and its focus more on the “output publics”- the

clients, rather than the “throughput publics”- the staff. However I think that especially in this

modern environment, to remain competitive and also with some of the conflict being manifested

within this agency, some sort of monitoring and evaluation needs to be formally implemented.

Perhaps management by objectives would be a good place to begin, by having each staff member

agree with their reporting authority what their goals should be for a given time period. This

would be especially useful for the Managing Director and the President of the Board.

There is some monitoring and evaluation happening, not of performance of individuals,

but of the programs and activities of the agency, which is useful. For example the Managing

Director is expected to provide quarterly reports on the activities of the Center while some

projects that are implemented through grant funding have been evaluated and the results

documented.

Analysis from a Supervision/Administration Perspective 8

Conclusion

This agency has many strengths which can be explored, and also some weaknesses that

could be counteracted with immediate and feasible solutions. The strengths include its positive

regard in the community, opportunities for deeper collaboration with other agencies, and the

years of experience of key staff members. However its weaknesses include its lack of strategic

planning, a lack of proper performance evaluations and accounting systems, and some tension

between the President of the Board and the Managing Director. The agency needs to look ahead

to the future, rather than rely on its positive regard in the Community and especially the legacy

of its past achievements and those of its founder. The Board should perform more of a strategic

and advisory role and provide some clear direction regarding its role and the role of key staff

members. Clear documentation should be in place to state the mission and vision of the agency,

as well as the roles and responsibilities of key personnel, so that everyone is clear as to what is

expected of them. A proper accounting system also needs to be put in place urgently. Volunteers

can be invited to do more concrete tasks than simply attend meetings and training activities.

Analysis from a Supervision/Administration Perspective 9

References

Lewis, J. A., Packard, T. R., & Lewis, M. D. (2007). Management of human service programs

(4 th

ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole.

Bryson, J. (2004). Strategic planning for public and nonprofit organizations: A guide for

strengthening and sustaining organizational achievement (3 rd

ed.). San Francisco:

Jossey-Bass.