ORGANIZATION AND MANAGEMENT CONSIDERATIONS IN THE FORCE FIELD IMPACTING FACILITY DESIGN (FROM CALIFORNIA DEPT. OF CORRECT. REP. ON THE COLLOQUIUM ON CORR. FACILITIES PLANN., NOVEMBER 1977, BY NORA HARLOW - SEE NCJ-46915)

• NCJ Number: 46917
• Author(s): E K NELSON
• Date Published: 1978
• Length: 15 pages
• Corporate Author: American Justice Institute; California State Dept of Corrections
• Sale Source: National Institute of Justice/
• Publication Type: Report (Study/Research)
• Language: English
• Country: United States of America
• Note: *This document is currently unavailable from NCJRS.

Annotation

ORGANIZATION AND PLANNING OF CORRECTIONAL SERVICES IS DISCUSSED WITHIN THE CONTEXT OF THE OBSERVABLE SCIENTIFIC AND GENERAL SYSTEMS APPROACHES TO MANAGEMENT.

Abstract

CURRENT ORGANIZATIONAL THEORY TRACES ITS ORIGINS TO TWO MAJOR SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT: THE FIRST SCHOOL CHARACTERIZED BY A UTILITARIAN AND LARGELY MECHANISTIC CONCEPTION OF ORGANIZATION, FOUND ITS PROPONENT IN TAYLOR'S SCIENTIFIC MANAGEMENT MOVEMENT; THE SECOND SCHOOL REPLACES EMPHASIS ON MECHANISTIC AND QUANTITATIVE CONSIDERATIONS WITH A GLOBAL APPROACH, WHICH INCORPORATES RATIONALITY, ETHICS, AND GOALS AND HAS BEEN CALLED A GENERAL OR NATURAL SYSTEMS APPROACH. THE CONCERNS OF COST-EFFECTIVE PRODUCTIVITY AND ACCOUNTABILITY COUPLED WITH CONCERNS OF FLEXIBILITY AND INNOVATION FOUND WITHIN THE FIELD OF CORRECTIONS SUGGEST THAT A SYNTHESIS OR CONSTRUCTIVE TENSION BETWEEN THESE TWO THEORIES MAY BE ATTAINED. A RESEARCH STUDY OF CORRECTIONAL PLANNERS, CONCEPTUALIZED AS A FORCE FIELD ANALYSIS (E.G., GOAL DRIVING AND GOAL RESTRAINING FORCES AND THEIR DYNAMIC INTERACTION), INDICATED THAT THESE MANAGERS WERE RELATIVELY IMPOTENT TO MOVE THEIR ORGANIZATIONS TOWARD DESIRED GOALS BECAUSE OF THEIR INTERNAL ORIENTATION AND COMMITMENT TO FAMILIAR AND HIERARCHICAL STRUCTURES. THE FINDINGS ILLUSTRATE A MAJOR TENDENCY TO DISSOCIATE PLANNING, WHICH TENDS TO BE TASK ORIENTED, FROM POLICYMAKING, WHICH TENDS TO BE GOAL-ORIENTED. THERE IS A NEED IN CORRECTIONS FOR PLANNERS TO INTEGRATE POLICYMAKING IN THEIR OPERATIONS AND TO HEED THOSE FORCE FIELDS EXTERNAL TO THEM. PERSONS CONCERNED WITH CORRECTIONAL PLANNING FOR THE FUTURE MAY NEED TO FOCUS MORE ON THE IMAGE THEY PROJECT TO THE SKEPTICAL OUTSIDE WORLD. SUCH AN APPROACH MAY CONTAIN THE SEEDS OF A NEW AND MORE SATISFYING CONCEPTION OF THE MISSION OF CORRECTIONS. THE RESPONSIBILITY OF BRINGING TOGETHER DIVERSE ELEMENTS OF THE FORCE-FIELD WILL FALL ON TOP MANAGEMENT, AND STRONG MAINTENANCE-ORIENTED MANAGEMENT OF DAY-TO-DAY ACTIVITIES WILL BE NECESSARY WHILE THE PLANNING AND ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE PROCESS GOES ON. A DICHOTOMOUS LISTING OF TASK-ORIENTED MANAGERIAL ROLES AND GOAL-ORIENTED EXECUTIVE ROLES IS PRESENTED ALONG WITH REFERENCES. (JAP)