Abstract
There is a certain comfort and ease that comes with shopping in a general merchandise superstore. No matter what your needs, be it to deposit a check, to get an eye exam, to get a prescription filled, or to purchase bath towels, eggs, or potting soil, it is all there—almost everything you need. These stores have truly become a “one-stop shops” for consumers, the ultimate in utility and satisfaction. And like shoppers, social work educators need a resource that will help them teach the expansive range of macro-oriented generalist knowledge and skills efficiently, while ensuring quality. Kirst-Ashman and Hull’s book, Generalist Practice with Organizations and Communities, is just such a book.
The textbook published by Cengage Learning as part of their “Empowerment Series.” Overall, it is geared toward the generalist-level macro social work student and ties exhaustive content on this subject together skillfully, with self-reflection opportunities that many macro-level books overlook. It covers the typical subjects expected from such a book, including understanding and creating change in communities and organizations, but goes above and beyond to promote conversations regarding ethical dilemmas in community work, supervision, and stress and time management.
The stated goals of the text are as comprehensive as its subject matter and include the following: (a) to be a readable and practical guide to working in organizations and communities; (b) to provide a generalist orientation in the integration of micro-, mezzo- and macro-level social work; (c) to apply micro and mezzo skills to macro situations; (d) to provide step-by-step frameworks for thinking about and initiating macro change in organizations and communities, models and procedures; (e) to identify, explain, and examine specific macro practice skills and identity issues (i.e., ethical dilemmas); and (f) to reflect the Council for Social Work Education’s Education and Practice Standards throughout the text, especially in the areas of critical thinking, empowerment and resiliency, global context of social work, evaluation, research-informed practice, communication, supervision, and the professional role development within organizational structures and communities.
The introduction thoughtfully provides foundational information about generalist practice with organizations and communities. Chapter 2 focuses on the vital but often overlooked skill of integrating micro-based skills in the macro settings of organizations and communities. Chapter 3 shows how group skills can be used in organizational and community change. Chapters 4–6 focus on organizations, specifically theories to help the student understand organizations, skills building in decision making that will aid in organizational health and development, and tangible ways to implement these skills through an application to organizational policies, projects, and programs. Chapters 7 and 8 have a community focus, and Chapter 9 covers evaluation. Chapter 10 deals with advocacy and social action. Chapter 11 provides opportunities for students to engage with ethical dilemmas that may arise in their work with organizations and communities. Chapter 12 is a new chapter in this edition devoted entirely to supervision. Chapter 13 is about developing and managing agency resources and would perhaps be better placed in the larger subsection Chapter 4 to 6 on organizations. Finally, the text concludes with a macro self-care chapter on “Stress and Time Management,” specifically identifying and addressing unique stressors macro practitioners face and identifying measures to prevent and ameliorate ineffective time management and procrastination.
This 2015 sixth edition has made numerous additions and edits that reflect a revived topical and timely collective action orientation to the overall book, as well as technological advancements and other changes that routinely affect social workers. A visual example of this is the newly designed cover, which features what appears to be public workers holding signs and protesting in the cold and snow in front a government building. The image seems to connect everyday people using collective strategies to demand policy-level changes for vulnerable people. Throughout the text, the authors have tabled numerous global issues and have identified that global linkages are a priority change for this edition. They have also updated most chapters to include such topics as professional e-mail, use of social media, virtual communities, online evaluation tools, and recent social movements such as the Arab Spring and Occupy Movement. In addition, there is more focus on Alinsky and conflict-style community organizing tactics as well as an overhaul on the section on ethical dilemmas. Finally, there is another new chapter devoted to supervision in a macro setting, which importantly prepares students for eventual professional contexts in which they will work.
In addition to the recent updates, the text has three main additional strengths. First, its emphasis on practical skills building will both appeal and benefit social work students, who are entitled to connect to organizational and community social work in tangible, concrete, and meaningful ways. Second, the authors’ use of cleverly written and engaging vignettes in each chapter provide opportunities for students to grapple with numerous and timely real-world situations, dilemmas, and challenges. Finally, the authors pay particular attention to thoroughly integrating micro-level social work with macro-level contexts. This echoes how social work operates and how social workers ought to be prepared to practice effectively.
This book delivers on its promises to readers. The authors set out to write an engaging textbook, which uses clear language to teach social work students generalist-practice macro-level skills to work with organizations and communities. More than other textbooks on this subject, it has struck the right balance between necessary content without losing focus. As a textbook for foundational social work in organizations and communities, the book is intended for bachelor of social work or master of social work students and seems appropriate for these levels. The publisher claims that the best adjectives to describe the book are relevant, practical, and readable, and from my lens, this is entirely accurate.
Returning to the metaphor in the opening paragraph, because this book is a “one-stop shop,” it might not appeal to some educators who wish to provide a specialized experience for their students. Like the consumer who prefers the unique experience of patronizing separate boutique stores, such as a butcher, a flower store, a wine shop, there is something to be said for the intellectual nimbleness of compiling readings from several sources. Not all of us have that luxury of time; however, and for that reason alone, this well-written and informative text is of immense value to social work educators and practitioners alike.