Using Group Dynamics to Build Community in an Organization

Using Group Dynamics to Build Community In An Organization

There are many types of organizations within a community that strive to help re-build family structure. Community is defined as a social group of any size whose members resides in a specific locality, share government, and often has a common cultural and historical heritage (Dictionary.com, 2012). When trying to build a community, it is a collective process that takes a large amount of the group to make it transpire. This paper will discuss the dynamics of Auberle that truly contribute positive outcomes for its community and surrounding areas.

Characteristics of Auberle

Auberle is a Faith-based Catholic Agency with the mission to help all troubled families and children to heal themselves. Their vision is to be the premier agency in Western Pennsylvania by providing support services with positive outcomes for all children and families they serve. Auberle's ultimate goal and focus is on family preservation, reunification of broken families in a positive home environment while preparing children to be responsible adults (Auberle, 2011).

Programs that help build the community

There are many programs that provide a variation of services at Auberle to help build the community. Auberle provides services for children referred to this program from either County Child Protective Services or the Juvenile Court System. The services provided are residential care, foster care, and emergency shelters. They also include in-home intervention, education, addiction, and mental health care. Working with Turtle Creek Valley MH/MR, they provide many community services. Many therapy options are available, including individualized programs, group and family therapy . Community programs include SNAP (Stop Now and Plan) helps children as well as the parents deal effectively with anger. This program teaches them to stop before taking negative actions and making the problem bigger. This program an award-winning, evidence-based, annualized cognitive behavioral strategy developed by the Child Development Institute more than 30 years ago (Auberle, 2011).

Member roles of Auberle

Organizational leaders need to have special characteristics in order to help build the organization to help the community. In order to be successful they must be of good character. Character involves being honest, competent, forward-looking, inspiring, intelligent, fair-minded, broad-minded, courageous, straightforward, and imaginative (CTL, 2010). They must also show compassion, understanding, hope, respect, ethics, and love.

Each member of Auberle has a specific role that helps the community. Positions at Auberle include child care workers, counselors, gift processor, drivers, community liaison, and numerous volunteers. They also staff foster care recruiters and trainers, in home counselors, mental health services that include help with psychological disorders, psychiatric disorders, group and individual therapy, anger management, grief management, and post-traumatic stress disorder (Auberle, 2012).

The key stakeholders that have influence at Auberle are the CEO-John Lydon, chair- Vince Locher, vice-chair-Steve Massaro, secretary/treasurer-Maureen Green, and 18 board members. This past year Auberle held the largest campaign in history while launching national and international recognized programs (Auberle, 2012). John Lydon states this is possible because of, "our volunteers, our donors, our friends in the foundation and business communities, and our supporters. Your love and commitment to our children and families is what drives Auberle. It is what enables us to continue launching initiatives and programs and creating opportunities for our youth and families (Lydon, 2012). There are 8 counties throughout Pennsylvania helping over 2,100 children and through 16 program areas for girls, boys, families and the community (Auberle, 2012). No one is turned away based on age, race, or background.

Group Dynamics

There are three theories of organizational models to consider with group dynamics. They are the bureaucratic theory of Max Weber, the public administration account of Luther Gulick, and the scientific management approach of Frederick Taylor (Kahn & Katz, 2012). Organizational behavior (OB) is the study of human behavior in organizational settings, how human behavior interacts with the organization, and the organization itself. Auberle includes these dynamics through different personnel by applying the quality