Collaboration in Child
Welfare Systems
Judith S. Rycus, PhD, MSW
Institute for Human Services, Columbus, Ohio
1. Collaboration is often the best way to achieve a
complicated goal
2. There are different kinds and levels of collaboration
3. Collaboration can be risky
4. Collaboration is a science requiring a unique set of
knowledge and skills.
Point #1:
Collaboration: the best way
to achieve a complicated goal
Proverbs About Collaboration
“Two heads are better than one.”
John Heywood, 1546
“No Man Is An Island”
John Donne, 1624
”Teamwork . . . is the fuel that allows
common people to attain uncommon results.
Andrew Carnegie
“Individually, we are one drop.
Together, we are an ocean.”
Ryunosuke Satoro
A single tree does not make a forest;
a single string cannot make music.
Chinese, origin unknown.
“When spider webs unite,
they can tie up a lion.”
Ethiopian Proverb
Barriers to Permanency
• Poverty
• Substance Abuse
• Trauma
• Lack of Education
• Family Violence
• Health Issues
• Mental Illness
• War / forced migration
Multidisciplinary Collaboration
• Social Work
• Law Enforcement
• Medicine
• Judicial System
• Education
• Child Protection
• Legal System
• Health Care
• Psychology
• Child Care
Why We Must Collaborate
1. Too much work to do alone
2. Work is very complicated
3. Never enough resources
4. Blind spots in our thinking
5. Less willing to implement without input
Point #2
There are different types
of collaboration
Choose the ones that best suit the
purpose
How many people does it take
to change a light bulb????
Decision-Making Strategies
Autocratic
Person with responsibility and authority makes decision
Consultative
Makes decision with input from other people
Group Decision-Making
Shares authority and responsibility with a group
Delegated
Delegates authority to make decision to others
Characteristics of Collaborative
Groups
Point #3
Collaboration Can Be Risky
Point #4
Collaboration is a SCIENCE
(and an art)
Communication Styles
Direct
Supportive
Emotive
Reflective
Direct Communicators
• Governed by logic, fact, reason
• Get “right to the point”
• Task oriented
• Communication to produce ACTION
• Tell it like it is – “straight talk”
Supportive Communicators
• Relationship-Oriented
• Focused on how others are feeling
• Promote equality in communication
• Value give and take, taking turns
• Controversial points made indirectly
Emotive Communicators
• Focused on feelings and events
• See the world through personal experience
• Speak with passion and great detail
• Spontaneous – jump into conversations
• Focus on what they saw and felt
Reflective Communicators
• Need time to think before talking
• Spend more time listening
• Introspective
• Often quiet in groups
• Speak up only when ready
How people with different styles
see each other
Abrupt
Can’t get to the point
Arrogant
Rambling
Dictatorial
Passive
Resistive
Insensitive
Individualistic
Unfocused
Unconcerned about others
Bossy
Style Flexing
• Know your own style
• Explain your style to others
• Modify your communication to mirror the
people you are with
• Recognize misperceptions and correct
them
Communication Is …
A process for talking, sharing information,
exchanging ideas, reaching conclusions.
Conversation
Discourse
Discussion
Argument
DIALOGUE
Debate
Dialogue
The primary communication strategy
in dialogue is
Groupthink (Irving Janis, 1972)
Groupthink can develop when a group:
• Is homogeneous in composition
• Is insulated from outside opinions
• Has no rules to govern decision-making
• Suppresses dissent and conflict
Symptoms of Groupthink
– Everyone has same opinions
• Believe own opinions are
, MORAL
• Illusion of
• Excessive
• Unwarranted
counter to beliefs
conflicting opinions
Living in a “vacuum of their own making”
Stages of Group Development
Forming
Pre-Affiliation, Approach, Avoid
Storming
Negotiating Power and Control
Norming
Setting Standards for Behavior and Work
Performing
Effort Directed Toward Mission and Goals
Forming
”
Storming
• Concerns about
leaders and other members
• Developing
• Perceives group activities as
• Negotiating
in group
Norming
• Clear, fair, and safe
, areas of expertise
• Strategies for
• Open and
• Clarify mission,
and commitment among members
Performing
toward achieving goals
• Clarify
, time frames
, flexibility, mission focus
• Full
• Joint
of individual work
Strategic Change
• Is driven by
• Made up of
over time
• Needs strong
• Skills:
and
,
,
,
,
Final Conclusions
The best way to plan, organize, and lead
complex change is through collaboration;
“
.”
Good intentions are not enough. You need
and
in
,
,
,
, and
.
Together, you can succeed!