why it is important for social workers to be familiar with power dynamics when working with decision makers.
Jansson (2018) explains that power tandem can be used when lobbying for a policy or it can be used as a single power resource. This is important to know due to knowing what type of power you need to show in order to get the policy makers to support your policy. This all connects to the reason why we understand the audience and what politicians would likely support. If we know what they support and then we can select the best power resource in order to have the best chances to getting our policy into action.
Identify the power resource you selected for use in your practice and advocacy.
The power resource that I selected is expert power. According to Jansson (2018), expert power has been found to be the most effective when the person in power selects the best way to approach the receiver is through being an expert to that person. I would use the expert power when practicing or advocating due to being able to speak from a knowledgeable viewpoint. I like to be informed and to inform others based on research, so this power resource seemed to fit my style the best.
How does this power resource work to influence decision makers? According to Sahadec (2005), explains the connection between expert power and trust, expert power and channel communication, and expert power and cooperation. The author goes on to hypothesize that using these three things the higher the levels of expert power that is perceived by the
communication, then the higher the trust will be between each other, which would make a successful relationship.
Why is this power resource more appropriate for your approach to practice and advocacy than others?
According to Rocha et al., (2010), the authors explain that social workers are unaware of their involvement that they can actually have in the political world. They often practice policy but never go into it as much because they are not trained enough, feel incompetent on the job, or do not have the right employment to jump start that career. The expert power would likely help the social worker be prepared in that setting and would give the social worker the confidence in the field in order to better meet the need of a political social worker fighting for policies.
Describe the ethical issues or concerns in using the type of power resource you selected.
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The biggest concern that I have with the expert power is that it has a fine line with coercing someone to believe that the truth is the truth rather than it being facts and research as the truth due to empirical data. I believe this would be a concern that the social worker would need to make sure they were following all of the ethical standards for Social Workers.
Resources:
Jansson, B. S. (2018). Becoming an effective policy advocate: From policy practice to social injustice (8th ed.). Cengage Learning.
Rocha, C., Poe, B., & Thomas, V. (2010). Political activities of social workers:
Addressing perceived barriers to political participation. Social Work, 55(4), 317-325.
Sahadev, S., (2005). Exploring the role of expert power in channel management: An empirical study. Industrial Marketing Management, 34(5), 487-494.
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