Coping with tensions between standardization and individualization in social assistance

Nordesjö, Kettil; Ulmestig, Rickard; Denvall, Verner

doi:10.1080/2156857x.2020.1835696

Cited by 11 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 33 publications

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“…This study uses a practice perspective to examine the everyday usage and adaptation of standardized, evidencebased manuals in activation service delivery. The literature has focused extensively on the challenges of implementing evidence-based standards (Bergmark et al, 2018;Bosk, 2019;Høybye-Mortensen, 2013;Nordesjö et al, 2020;Petersén & Olsson, 2014;Ponnert & Svensson, 2016;Skillmark et al, 2019;Skillmark & Oscarsson, 2020;Sletten & Bjørkquist, 2020). Thus, this study's aim is to shift attention to the implications of standards for the organizational contexts in which they are used on a situated, day-to-day basis (Schatzki et al, 2001;Smets & Jarzabkowski, 2013;Timmermans & Berg, 2003).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From “what works” to “making it work”: A practice perspective on evidence‐based standardization in frontline service organizations

Bakkeli

Breit

2021

Soc Policy Adm

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Evidence-based standards are becoming increasingly influential in frontline services connected to labor market inclusion of vulnerable citizens. To increase our understanding of standardization in such public service delivery, this study draws on interviews and ethnographic fieldwork from two frontline offices in the Norwegian Labour and Welfare Administration (2017-2018) that use the evidence-based Individual Placement and Support (IPS) standard. Adopting a theoretical perspective of organizational practices, the study highlights two distinct approaches to practicing IPS in the frontline organizations: as a "practice shift" in one organization (i.e., creating and legitimizing radically new service practices involving closer collaboration with employers) and as a "practice revival" in the other (i.e., reinstating more traditional service practices involving a holistic client orientation). Each approach relates to a specific constellation of recruitment practices, dynamics between frontline supervisors and staff, and team integration. The study contributes to the literature in two ways. First, it shows the underlying flexibility embedded in standardization and how standards may be implemented and adapted in ways that may either promote more radical change or revive traditional practices.Second, it nuances positions in the literature on the impact

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

From “what works” to “making it work”: A practice perspective on evidence‐based standardization in frontline service organizations

Bakkeli

Breit

2021

Soc Policy Adm

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“…Second, a tension between bureaucratic distance to the client on one hand and personalized proximity on the other -e.g. depicted in the literature as tensions between standardization and individualization; between fairness and responsiveness; between formal and informal display rules or as a (de)coupling of the frontline worker and the bureaucratic organization (Hansen, L. S., 2021;Mortensen & Needham, 2022;Nordesjö et al, 2022;Røhnebaek & Breit, 2022).…”

Section: Part I Emotional Labour and Conflicting Normative Demandsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Conflicting demands and emotional labour: Balancing and swapping at the front line of the welfare state

Herup Nielsen

2024

Current Sociology

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This article combines insights from the sociology of emotional labour with works on conflicting demands facing employees to analyse how frontline staff conduct emotional labour in contexts marked by multifaceted demands facing them. It demonstrates the usefulness of this combination through an analysis of group interviews with frontline staff within Danish job centres, who are currently explicitly instructed to display sincere belief in the job prospects of clients, while also representing a disciplining activation system marked by conditionality. The article contributes to existing literature through an elaboration of two concepts – ‘balancing’ and ‘swapping’ – describing forms of emotional labour conducted by frontline staff in a work setting characterized by conflicting demands. The former is about striking a balance between the wants of the client and the wants of the system while sustaining clients’ feelings of motivation. The latter is about enabling oneself to encounter clients in ways which are personalized and informal, within the contours of a system marked by bureaucratic logics and language.

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“…Further, it is well known that evidence-based standards are sometimes adjusted and tinkered with by professionals, in order to adapt the standard to fit a particular context ( Bakkeli & Breit, 2022 ; Björk, 2016a , 2016b ; Ekendahl & Karlsson, 2021 ; Nordesjö et al, 2020 ; Ponnert & Svensson, 2016 ; Sletten & Bjorkquist, 2020 ), but there are different opinions on whether the EBP procedure should allow for these types of method adjustments. Some suggest that local adaptions can affect the effect of the evidence-based standards ( Bond & Drake, 2020 ; Corbière et al, 2010 ; Sundell et al, 2016 ), while others argue that it is a way to assure that a method or tool is applicable and useful ( Damschroder et al, 2009 ; Durlak & DuPre, 2008 ; Sletten & Bjorkquist, 2020 ).…”

Section: Professionals and Standardisation In Practice And Theorymentioning

confidence: 99%

A qualitative study of a recovery capital assessment tool in alcohol and drug treatment facilities: Perspectives from social work professionals

Härd

2023

Nordic Studies on Alcohol and Drugs

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The ambition to translate the concept of recovery capital (RC) from research to practice has entailed operationalisations of RC to measure progress and outcomes of alcohol and other drug (AOD) treatments.At the same time, the role played by standardisation in social work organisations is known to be a complex matter, and research suggests that the implementation of standardisation should be carried out with caution. By examining the need for a RC assessment tool in a Swedish AOD treatment context, this paper contributes to the discussion on the use of assessment tools for measuring treatment progress and outcome in AOD treatments, as well as interrelations between standardisation aims and social work professionals. Four group interviews with employees at AOD treatment facilities were conducted in Stockholm, Sweden. The interviewees were presented with an example of an RC-based assessment tool and asked to review the applicability of the tool in their daily work. The findings provide insights on the applicability of specific assessment list items, as well as general observations on the complex relationship between standardisation and discretion in social work. The findings suggest that professionals will ultimately rely on their knowledge and experience, and act accordingly to support the service user, regardless of any manual or standardisation that regulates their work.

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Coping with tensions between standardization and individualization in social assistance

Cited by 11 publications

References 33 publications

From “what works” to “making it work”: A practice perspective on evidence‐based standardization in frontline service organizations

From “what works” to “making it work”: A practice perspective on evidence‐based standardization in frontline service organizations

Conflicting demands and emotional labour: Balancing and swapping at the front line of the welfare state

A qualitative study of a recovery capital assessment tool in alcohol and drug treatment facilities: Perspectives from social work professionals

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