Power Balance and Staff Conflict in Correctional Institutions
1962; SAGE Publishing; Volume: 7; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês
10.2307/2390632
ISSN1930-3815
Autores Tópico(s)Social Work Education and Practice
ResumoAs a part of a larger study of correctional institutions for juvenile delinquents, an attempt was made to account for the level and patterns of staff conflict in five institutions. Analysis reveals that the level of conflict is lowest in the most custodial institutions, and is higher in institutions with mixed goals or predominantly treatment goals. The pattern of staff conflict is found to be linked to the power balance in the institution, the degree of divergent perspectives among groups, and the amount of interdependence and intercommunication among groups. Since custodial and treatment institutions allocate power among cottage parents and social service workers differently, the patterns of conflict are also linked to institutional goals. Some implications of continuous problem solving and high conflict for organizational operation are discussed. Mayer N. Zald is assistant professor of sociology, University of Chicago.
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