Comments on: Can a corporation be socially responsible: some ethical and moral challenges for the AASW

By: Mark Glazebrook

Mark Glazebrook — Wed, 03 May 2017 12:13:45 +0000

As a social worker who has worked at a senior level in large corporations and as an organisational consultant for the past 20 years, I welcome this debate within social work. Social Work felt 30 years ahead of the game 30 years ago and now feels 30 years behind. This includes our association. As a profession we are taught about empathy and putting ourselves in the shoes of others. Yet some of our colleagues who still enjoy regular and tenured employment ‘don’t know what they don’t know’, namely that sizable and growing number of social workers are now entrepreneurs and small business owners like me. Yes one can seek to change the ‘beast’, but drawing from my commercial experience, clunky and slow organisations are ripe to be disrupted by agile and savvy alternatives. I reckon ‘we’ create an alternative start up association say called Social Work Australia and bring the profession 17 years too late into the 21st Century.

By: Joanne

Joanne — Sat, 01 Apr 2017 23:49:55 +0000

The UNSW has a whole post-graduate course in its business school that focuses on Businesses for Social Impact . Interesting many of the teachers in this business school are Social Workers . It was a great course and answers the question very nicely (but in far too much depth for me to cover in a post). The truth is that any corporation that does not act ethically endangers itself in the long run just as any person who does not act ethically endanger themselves. I am not saying that as a comment specifically on the AASW, I think that if we are Social Workers it is our responsibility to ensure that the organisation we are members of is ethical.

By: vittorio1

vittorio1 — Fri, 24 Mar 2017 10:53:31 +0000

Thanks for taking the time to comment Andrew.
Social work is a profession that spans working with individuals and communities. There are tensions between those two traditions- but we are stronger when we work together. It seems to me too, that a genuine commitment to human rights and social justice (our code of ethics) is becoming an increasingly radical position in a world that cuts corners, robs so many of fundamental dignity, and only provides a ‘premium’ service to the rich.
It is easy to put out a statement condemning a church or a corporation when they do evil. Much harder to speak truth to power in your own job. And hopefully a bit easier if you know the AASW will back you.

By: Kyprian Andrew

Kyprian Andrew — Fri, 24 Mar 2017 03:16:56 +0000

I don’t vote because is seems to me that the AASW has gone so far to the right ,that it never become out rage over government policies in public, it is seen as competing (in my eyes ) with Pyschology for it’s status as an academic association, rather than a independent fighter for people in need
we are too nice and polite instead of taking on the politics , why are we for instance so soft on the Religions regarding sex abuse, or state governments over housing ,etc , time AASW went public for it’s clients and then Corporations would have to be more proactive

By: Maria

Maria — Tue, 21 Mar 2017 23:07:20 +0000

Interesting article Vittorio. I must admit I don’t delve this deep into standards these days and I’m guessing other social workers are too busy doing their frontline work to do the same. When I was a student, I loved learning about the AASW Code of Ethics as for me, that document was all about what we stood for.
Sadly, working in many different organisations, the reality between what’s written on paper and what happens in the ‘real world’ are two vastly different things. I have subsequently left organisations due to values and ethics conflicts as to me, becoming a drone in the machine who just accepts ‘that’s the way things are’ is not what being a social worker is about at all.
When it comes to engagement with AASW and voting, I wholeheartedly agree that we don’t know enough about candidates to make an informed decision with our voting. And that most social workers are not fully engaged with the AASW. I love being a social worker, but for the huge fee I pay each year to be a member of the Association, I don’t feel like a whole lot is really done to raise the profile of our profession.
Maybe if we see more action from the association to lift our profile as trained professionals with a vast range of expertise and knowledge, then we would see an increase in member engagement with the organisation.
I am unsure if this is a view shared by other social workers and can only speak for myself. I do hope that we see a greater effort to increase education around how great our profession really is and all the wonderful areas in society in which we work and make a difference.
It’s great to read your articles and listen to an independent voice. I sense you are aware of the things I’ve raised above and hopefully continuing these conversations will bring about positive change.
Cheers.
Maria

By: vittorio1

vittorio1 — Tue, 21 Mar 2017 21:18:22 +0000

Thanks for taking the time to comment.
I am wary of ascribing too much weight to the influence of personality in the direction of an organisation. Cultures build over time and can be shaped by external forces. The famous Milgram experiments in social psychology also point to how easily we are influenced by prevailing norms, even when we mean well.
All this re-emphasises the importance of having external independent reviews from time to time, as a reality check.
One of my favourite aphorisms is that the world is run by those who show up.
And so I honour the 16% who do show up. However – such a low base also means that a few more ‘showing up’ can change things entirely.

By: Jillian

Jillian — Tue, 21 Mar 2017 14:13:30 +0000

Thank you for your thoughts about Governance and the ISO information.
It is unfortunate that power is an insidious corrosive force.
Ego consumes the interests of a few forgetting the impact on the many. Perhaps that is why there is not an interest in the organization.
If only 16% of members voted that is not a fair representation of views.