Agents of Change

            Without change agents, successful change cannot happen. This is true no matter the size of the organization, whether it be large or small. Change agents may be found internally or externally within an organization, for a change agent to be successful, a good relationship with  the decision makers within an organization is vital for successful change. In this research paper I will discuss change agent types, characteristics of change agents and their roles in organization that experience successful change.

            “Change Agent is defined as a person who leads change within the organization, by championing the change, and managing and planning its implementation”(toolbox.com, 2008). Change agents are passionate about their causes, and are able to invoke passion in others. They are self motivated and need little direction. Change agents have their eye on the future and are capable to visualizing a finished product. But most importantly change agents must be able to empathize with others and let their understanding of others lead the way.

            Many times a change agent can be effective if they are external from the organization. Because they are not bound by internal regulations, the organization’s culture politics, or traditions, they often will bring a different perspective that will challenge the status quo. There are disadvantages of bringing in external change agents if they are not familiar with how the organization implements policy and procedures. They can also be perceived by employees as untrustworthy, making it hard for the external change agents to grasp where the change needs to occur.         

Internal change agents are those who work from inside the organization. They are individuals who work within an organization, have experienced its problems and have experience in improving those conditions. To bring about a fuller understanding of how to initiate change, organizations will sometimes bring in external change agents and pair them with an organization’s internal representative. Then a team of line managers will be called on to work as a team. If an organization is large enough, they will keep a change agent specialist in house. Within the change process, an external specialist would no longer be needed and will work directly with the change team to bring in change efforts.

            FOUR DIFFERENT TYPES OF CHANGE AGENTS

There are four different types of change agents; outside pressure types, people change technology types, analysis for the top types, and organizational development types (Stephen, 2010).

Outside Pressure Types- These change agents challenge the status quo. They work externally from an organization, are sometimes radical in their approach. They have been known to exert various pressure tactics such as civil disobedience, mass demonstrations, violence and other direct actions tactic. Often times, actions such as this do not work alone. They usually are used to bring attention to the issues that will bring forth more conventional means to affect change. When these tactics are used, it results in examining many change alternatives.

An example of an outside pressure type would be ACT-UP (AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power) (ACT UP) is an international direct action advocacy group working to impact the lives of people living with AIDS, (PWAs) and the AIDS pandemic to bring about legislation, medical research and treatment and policies to ultimately bring an end to the disease by mitigating loss of health and lives.  ACT UP was organized as a leaderless and effectively anarchist network. This was intentional on the founder of the group, Larry Kramer's part - he describes it as "democratic to a fault.” We used a simple formula for recruitment, "To a certain extent, this is how democratic politics is supposed to work in general. You convince people of the validity of your ideas. You have to go out there and convince people" (ACT-UP 20, 2007).

People Change Technology Types- 

 These change agents are concerned with the moral and motivation of employees. They will monitor employee absenteeism and turnover, and the quality control of other employees which include the quality of work performed. A lot of times these tasks are performed by managers and supervisors. Quality methods will include setting goals, behavior modification, and how to make the work experience better for employees. These are action goals that will bring forth individual change in behavior and in return will provide needed change for the organization.

Analysis for the Top Types- These change agents focus on the organizational structure of the organization that will enhance efficiency and output. Focus is on using analytical approaches to change the organizations structure or technology, Systems analysis, policy studies, research are tools used by these leaders and managers. Updates to technology have become necessary to keep up in most fields of business.

Organizational Development Types- These change agents focus on how the internal interactions work within group relations, how employees communicate and decision making within those groups. They use strategies that use intervention for a cultural change by analyzing how the culture of the organization works. Some of the tools used to gather this information are survey feedbacks, sensitivity training, and team building skills training. As with the other internal change agents, these types are often roles of managers and supervisors.

An example of organizational development types has been effective education within the HIV/AIDS community. By changing the perception of AIDS in the public arena less new infection rates occur. This can only come to pass when the culture of fear is dissolved and sensitivity training is given.

            Management consultant Ric Reichard uses a simple formula to describe the issues which are usually at play TRUST = perceived competence + relationship RISK. Many times the change agent and consumer will over emphasize competency or the relationships when risk increases though the challenge is to balance both in order to develop trust (bdrconsultants.com, 2010).

            People change when the status quo becomes too uncomfortable to bear. Most people view change as a last resort and do not like making an effort to change. Successful change agents understand this and can take a leadership role in leading the way in change.

Characteristics of a Change Agent

1. Change agents must identity issues that are disruptive to success within the status quo, analyze its impact and causes, as well as the potential benefits for removing negative elements.          

2.  Change agents must be capable of communicating the negative impact and possible benefits to key stake holders, take on the responsibility to actively participate in the change effort.

3. Change agents must be capable of in identifying and analyzing solution alternatives. Once identified, the change agent must internalize the solution and coordinate the selected solution.

4. Change agents must be able to network and incorporate partnerships with those they serve, whether  in a non-profit or for profit setting. Mutual responsibility within these partnerships will assist in the efforts for change.

5. Change agents must be able to articulate a vision and interpret what the desired outcome should be. Once achieved, the agent must then motivate the workplace with the Vision Statement.

6. Change agents must be capable of setting a leadership agenda that defines ongoing roles typically executed by managers and leaders. Some of these roles include communicating tasks, role modeling, and ongoing reinforcement of desired behaviors.

7. Change agents must be able to solve problems and overcome the emotional and political dynamic that surround problems within the organization. They must also be capable of tuning into what dynamics are at play and have the courage to take sometimes difficult measures to resolve the issues while at the same time being sensitive to those involved.

Roles of a Change Agent

            The roles of a change agent include consulting, training, and research. These are activities both internal and external change agents perform (Ludenburg, 2010). As change is implemented in an organization, taking on specific roles will aid in overseeing positive change.

1.      Consultant- In the consultant role, a change agent will assist employees in generating data or expose them to data needed for necessary change. Once this occurs, employees can use information to find solutions through analysis of valid data.

2.      Trainer- After a change agent assist employees in gathering needed data, they will teach members of the organization how to use the data in regard to the needed change. As a trainer, either the external or internal change agent teach individuals how to use the data to effect change and provide individuals with a new skill set to resolve future problems.

3.      Researcher- When the change agent takes on the role of researcher, they are able to teach skills needed to evaluate how effective action plans may be. Within this scope the change agent may also design a component used to evaluate current problems as well as intervene before future problems occur. 

Traits of Successful Change Agentry

Researchers have identified characteristic traits of effective change agentry  These traits refer to the way in which change agents manage change rather than to any personal characteristics they may possess Included in these traits are empathy, linkage, proximity, structuring, capacity, openness, reward, energy, and synergy. (Anderson, 2011). Even with calculated data and structured programs policies, unless the human aspect of how people react to other isn’t taken into consideration, effective change will not happen. Change agents and organization members who are willing to communicate by listening, interacting, and being influenced by one another will be successful in fulfilling change goals.

1.      Empathy –Being tuned into empathy will improve communication through understand and acceptance of the organizational members and change agent.

2.      Linkage – When the change agent and organization member are connected through collective involvement and linkage is tight between individuals, the more likely change will be successful.

3.      Proximity –is the physical and psychological connections between the change agent and organizational member. The closer the proximity, the easier it is to develop linkage.

4.      Structuring – relates to the planning and organizing a clear plan and coordinating activities for the progression of the change effort.

5.      Capacity – providing needed resources for a change effort to be successful.

6.      Openness – Organizational members and the change agent’s willingness to listen, respond to, and allow each other to influence the other.

7.      Reward -  This  would refer to the end result of positive outcomes in the change effort. Part of successful change agentry is to reward for the desire change.

8.      Energy – the effort expended towards the change effort from both the change agents and the community members.

9.      Synergy - and finally, the reinforcing effects the above factors have on each other. In other words, the  synergy of the variety of people resources, and activities that are involved in the interactions between the change agent and community members.

Every organizational change, whether large or small, requires one or more change agents. A change agent is anyone who has the skill and power to guide and facilitate the change effort. Change agents may be either external or internal. (Stevens, 2008). The success of any change effort depends heavily on the quality and workability of the relationship between the change agent and the key decision makers within the organization.

Conclusion

When discussing the effectiveness of change agents, we have to look at the characteristics of a change agent, the types of change agents and the traits of successful change agentry. The four different types of Change Agents are Outside Pressure Types, People Change Technology Types, and Analysis for the Top Types, and Organizational Development Types. The characteristics Change agents vary depending on the needs of each role the change agent plays. Change agents effectiveness will be successful when external and internal change agents work as a team with organization members. Change agents cannot afford to ignore power dynamics, but be capable of identifying dynamics in the organization and using the knowledge towards effective change. Ultimately, we conclude that change agents will be more or less effective, when using collective data and incorporating the human aspects of communication, such as empathy and reward to a finished effective change. 

  

 References

ACTUP Capsule History. (1987). Actupny.org. Retrieved December 17, 2011 from

http://www.actupny.org/documents/cron-87.html

Anderson, L. A. (2011). The change leader’s roadmap: How to navigate your   

organization’stransformation. New York, NY: Routledge. Burke, W. W. (2011).

Hartley, J., Benington, J. and Binns, P. (1997), Researching the Roles of Internal- change Agents in the Management of Organizational Change. British Journal of Management, 8: 61–73. doi: 10.1111/1467-8551.00040

Ludenburg, F. (2010). Managing change: The role of the change agent. Retrieved December 19, 2011 from http://www.nationalforum.com/Electronic Journal Lunenburg,  Fred C.Managing Change The Role of Change Agent IJMBA, V13 N1 2010.pdf

Stevens. (2008). IT Management and Strategy. Retrieved from

http://it.toolbox.com/blogs/original-thinking/what-is-a-change-agent-23764

What is the change agent role?. (2010). Retrieved on December 19, 2011 from

http://www.bdrconsultants.com/agent_role.pdf

Women Hold up Half the Sky

There are so many social movements that have originated in the US that have changed the world. But there are many who never really took off. I think the many successes of social movements can be attributed to what we know of as the “American Dream”, especially in the 20^th century. Some that come to mind are those that effect women, senior citizens, welfare recipients, people of color, and those that I work directly with, people living with or effected by disease. Each was sparked by grass root movements, by those affected the most or “change from below”.  Because there are so many effected by the lack of medical insurance and universal health care, you have to wonder why it is just now become an issue that needs to be addressed.

One social movement that is still evolving is the feminist movement. It is so hard  to believe 100 years ago, women didn’t even vote, many could not even spell their own names. Once given the opportunity, they began running for political office. In this area, feminism is still underdeveloped. Only a small fraction of politicians are women.

20th century feminism didn’t speak to all women,  especially women of color. Those that led the feminist movement of the 60s were white middle to upper class women, who felt they needed to be freed from middle to upper class white men. Historically oppression towards these women was only from the male counterparts. Women of color, especially African American women, didn’t have the same struggles as these women. Many times than not, they are equals to African American men as far as oppression, therefore their oppression is different than Caucasian women. “Although it is contested that all struggles are the same, placing all women under feminism is the epitome of racist arrogance and domination, suggesting that white women’s experience is the standard and authority above any other experience” (Hudson-Weems 209).

With the third wave of feminism was coined the term “Womanist” by Alice Walker in her works,  “In Search of Our Mother’s Gardens: Womanist Prose”. Walker’s “Womanist” is committed to the survival and wholeness of an entire people, therefore men are included in the definition.

To assume that a white woman’s experience is the same as a woman of colors is offensive to me.  I just don’t believe you can define every woman’s experience to that of the ruling class. I don’t believe that Feminism is better or worse than Womanism, it’s just different. For this movement to be successful (and its far from it at this point) It’s a matter of understanding the differences that women in each group experience, recognizing that there are clear and distinct differences in each group of women and then tackling the forces that oppress each of us together.

References:

Hudson-Weems, Clenora.(2003). Africana Womanism. Out of the Revolution: the Development of Africana Studies. Lanham: Rowman and Littlefield, Inc.,

Agent of Change- HIV/AIDS Activists Demand the End to the Madness

"Hope will never be silent" Harvey Milk

            Over the last few years, nonprofits in general are experiencing a decline in federal and state funding, donations in the private sector and availability of foundation and grant revenue.  I became an HIV/AIDS activist in 1985 when I was in my twenties. Personal loss, anger, and a vow to see the end of HIV/AIDS is what has kept me moving towards that goal for twenty five years. It is one thing to be young and idealistic and following a calling. Many have done so. It’s what young people do. But what happens during the years that follow and strides are made, along the way there are a few victories, with as many setbacks. If one falls away and does not see it through to the end, are they still a change agent?

            In the field I chose to work in, once funding was deemed necessary by the government in the form of the Ryan White ACT. It stated those of lower income will receive their medication, housing, and other basic needs if they are HIV positive, with or without an AIDS diagnosis. It was a victory in our eyes.Though in the early years, HIV/AIDS took many lives due to the lack of antivirals, Social Security set up harsh restrictions disallowing those infected to receive disability income unless they were near death. More than often, people were too sick to work, therefore too sick to afford medication, food or shelter.

            As an agent of change and activist, I realized that just because we had won what we thought was a huge battle, it was only the beginning. It was a huge victory to have a system that the poor and sick could access, but it certainly wasn’t enough to fill their  needs because the funding was and is to this day, considered a “last resort” funding mechanism. We were going to need public exposure and dispel the issue of stigma. It was at this point, we realized though we were strong, healthy, and loud, it was going to take those who were infected as well as affected by AIDS to advocate. Who would want to put themselves through such a process when they are already battling health issues, much less confronting social problems as well?

            It was at this point, being a change agent took on yet another meaning; educator, by changing the perception of AIDS in the public arena. This realization was as complicated as the lack of medications to fight the disease. Now HIV/AIDS agents of change took on another hat.

            By this time, we were a few years into what was now a pandemic. We had moved past the Reagan years (who never utter the word HIV/AIDS in the eight years of office) to the Clinton years. Homosexuality was being discussed and legislated by the “Don’t ask, don’t tell” policy. Several celebrities were coming out, and a few were starting to announce they themselves were HIV infected with. Finally the face of AIDS was slowly changing.

            Up until recently, we had become a bit lazy in the fight. We had anti-virals that suppresses HIV virus to the point it is undetectable in the cells. Those who were getting sick, were receiving basic needs through the Ryan White ACT. We never thought we would see the day where we were going to fight as hard as we did in the beginning. But that is where we are at. Even though people living with AIDS will be accepted into Medicaid based on an HIV positive status alone in 2014, it appears the renewal of Ryan White ACT may not see the same amount of funding it has in the past.

            We are seeing the increase in new HIV infections among the young, but have zero new dollars for prevention and education. Even less money is funneled to the sick through government programs, making us rely on foundations and private sector. In this economy they are spending less and less on giving, because of the uncertainty of the market. But my worse fear is it will take the deaths of many people to motivate a new generation to the “calling”. I and those my age are growing older, and even though the passion is there, the energy and youthfulness isn’t. I will stay in this battle until I am dead or there is a cure. There’s always something to do, even if it is to rock babies born with HIV.

Bring that Confederate Flag down, Caddo Parish!

Much like in the early days of the civil rights movement, It was one man who stood up to the status quo and brought a racist institution; the confederate flag.

During the jury selection duty of the murder trial of Felton Dorsey, Carl Staples stood before the court and said he was outraged by the sight of the Confederate flag in the courthouse lawn. Because of his statement, the judge allowed the prosecution to remove Mr. Staples from the jury. The prosecutor was then allowed to remove five of the seven qualified black prospective jurors.

Carl Staples, the prospective black juror, had refused to participate during jury selection in the trial of Felton Dorsey, saying that he was outraged by the sight of the Confederate flag in the courthouse lawn. According to the Louisiana Justice Institute, after Staples’ outcry, the judge granted the prosecutor the opportunity to remove him from the jury. The prosecutor then proceeded to strike five out of the remaining seven qualified black prospective jurors. 

In my opinion, if a court is allowed to fly a confederate flag on its lawn, it obviously is not willing to address claims of racism. ““In a community that is 48 percent black, the tendency has been that only one black person is allowed to serve on the jury,” charged Ben Cohen of the Capital Appeals Project, who is also working on the case. The flag is a symbol of one of the most heinous crimes ever committed to another member of the human race, and I just don’t see how you could say that, I mean, you’re here for justice, and then again you overlook this great injustice by continuing to fly this flag which puts salt in the wounds of people of color.” (abajournal.com, 2011)

“Allowing it to fly outside the Caddo Parish courthouse sends a clear statement that capital punishment cannot be fairly administered within the courthouse walls,” pleaded ACLU Staff Attorney Anna Arceneaux before the Louisiana Supreme Court in defense of Felton Dorsey. The ACLU, along with a coalition of other civil rights groups and local protesters, rallied on May 3, 2011 for the removal of the flag. They were joined by Harvard Law Professor Charles Ogletree, who called Staples “the Rosa Parks of the criminal justice system, the juror who would not serve under a Confederate flag.” The Louisiana Supreme Court issued and opinion about the charge that its presence promotes racism, The opinion acknowledged “the display of a confederate flag would be offensive to some” citing cases from the 4th and 11th Circuit Courts that recognized that “the confederate flag has multiple ‘emotionally charged’ meanings and is viewed by some as a symbol of white supremacy” and that “It is the sincerely held view of many Americans, of all races, that the confederate flag is a symbol of racial separation and oppression… it is not an irrational inference that one who displays the confederate flag may harbor racial bias against African-Americans”(lasc.org, 2011).

After more than sixty years, 0n November 4, 2011, the request to remove the flag came before the Caddo Parish Commissioners who voted 11-1 the authorization to remove the flag from the grounds of the Caddo Parish Courthouse. It was a very heated and emotional outcome from those who see the flag as a symbol of heritage and those who see the flag as a symbol of racism. Personally I see it as a heritage of slavery, lynchings, the Ku Klux Klan, Segregation, Jim Crow, terrorism, and treason. I also never been one to hold back on my opinions.

Because of the possibility for violence to break out while the flag was being lowered, the courts removed the flag in the middle of the night instead of 4 pm the next day as requested by one of the Caddo Commissioners. In any event, it is gone now, and maybe real justice can be served in Louisiana. I hope it makes a difference, even though racism is still alive and well in the south.

Louisiana Supreme Court to consider impact on courthouse. (2011). Abajournal.com. Retrieved on November 30, 2011 from

http://www.abajournal.com/news/article/louisiana_supreme_court_to_consider_impact_of_courthouse_confederate_flag_i/

Blog of Rights. (2011). aclu.org. Retrieved on November 30, 2011 from

http://www.aclu.org/blog/tag/Caddo%20Parish

New Release #56. (2011).Louisiana Supreme Court. Retrieved on November 30, 2011 from http://www.lasc.org/news_releases/2011/2011-056.asp

Collective Action and World AIDS Day

“Health is a reflection of societies commitment to equality and justice”-People’s Health Movement, 2000 

            There is nothing more compelling than losing a love one to a disease perceived as a moral justification to sin. It was with the stigma and the loss of a very close friend that moved me into the realization of what social injustice was. Up until that point, I had never been affected by anything so compelling to feel a need to step out of my comfort zone and shake my fist at the status quo.

            John David was like an uncle to my small children. Every Sunday he would have friends over for a pool party, but always included myself and four little ones. I always felt it was their “saving grace” being taken in by such gracious hospitality and showing them a world outside the struggle I experienced as a single mother. John David would lift my little four year old daughter up on a stool to stir whatever pot needed stirring so that “Look everyone at the yummy dinner Ashley made!”

            One Sunday when he took me to the side after my announcement of how fabulous he looked due to his recent weight loss, told me exactly why he was so thin. He had been diagnosed with AIDS. With no real information out at that time how AIDS was transmitted, I feared for my children. That was the last time they went to Uncle John David’s house on a Sunday. John David. passed away a few months later.

            Information on the transmission of HIV/AIDS soon assimilated that HIV was not transmitted by casual contact and that’s when the overwhelming anger and guilt set in. How could I have been so ignorant? I vowed then to myself and the memory of John David I was going to educated people until I saw an end to the AIDS epidemic.

            My story probably isn’t any different than activists from the beginning of time. Those who are personally affected or traumatized combined with social environment usually are people who will find themselves “answering the calling”.  I found myself as one of five people of the newly formed ACTUP Shreveport.

            AIDS Coalition to Unleash Power (ACT UP) is an international direct action advocacy group working to impact the lives of people living with AIDS, (PWAs) and the AIDS pandemic to bring about legislation, medical research and treatment and policies to ultimately bring an end to the disease by mitigating loss of health and lives.  ACT UP was organized as a leaderless and effectively anarchist network. This was intentional on the founder of the group, Larry Kramer's part - he describes it as "democratic to a fault.” We used a simple formula for recruitment, "To a certain extent, this is how democratic politics is supposed to work in general. You convince people of the validity of your ideas. You have to go out there and convince people" (ACT-UP 20, 2007).

ACT-UP Shreveport was considered one of the leading local branches of the national network. Quoting from the National Institute of Health’s history of HIV/AIDS website that features ACT-UP Shreveport, “The original ACT-UP group from New York inspired numerous other branches nationwide. As well as campaigning in their own states, local groups from across the country attended major rallies” (NIH.com). Hundreds of people locally responded to the call. Along with one sympathetic local physician, we were able to bring forth the first HIV/AIDS resource center and clinic in north Louisiana. It was an amazing accomplishment for those initial six people, two of which were diagnosed with AIDS, and three people who loved them dearly, and the very compassionate doctor, Marcus Spurlock.

            Over thirty three million men, women, and children are thought to be living with HIV. Even today discrimination, stigma, ignorance and the lack of effective preventive measures through state funding is what still puts people at risk. We just can’t afford the medical expense or the loss of life after twenty five years. Zero new HIV infections. Zero discrimination. Zero AIDS-related deaths. Enough is enough.

Holding up Half the Sky

One day an elephant saw a hummingbird lying on its back with its tiny feet up in the air. "What are you doing?" asked the elephant.
The hummingbird replied, "I heard that the sky might fall today, and so I am ready to help hold it up, should it fall." 
The elephant laughed cruelly. "Do you really think," he said, "that those tiny feet could help hold up the sky?"
The hummingbird kept his feet up in the air, intent on his purpose, as he replied, "Not alone. But each must do what he can. And this is what I can do."
— A Chinese Folktale

Assimilation of Work Ethics- Managing in Social Change

      Historically, work was very hard without many options to the worker. Opportunities to pick a profession according to one’s desires, was unheard of. Most of the time, boys went in to their father’s profession and girls were taught to be housewives and mothers.

      When I think of my father's lack of education and opportunity, he still chose what he wanted to do professionally. He came from a lower middle class background, barely finishing high school. His father wasn’t happy being a butcher and it had a negative effect on him. “If a parent demonstrates a dislike for a job or a fear of unemployment, children will tend to assimilate these attitudes” (Hill, 1992). Right out of high school, he went to work refinishing floors. It was very hard on him physically; on his knees especially. And after only a few years, decided he wanted to change professions.

      He applied and tested to become a sheriff, but didn’t pass the aptitude test. It was evident the lack of education was to blame for this and it had a profound effect on him emotionally. As he prepared to become a truck driver, he studied driving courses and succeeded in passing his driving test for a chauffeur’s license. He retired as a Teamster after twenty years and received a great pension.

      For us today, we don’t see from my father’s story that he really had many options or that he felt successful with his work. He had limited opportunities by standards today. But to him, he chose his path. The difference between my father and his is that my dad had choices, as limited as they were, whereas his father didn’t. My grandfather was taught a trade by his father and was expected to go into that profession. It wasn’t his choice to do so. On one level his work life was very unfulfilling, but he was luckier than most. It was in the great depression when so many people did not have the luxury of working; therefore he was grateful for something he hated.

       I was also raised with the expectation of getting married to a man that would support me, have children, and be a housewife like my mother. It never occurred to my father to set up a college fund for me when one of my high school teachers explained  I had finished high school 6 months early and should go to college. He said to my teacher, “She should have told me before now she wanted to go to college.” There was little expectation for me move beyond the class and culture I was born in. It wasn’t until my thirties, did I realize what I wanted to do with my life. I knew if I was going to become a social worker, I would have to pay for it myself, which I did.

      Recently divorced, with four small children, living in a small one bedroom apt, I became a college student. I worked two part time jobs, went to school full time while raising  small children. I graduated from Louisiana Tech University in 1994. I realized my dream to work with HIV/AIDS patients that year and became a case manager in a HIV/AIDS resource center. I have not regretted my decision for one minute, because I feel I was “called” to do what I do. 

      Even though my father didn’t have the foresight to understand looking past one’s surroundings to accomplish the extraordinary, he did give me something very valuable, a strong work ethic. “Parents who demonstrate a strong work ethic tend to impart a strong work ethic to their children” (Hill, 1992). I like the quote by Woody Allen, “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” Dreams and expectations are realized if you don’t give up and just keep putting one foot in front of the other.  
Oh, and for the record, I was the first woman in my family to earn a degree and plan to start law school Jan.2013.

References

Hill, R. (1992). Historical Context of the Work Ethic. Retrieved November 20, 2011 from

http://www.coe.uga.edu/~rhill/workethic/hist.htm

Anglo-American political economy and the continental European model of political economy, which would you prefer?

Though the Anglo-American economy model is capable of creating many jobs, the quality of those jobs are no longer what they were before market globalization. With many jobs overseas, wages in the US are lower than it was before NAFTA. I believe the American Dream is not achievable for a majority of the people in this country, especially now that Corporate Capitalism is in control. (Harper & Leicht, 2011,p127) In the initial days of commodity economics theories, Marx was right when he said that Capitalist societies would move from selling products to their labor being sold as products. Most people believe Marx was against a free market, that’s not true. He predicted that capitalism through industrialization had increased the productive capability of the world's economy far beyond that ever witnessed before. He also felt that capitalism created two competing classes of people. One, was the bourgeoisie who owned and controlled the means of production and hired wage laborers. The other was the proletariat, who were common workers who owned nothing but the right to sell their own labor. Capitalism's very nature would ensure that eventually, these classes would struggle against one another to the point where the class of workers would get large enough and oppressed enough that it would overthrow the bourgeoisie, seize the means of production from it and end the economic system known as capitalism. The system of socialism would be ushered in.

One of the things Marx spoke about is a slave wage. Those in control would pay workers just enough to keep them happy enough not to revolt against the system. But as the text suggests, the people at the top would be a small percentage controlling the wealth, the disappearance of the middle class would happen, and more and more people would be in poverty. Was Marx prophetic? I think so. Most everyone I know cannot even afford health care, struggles to pay for education, and housing. And what really drives it home for me is his prediction where Capitalism would end up. “Capitalism's crises never affect only the billionaires and Wall Street traders. In fact in 2001, despite the world economic downturn, the number of millionaires still increased by 3%! The 'masters of the universe' may suffer a bit of a hangover as a result of their decade-long Wall Street party, but it is working people and the poor who will really feel the consequences.” (SocialAlternative.Org) Does this sound familiar?

The American economy model is responsible for the need to bail out those at the top for it to continue to work. I feel Capitalism in the last stages is nothing more than a Ponzi scheme. It has to keep investing from the bottom to make the system work. The problem with that is, when there is no one (a middle class) to finance the economic system and the rich do not have to pay taxes on a hope wealth will trickle down, Marx’s prediction will happen; socialism. (Harper & Leicht, 2011, p.126)The workers will revolt against the system and socialism will be ushered in. We are seeing revolutions and revolts happening in other countries now. The U.S. has fallen from being number one in the world economically to somewhere near 15^th. Sweden holds the #1 place as the most economically healthy in the world. And they are a European model of political economy.

The text states, “The disadvantages of the European model are well-known: powerful governments, large bureaucracies, higher taxes, and sometimes an inclination for authoritarian “solutions” in hard times.”  But when asking who gets left out or who is at the bottom of the barrel for any services needed, no one is. Everyone has health care, assistance with housing, and just about anything else they may need. Higher education is inexpensive if not free. The rich are taxed accordingly. My belief is there is no perfect economical system. Communism has never happened because it is too Utopian. Capitalism leads to Fascism with corporations and banks controlling the profits. Socialism has a better chance of sustainability.

So if I have to choose one of the two listed models, I would choose the European Model.  It has a better chance of sustainability longer than the American Model. Frankly I have to hand it to Marx, because I see what he predicted happening right in front of our eyes.

                                                References

Marx was right. SocialAlternative.Org. Retrieved November 17, 2011 from http://www.socialistalternative.org/literature/s21/ch4.html

Ph.D., Charles L. Harper and Kevin T. Leicht (). Exploring Social Change: America and the World [6] (VitalSource Bookshelf), Retrieved on November 17, 2011 from http://online.vitalsource.com/books/9780558980436/id/pg52

OMM612: Managing in Social Change

The Effect of Social Media on the Egyptian Revolution- Managing in Social Change

Technology has become the excalibur of modern revolution. Ten years ago, protesters used text messaging to dismantle President Estrada in the Philippines following his acquittal of corruption charges. Protesters filled the streets, forcing Estrada to step down. Today The Twitter Revolution has been instrumental in the uprising in Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, and now the US, specifically the Occupy Wall Street movement.

 "In the case of Egypt it really played a critical factor in getting out the word on how to organize. There was one group in Egypt that was one of the key groups in getting people out on the street. " (Kravets, 2011). It is estimated that only 25 percent of the population in Egypt has internet access. Even with such a small number of people online, days before the initial occupation of Tahrir Square, 80,000 people said they would be in attendance on the Facebook group page. Coupled with social media, old fashion tools to get the word out through leaflets and word of mouth is how the movement grew as fast as it did. As important as online organizing was, social media was also responsible for “on the ground” reporting without being filtered through stated media outlets.

Mubarak’s decision to shut down the internet in Egypt was a futile attempt to silence protesters and only added fuel to the fire. Twitter and Facebook both proclaimed support to the protesters by setting up alternate means to tweet from the ground. “Speak-to-tweet” allowed people to publish updates by leaving a message on a voice mailbox. The service was free of charge, with Google offering users three international telephone numbers. The Egyptian regime tried its best to censor protesters, but with alternate technology in place, they realized their attempts were futile and restored the countries internet access.

André Panisson collected date using graph streaming software to tract tweets and hashtag # at February 11 2011, before and after the announcement of Egyptian president Mubarak's resignation. The software tracks retweets and graphs them. Watching the progression of animated tweets is one of the most compelling things I have seen in a long time. It is visual empirical data to something unseen to the eye.  It is very convincing just how powerful technology is. What is even more amazing is this data represented is only 10 percent of the total.

Data collected with Gephi Graph Streaming.
This is a preliminary result of the network of retweets with the hashtag #jan25 at February 11 2011, at the time of the announcement of Mubarak's resignation. If you retweeted someone, or has been retweeted, it is possible that your username is in this network.

The data were collected through the Twitter streaming and search APIs by André Panisson, and is part of a research project involving the Computer Science Department of the University of Turin (www.di.unito.it), the Complex Networks and Systems Group of the ISI Foundation (www.isi.it), and the Center for Complex Networks and Systems Research of Indiana University (cnets.indiana.edu).

References

Kravets, D. (2011) What’s Fueling Mideast Protests? It’s More Than Twitter. Retrieved on November 16, 2011, from http://www.wired.com/dangerroom/2011/01/social-media-oppression/

Panisson, A. (2011) The Egyptian Revolution on Twitter Retrieved on November 16, 2011. from https://gephi.org/2011/the-egyptian-revolution-on-twitter/