- Policy
- Program
- Project
Which approach of the three listed approaches is “most effective” in understanding, implementing, and monitoring change? Why? Explain your answer with reasoning and supporting examples.
A policy is the model best suited of
the three models to make it “easier” to develop and implement
change; the model of policy is also the most effective to monitor and
understand change.
This can be illustrated by a simple
analogy; a man is tasked with getting rocks to the top of a hill. He
has three options for getting the rocks up there. The first, as a
project, he can look for the easiest route to climb the hill every
day with a big heavy rock. The second, as a program, allows him to
uses a tried and true route after he has identified it to make that
climb with a big heavy rock an easier daily task. In the third, the
policy, the man plans the best way to get all sorts of rocks up that
hill; he builds a pulley to move baskets of rocks up the hill and a
stairway with convenient rest areas to carry the big rocks up the
hill without straining his back. The model of policy allows for the
man to make the best decision for getting the rock up that hill
depending on the kind of rock he has to move at any given time. By
using a policy, the man can determine if a program or project should
be initiated as the best approach to that particular rock.
Welsh describes the models of policy,
program, and project:
Policy- A rule or set of rules or
guidelines for how to make a decision.
Program- A set of services aimed at
achieving specific goals and objectives within specified
individuals, groups, organizations, or communities.
Project- A time-limited set of
services provided to particular individuals, groups, organizations,
or communities, usually focused on a single need, problem, or issue
(2012, pp. 4-5)
The program portion of the analogy is a
little weak, but the rest works under Welsh's description. The next
step in understanding the analogy is a discussion of change in
organizations. There are two types of change; planned change and
unplanned change, also known as crescive change. Crescive change can
happen whether the directors of an organization want it or not. In
both types of change, there is resistance to change. Planned change
allows the changing agency to mitigate that resistance and to utilize
resources more effectively.
The policy model allows for greater
leverage against possible resistance, as policy is often established
by law. In addition, policy can create environments in which the
means for creating programs or projects are already provided for;
budgeting has been established and oversight has been defined. The
largest drawback to the policy model is that it is based on the goals
of politicians; “The rational politician knows that, if their
policy votes deviate too far from the opinion of their constituents,
they risk their electoral futures”(Nicholson-Crotty, Peterson, &
Ramirez, 2009, p. 630) Nicholson-Crotty et al continue, “The
electoral connection should be particularly strong to deviations in
criminal justice policy from public opinion”. (2009, p.635) It
should be noted that political opposition can be experienced in all
three models.
All three models provide benefits in
the planned change process. We have looked at the benefits of the
policy model. Welsh gives us an example of a success in the program
model; ““Big Brothers Big Sisters of America (BBBSA) has been
recognized as a 'model' violence prevention program, partly because
of its well-specified design and replicability across numerous
jurisdictions.” (2012, p. 17) Projects, due to their relatively
smaller operational costs and the ability to use projects as a test
bed:
A pilot-project approach has many
advantages: Small
test programs can usually be mounted
inexpensively; few
staff people are required, since
specialists can be brought
in ad hoc; time is saved because red
tape is bypassed; rela-
tively quick results can be expected.
Since no new agency,
bureau, or division is created, a
project can be easily dis-
mantled if it proves ineffective,
without disastrous results
politically or financially, and even in
failure it may provide
useful information. The pilot project
technique itself pro-
vides great flexibility, allowing the
planner to change his
approach on short notice. (Sturz, 2011,
p.6)
The major point to take into
consideration across all three models is the critical necessity of
planning. This course discusses two models of planning; the
seven-stage approach as discussed in the class notes or in more
detail by Welsh, or the SARA model which “is widely used by
criminal justice professionals who want to resolve local
organizational problems” (South University Online, 2014, para. 2)
Nicholson-Crotty, S., Peterson, D. A.
M., & Ramirez, M. D. (2009). Dynamic representation(s): Federal
criminal justice policy and an alternative dimension of public mood.
Political Behavior, 31(4), 629–655.
doi:10.1007/s11109-009-9085-1
South University Online. (2014).
MCJ6004 S01: Criminal Justice Planning & Innovation. The SARA
Model. Retrieved November 4, 2014 from myeclassonline.com
Sturz, H. (2011).
Experiments in the Criminal Justice System. Federal Sentencing
Reporter, 24(1), 4–7.
doi:http://dx.doi.org.southuniversity.libproxy.edmc.edu/10.1525/fsr.2011.24.1.4
Welsh, W. (2012). Criminal Justice
Policy and Planning [VitalSouce bookshelf version]. Retrieved
November 3, 2014 from
http://digitalbookshelf.southuniversity.edu/books/9781437735000
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