Community Organisation

Community Organisation

Community Organisation is one of the primary methods of social work. It deals with intervention in the communities to solve the community problems. As a method of social work community organisation can solve the problems of many people in the community through their collective involvement. Community organisation and community development are inter-related as two sides of same coin. The community organisation includes other methods of social work, that is, group work, and casework. The power structure plays a role in community organisation. The social workers need to know the community power structure to practice community organisation method, which is used for empowering people for their development. The details are provided for social work students to understand and practice community organisation effectively.

Generally, Principles means guiding rules of practice. Principles are expressions of value judgments. The principles of community organisation are the spirit and purpose of social work in a democratic society. We are concerned with the dignity and worth, the freedom, the security, the participation, and the healthful and profuse life of every individual. This implies practice of following principles of democracy, such as betterment of the marginalized, transparency, honesty, sustainability, self-reliance, partnerships, cooperation, etc.

Principles of Community Organizattion

Dunham (1958) has presented a statement of 28 suggested principles of community organisation. He grouped those under seven headings.

1. Democracy and social welfare,

2. Community roots for community programs,

3. Citizen understanding, support, and participation and professional service,

4. Cooperation,

5. Social Welfare Programs,

6. Adequacy, distribution, and organisation of social welfare services, and

7. Prevention.

According to Ross (1967) the specific principles – the elementary or fundamental ideas regarding initiation and continuation of community organisation processes. These principles have been discussed in terms of the nature of the organisation or association and the role of the professional worker. The twelve principles identified by Ross are:

1. Discontent with existing conditions in the community must initiate and/or nourish               development of the association.

2. Discontent must be focused and channeled into organisation, planning, and action in           respect to specific problems.

3. Discontent which initiates or sustains community organisation must be widely shared in     the community.

4. The association must involve leaders (both formal and informal) identified with, and           accepted by, major sub-groups in the community.

5.  The association must have goals and methods and procedures of high acceptability.

6. The programs of the association should include some activities with an emotional               content.

7. The association should seek to utilize the manifest and latent goodwill which exists in          the community.

8. The association must develop active and effective lines of communication both within       the association and between the association and the community.

9. The association should seek to support and strengthen groups which it brings together in      cooperative work.

10.The association should develop a pace of work in line with existing conditions in the          community.

11. The association should seek to develop effective leaders.

12. The association must develop strength, stability and prestige in the community.

Community Organisation as a Problem Solving Method

Community is the client in Community organization Method. Community organisation solves the community problems and fulfills the needs of the community. Many of the community problems like social injustice, poverty, inadequate housing, poor nutrition, lack of health, lack of medical services, unemployment, pollution, exploitation, bonded labor system, criminal activity, dowry, women and children trafficking, drug trafficking etc. can be solved by using community organisation  method. In problem solving generally there are three basic aspects. These are i) study, ii) diagnosis, and iii) treatment. First the problem has to be studied. For study the problem  we have to collect information regarding the problem. From the information collected we have to identify the main causes. which is called diagnosis. Based on the findings, or diagnosis, a solution is evolved that is called treatment. We consider this model as medical model because doctors study the patient to find out the causes for illness and based on findings, treatment or medicines are prescribed. Such a model can be used in community organisation method.

Problems can be solved only with involvement of people due to which resources are mobilized to solve the problems. For this community organisation as a problem solving method is most effective to solve community problems. For example people in certain area suffer due to lack of water for their cultivation. With the help of the community organiser and people’s participation, watersheds can be made and ground water level is increased. Water stored during rainy season can help the people to continue cultivation. Here the whole village problem is related with water for irrigation and drinking purpose, which can be solved by using community organisation method.

Community Organisation method is used for the following:

a) To meet the needs and bring about and maintain adjustment between needs and resources in a community.

b) Helping people effectively to work with their problems and plan to realize their  objectives by helping them     to develop, strengthen, and maintain qualities of participation, self-direction and cooperation.

c) Bringing about changes in community and group relationships and in the distribution of decision making           power.

d) The resources of the community are identified and tapped for solving the community problems.

Relevance of Community Organisation for Community Development

Community organisation and community development are interrelated. Community organization methods used To achieve the goals of community development. According to United Nations, community development deals with total development of a developing country, that is their economic, physical, and social aspects. For achieving total development community organisation is used. In community development the following aspects are considered as important. The same aspects are also considered important by community organisation. They are:-

(a) Democratic procedures deal with allowing all the community members to participate in decision-making. It is possible to achieve this by community organisation. The selected or elected members or representatives are helped to take decisions. Democratic procedures help people to take part in achieving community development goals. Community organisation method permits democratic procedures for people’s participation.

(b) Voluntary cooperation means that the people volunteer for their participation. For this they are convinced. They should feel that they should involve themselves in the process of development without hesitation. This attitude is supported by community organisation method. People’s emotional involvement is necessary to make success of the community organisation method. If discontentment about their conditions is created, then people will volunteer for participation. Community organisation emphasizes the discontentment aspect only to make them initiate people’s participation.

(c) Self-help is the basis for community development. Self-help deals with the capacity of mobilizing internal resources. Self-help is the basis for self-sufficiency and sustainable development. In community organisation self-help is emphasized. Community organisation is relevant to community development because both emphasizes the self-help concepts.

(d) Development of leadership is an important aspect in community development. Leadership deals with influencing and enabling people to achieve the goals. Community organisation also emphasizes leadership. With the help of leaders the people are motivated to participate in action. Community organisation is a relevant method to develop and use leadership. This is applicable for community development also.

(e) Educational aspects in community development means helping people to know, learn, and accept concepts of democracy, cooperation, unity, skill development, effective functioning etc. In community organisation also the above mentioned aspects are considered very important. The process of community organisation emphasizes education of the community. Thus both are emphasizing the educational aspects for the progress of the community.

Thus community organisation and community development are interrelated and mutually supportive. There are no opposing aspects in between community organisation and community development as both emphasize democratic method and self-help principles. Thus they are relevant. So in all community development programs community organisation method is used as implementing method.

Source: C.M.J. Bosco

Source: C.M.J. Bosco

Source: Dr. Suresh Pathare, TISS, Tuljapur (PDF File)