• Describe the organization you researched.
• Explain how group work started in the organization.
• Explain how the group overcame organizational road blocks to success.
Respond to two colleagues who selected a different organization for review.
• Explain the similarities in the road blocks encountered between your organization and that of your colleague.
• Describe any significant similar underlying concerns.
RESPONSE1
• Describe the organization you researched.
o The organization that I researched was the American Association for the Study of Group Work, (AAGW). This organization can be tracked back to the early 20th century, as that is when group work grew as movement in social work.
• Explain how group work started in the organization.
o In the early 20th century, group work was a vital when it came to addressing societal shifts as in industrialization, population shifts to urban areas, and the waves of immigration. It originated from various organizations, including settlement houses, neighborhood centers, and labor union organizing. Social work programs started offering group work courses, moving group work closer to social work. The National Conference on Social Work formed a group work section in 1935, and the National Association for the Study of Group Work was established in 1936. The organization underwent further transformations, becoming the American Association for the Study of Group Work in 1939 and the American Association of Group Workers in 1946.
• Explain how the group overcame organizational road blocks to success.
o The group overcame organizational road blocks to success by establishing a form of formal structure, having clear objectives, and having education yet common terminology. By 1948, the American Association of Group Workers had a membership of 1,811, indicating its success in cutting across various divides.
