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Abstract:
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In the Municipality of Høje-Taastrup it has been decided, that contacts with citizens should be
based on four values, Decency and <positivity, Commitment, Professionalism and an All Inclusive
Approach. The four values are the foundations for all professional relationships with citizens.
The formal description of the four values does not distinctly specify what should be in- or
excluded, when trying to understand what is expected. Nor is it described how it should be
understood and as such allows for wide translation in any situation, where a citizen and a civil
servant is having an interaction. As such it is up to the individual professional to translate the
understanding of the four values, according to her training and experience.
This approach to value building has challenged my personal notion about whether a common
understanding and knowledge within a certain professional field, is a necessary foundation, if all
professionals are expected to behave the same way. Or one could say always to behave in such a
way, that all citizens are treated the same regardless of professional background of any staff
member. I decided to research what staff members in the elderly care department understand
about the All Inclusive Approach and how they perceive their own behavior with regard to the All
all inclusive approach and coordination of citizen-centered activities.
The research is based on the four values from Høje-Taastrup Municipality, a constructed case as
well as empirical data from interviews with staff members and managers, working in the Elderly
Care Department.
I have taken the theoretical perspective based on Faircloughs discourse analysis, which is used to
analyze the four values. Through the analysis emerges keywords, a description of the discursive
practice and importantly the social practice. The discourses are of utmost importance in how the
values on a day-to-day basis are translated into behavior and influencing the understand of how
the individual staff member is solving assignments on the one hand, and on the other how staff
members work across professional boundaries, to meet the citizens need as part of their
approach.
Interview data from the interviews were analyzed using Weicks theory on Sensemaking. The
theory offers a possibility to examine what deciding factors are important and meaningful to the
individual, as well as what importance the value all inclusiv plays in the day-to-day work
performance.
Weicks theory places special importance on how the staff member constructs her professional
identity, how she creates sense in a social context and what keywords are relevant in the given
context the staff member is in, at the given time. The research conclusion indicates, that staff members to a large extend include the all inclusive
approach, when delivering health care, taking their starting point in a close relationship with the
individual citizen. E.g. they include other professionals who are not part of the team on a day-today
basis, bud are included when the need arises as an extern collaborating partner.
The analysis has shown, that the internal hierarchy in the staff groups is very traditional in terms
of who is attending to which assignment and that it is totally based on profession training. The
individual staff member is influenced by which professional focus of the total situation is applied,
and which professional background it is coming from. Some of the interviews makes it clear that
the knowledge and thinking in terms of a cross professional approach is there, but reality shows
that the resources are not at present available to offer the optimal all inclusive.
The day-to-day work planning at present is based on a rational resource-thinking influenced
approach, which does not offer many opportunities for reflections on, what expectations one may
have and what possibilities they see in terms of an all inclusive approaches with new and
innovative ways, to the benefit for both the citizens and the system. |
