Analysis of Individual Empowerment by which Coordinating Councils Produce Change
The community response to family violence is a complex social issue which some have suggested requires coordinated efforts. As such, some communities are engaged in efforts to create a formal coordinated community response (CCR) to family violence. In particular, community coordinating councils are one example of this type of coordinated effort. However, research shows that there is considerable variation in the effectiveness of coordinating councils, that there has been an overemphasis on studying their outcomes instead of their change processes, and there has been relatively little focus on understanding the influence of contextual features on council environments. The current study examined the interrelationships between council climate (leadership and shared power), and member's perceived individual empowerment due to their participation in the council. Results indicate that council climate is predictive of individual empowerment, but that the climate of members' home organizations moderates the relationship between shared power and individual empowerment. Specifically, the relationship between shared power and individual empowerment was significantly stronger for members who reported having a home organization with a supportive climate. These findings suggest that aspects of the council climate are related to the extent to which council members reported feeling empowered in fostering community wide change in the area of family violence. Moreover, these findings underscore the importance of contextual features that operate outside of the council (e.g., organizational climate) but that affect council processes nonetheless.
School:
University of California at Irvine
Department:
Psychology
Research Advisor:
Nicole E. Allen
Department of Research Advisor:
Psychology
Year of Publication:
2008