Enterprise Social Work Intervention Model In Organizational Downsizing

Whether it is based on the global integration of economic crisis, the impact of the recession, or operation and management of Chinese enterprises’continuous synchronization with international enterprises; Downsizing, used by the enterprises to reduce costs, improve achievements, or enhance the effectiveness, has been more and more popular. That means downsizing is no longer a problem; the problem is how to deal with it, and how to cope with it.This is a qualitative research using a combination of methods of observation, interview and literature. There are five Shenzhen-based companies’employees involved in this study who all facing downsizing. The study analyzed the impact of downsizing on affected employees (victims), the impact on remaining employees (survivals), managers, companies, and social impact as well.Reviewing the development of downsizing in the world, the focus revealed the status quo of China’s downsizing, the current social changes in China, and when underclass face crisis, the social psychological status of the deprived social groups. After then, there is a comparative analysis between China and Western downsizing which targeted interventions and solutions.The following context analyzed the importance of the social work in downsizing, and then offered a social work intervention model, shown in Figure1. The intervention model pointed out three stages of professional social work:before downsizing, in downsizing, and after downsizing. There are10social work functions in this model, focus on affected employees (victims), remains (survivals) and managers of enterprises, as well as government administration, law aids, labor and social security, policy-makers.From micro to macro, in an integrated and multi-focal way, this intervention model is designed to improve all levels of society as a whole, to enhance the ability to respond to the global economic recession, improve social management capabilities, maturity of social management, crisis prevention capacity and promote social justice, social harmony, stability, development and so on. From the micro side, companies and individuals could win support in a crisis, able to change crisis into an opportunity, gain continuous development.The concept of this social work intervention model has more unique aspects:A) Union organizations in China need to change their responsibility. Usually, they need not only to protect the rights of the workers, but also to maintain the stability demands of the party and government. They should devote more to the workers’ right. Only in this way, the union could regain recognition and trust from workers.B) The Government needs to enhance its management maturity when to face the employers and employees’contradiction. The Government should give the downsizing program review, negotiation back to employers and employees, and focus on legal and regulatory supervision, neither too involved, nor come into a blind zone.C) This social work intervention model build the support systems for the affected employees, integrate social management functions, such as labor and social security, legal aid, and so on joint work in this field. It would help to address and solve social problems at the basic social management space.D) We define downsizing a crisis, thus crisis prevention, early intervention mechanism is needed. Through the construction of a smooth communication channels and an effective social support system, we could achieve early detection, early response to the crisis management both in the individual way, and social way.E) Those who affected by the downsizing are not only the victims, but also the remaining employees(survivals), the enterprise, the managers who conduct downsizing, as well as our society as a whole. So, it is not an absolute win-lose relationship. The intervention model’s social work functions should base on the demand and need. All affected individuals, groups, who required from the support of social workers, are the clients of our services.The enterprise social work intervention model also suggests that when face the current global economic crisis, the turmoil of a recession, our society, enterprise and individuals need to have the risk awareness and be prepared to grasp our destiny.