Running Head:

NCADD ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS

Organizational Analysis:
National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Greater Detroit Area
Angela Bell
Wayne State University

NCADD ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS

Organization and Services

National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence Greater Detroit Area
(NCADD-GDA) has been operating in the Southeastern Michigan area for over 60 years
(Our History: NCADD-GDA, 2015). The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug
Dependence is a voluntary nonprofit agency committed to improving community health
through providing substance abuse prevention, education, training, treatment and
advocacy for the Metropolitan Detroit Area (NCADD-GDA, 2012). It is the mission of
NCADD-GDA to raise public awareness of alcoholism and drug dependence issues
across the state, while working to ensure those affected by the disease of addiction
have the resources necessary when accessing treatment and sustaining recovery (Our
History: NCADD-GDA, 2015). The official goals of the Greater Detroit Area branch of the
organization are:
To provide quality addiction treatment, prevention education and recovery
services.
To advocate for proper education prevention and addiction treatment services.
To reduce the stigma and discrimination of the disease of addiction.
Foster a safe and healthy recovery community.

Mission and Goals

The agency carries out its mission and goals in serval different ways. One of the
ways is with the variety of services offered. The agency offers outpatient therapy in
three different varieties. Individuals have the option of having scheduled visits with a
counselor for one on one sessions occurring once a week, attending outpatient group

NCADD ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS

therapy once a week and for individuals that need a little more assistance they are
required to attend intensive outpatient therapy four days a week. Both individual and
group sessions are tailored to fit the needs of that particular individual or group. Group
therapy sessions function as an open group however to graduate the program
individuals must successfully complete 12 weeks of the program. The organization
addresses its goal of a safe and healthy recovering by having a zero tolerance for a
hostile environment or bullying between consumers, staff, volunteers and interns. The
goal of providing quality addiction treatment, prevention education and recovery
services is addressed by conducting pre and post surveys with the consumers to
evaluate the effectiveness of the treatment provided. The organization also requires
staff and interns to be up to date in the organizations required trainings.
Goal displacement occurs on a normal basis within the organization. However
this is not completely a negative thing. The negative aspect of the organizations goal
displacement involves the prevention aspect of the goals. From the services offered, it
appears that the organizations main focus is on treatment and recovery with no
emphasis on prevention at all. The organization also has a positive display of goal
displacement. The organizations offers services for substance abuse and dependence
but often end up working with the clients on other issues as well. The individuals
seeking treatment for substance often come to the organization with a plethora of
underlying issues that contribute to the substance abuse. Instead of sending the
individuals to seek counseling from elsewhere for those issues, because social workers
wear many hats the organization handles some of those things in house. This allows the
agency to get to know its consumers better and therefore serve them better as well.

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Organizational Structure and Staffing

The organizations structure has a positive influence on the distribution of power
and control in the organization. The organization is broken down into over four major
areas such as administrative support services, clinical outpatient treatment services,
adolescent residential treatment services and prevention services (NCADD/GDA, 20042005). Those four major areas are then broken down into over forty other departments
including administrative assistants, resident support aides, a van driver and several
other areas (NCADD/GDA, 2004-2005). Having such a broad spectrum of positions
managed under different departments allows for each position to have a proper level
and type of management needed. The distribution of power helps to keep one person or
department from being overwhelmed with responsibility. This also helps to ensure that
each department is adequately trained in its area of expertise.
The National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Dependence-Greater Detroit Area
utilizes several different approaches of management within the agency. The various
approaches of management have an effect on the functioning of the organization,
employees and clients. The various approaches to management utilized include
organizations as open systems and human relations. With the theory organizations as
open systems there is a constant exchange of resources within the organization. This
theory is fundamental to social work as a profession. Individual clients are viewed not
as isolated entities driven by internal processes but as social beings whose
personalities and behaviors emerge from constant interaction with the world around
them (Understanding Organizations, 2012). NCADD-GDA makes it priority to get to
know the client and find out about their external environment and believes this to be

NCADD ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS

fundamental in helping with the recovery process. Not only is this helpful for the
recovery process, but it also shows the employees that the clients are more than their
addiction. Getting to know their background and environmental influences helps to get
to know the individual and see them for who they really are.
The human relations management theory views workers as being social beings.
This theory suggests that productivity is higher in organizations that are viewed as
social intuitions with key factors such as friendship, belongingness and group solidarity
(Understanding Organizations, 2012). NCADD-GDA is a very social environment. The
greater Detroit area location has thirteen employees. Eight of those employees are
contractual. The contractual employees share office space and some of them interned
at the agency together. The administrative staff members share an office space as well
and two of the staff members are related to each other. Having such a small group of
employees increases the chances of them forming genuine bonds amongst themselves.
The organization has a company retreat once a year and smaller office parties several
times throughout the year. The functions help the organization to be viewed as a social
intuition instead of being viewed only as a place of employment.
The NCADD is a very diverse organization on all of the different levels within the
organization. The Commissioner and Board Chair of the organization is a middle aged
African American woman and the President/CEO is a middle aged African American
male. The Clinical Director of the organization is an elderly Caucasian female who
obtained a disability from having a stroke. The remainder of the staff members vary in
age and ethnicity. The youngest staff member is an African American female in her late
twenties and the oldest is a Caucasian female in her early sixties. Ethnicities of the staff

NCADD ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS

members vary from being of Middle Eastern descent, African American or Caucasian.
Being that majority of the staff members are African American or Caucasian the female
staff member of Middle Eastern descent is in the minority. For this staff member, the
organization may not satisfy her need to belong being that she does not have anyone
she can identify with culturally. If the other staff members are not understanding of her
cultural practices this could cause a conflict between employees.
Internal and External Environment: Relationship with Community
According to the SWOT Analysis there is a connection between the relationships
of NCADD-GDAs internal environment and the shifting macro environment in which it
operates. The organization has several internal strengths such as its history of service
to the community, national accreditation for service, competent staff and strong
outpatient clinical services to name a few (Woodward, 2015). The internal strengths of
the organization line up with the external opportunities provided by the macro
environment. The external opportunities for the organization that line up with the internal
strengths are co-occurring mental health and substance abuse services, prisoner reentry programs and collaboration with other entities (Woodward, 2015). The internal
strengths of the organization has continued to bring several opportunities to the
organization. For example, having a competent staff and a national accreditation for
service allows the organization to expand its services offered and merge with other
entities as well. A competent staff also allows for the staff to better serve the consumers
of the organization.
Consumers of the agency are primarily African American individuals ages 18
years and older. The consumers of this agency are either mandated or voluntary with

NCADD ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS

the majority of the clientele being mandated. Individuals can be mandated from several
different avenues including employment or the court system. For the individuals that are
mandated, he/she has to have a progress note sent to the individual or organization that
required the client to seek treatment. Voluntary clients have decided to seek treatment
on their own or with the suggestion of family, friends, etc. Being voluntary also means
that the client does not have a progress note sent to anyone unless they elect to have
one sent. The organizations prison reentry program is responsible for bringing in
majority of the mandated consumers.
Theoretical construct of organization
In terms of the overall functioning, management structure, decision-making
practices, and organizational culture of NCADD, the theory that best fits the
organization is the Management by Objectives theory (MBO). This theory suggests that
organizational goals and objectives should be made the central construct around which
organizational life revolves (Understanding Organizations, 2012). This description of
this theory best fits the organization for several reasons. The first reason is because the
organization is a public nonprofit. This organization is not driven by purpose instead of
profits. The second is because according to the SWOT Analysis the organization has
lean administration (Woodward, 2015). NCADD-GDA focuses more on its purpose than
the structure or precision of the organization. The agency program outcomes as the
major criteria for determining funding and program continuation (Understanding
Organizations, 2012). This theory helps an outsider to understand the overall purpose
and compassion of the agency.

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Recommendation
Considering the information I gained through the SWOT analysis and other
sources about the major strengths and weakness of my field placement I have identified
several problems. Those problems include the aging technology hardware and
software, staff reductions and low staff morale. In order to increase the effectiveness of
the agency and decrease the problems I have come up three recommendations. In
order to identify the reason behind the low staff morale the organization should
incorporate an anonymous suggestion box to get feedback from the staff on the
improvements that could be made within the organization. Any employee that makes a
suggestion that gets incorporated into the organization wins a small prize and the
person with the most suggestions wins a separate prize. Awarding the individual with
the most suggestions will eliminate resistance and motivate the employees to contribute
as much as possible. To address the issue of staff reductions the organization could
adopt the use of volunteers for more of the clerical side of the organization. In order to
make this a smooth transition with the least amount of resistance I would recruit long
term volunteers only. Also instead of firing or laying off any clerical staff members should
a staff member quit or retire I would replace them with volunteers. Lastly I would
recommend for the organization to fundraise obtain the funds for new technology and
even ask for donations of newer equipment from local businesses in the community that
support the organization.

NCADD ORGANIZATIONAL ANALYSIS

References
NCADD/GDA. (2004-2005). NCADD/GDA 2004-2005 Organizational Chart. Detroit.
NCADD-GDA. (2012). 2012 Annual Report. Detroit: The National Council on Alcoholism
and Drug Dependence.
Our History: NCADD-GDA. (2015, Februrary). Retrieved from NCADD-GDA:
http://www.ncadd-detroit.org
Understanding Organizations. (2012). In E. K. Netting, Social Work Macro Practice (pp.
219-231). Allyn/Bacon.
Woodward, L. (2015, February). SWOT Analysis. (A. Bell, Interviewer)