Bc Epilepsy Society Interview

The Interview: How it Challenges and Confirms the Literature
Journey into Social Work
For the purpose of this assignment, I had the opportunity to interview the executive director of the BC Epilepsy Society, Kim Davidson. The BC Epilepsy Society is a non-profit agency and federally registered charitable organization dedicated to serving British Columbians living with epilepsy, and their families. As the executive director, Kim is responsible for the day-to-day operations of the society, human resources, and grant writing. Kim reports directly to 9 board of directors, as well as holds some accountability towards the professional advisory board. Kim shared that her career started in social services coincidentally, as she was hoping to finish

Kim expressed that there is great value in teachable moments, where the learning happens between the staff and the executive director (K. Davidson, personal communication, February 22, 2018). K. Davidson said, “as an executive director, we need to support staff who want to advance their own careers; who want to take on more responsibilities and hearing their voices, hearing what they are saying on behalf of the constituents they serve” (personal communication, February 22, 2018). Kouzes and Posner (2012) agree when managers show high credibility, staff are significantly more likely to feel proud about their organization, feel a high degree of team spirit, feel a strong sense commitment to the organization, and are motivated by shared values and intrinsic factors. Additionally, Kim states the components such as coaching and mentoring can be used to increase the capacity of the those around us (K. Davidson, personal communication, February 22, 2018). At the same time, personal reflection is needed to recognize the barriers and challenges of providing this type of learning (K. Davidson, personal communication, February 22,

Davidson, personal communication, February 22, 2018). In Kim’s opinion, evaluation helps to inform the development of new programs and discloses the program outcomes. Kim shared being open to feedback and understanding the purpose of the evaluation can help to diminish negative views (K. Davidson, personal communication, February 22, 2018). According to Kim, evaluation serves as a benchmark to understanding the impact of services and avoid making assumptions. Overall, “it informs what we are doing right, and what are doing wrong, and what we need to be doing differently” (K. Davidson, personal communication, February 22, 2018). Additionally, Kim states that evaluations can be used to acquire funding, as they provide insight as to where we can access more funds, corporate champions, and ambassadors to help the organization advancements (K. Davidson, personal communication, February 22, 2018). For example, using the SWOT analysis framework can help to identify the organization's strengths and weaknesses, as well as opportunities and threats (K. Davidson, personal communication, February 22, 2018). The experiences shared by Kim relate to the strategic planning process discussed in the literature. Lewis et al., (2012, 2007) describe this process as a way of developing an organizational response to the assessment of the agency’s mission and mandates,