Essay Sample on Social Change: An Inevitable Element of Society?

Introduction

The common theme in the resources in the week's Learning resources relates to the aspect of social change. Even though the authors of the articles cover different topics related to the element of social change, they all subscribe to the idea that social change is inevitable, regardless of the context. For instance, Kezar (2014) denotes that through social network analysis, it would be difficult to separate planned change and social networks. In this regard, when individuals in society interact, they create a network of different relationships that can lead to the development of novel ways of operation. This theme reverberates with Aguinis and Glavas' (2012) position, who indicate that through corporate social responsibility (CSR) initiatives, organizations affect issues in the society in terms of influencing cultural changes that can assist in understanding the motivation, psychological process, and the performance of individuals. Equally, Thomas, McGarty, and Mavor (2009) opine that inequality among individuals is one of the elements that determine the effectiveness of the emotions that an individual can apply to create social change.

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In spite of the idea that the common theme provided for in the resources relate to social change, the context of the discussion provided by the researchers differ. In this case, Kezar (2014) focuses on social change in the context of the social networks developed by students in higher education. An analysis of the social networks in this regard confirms that it would be difficult to separate planned change and the social networks in the institutions. The researcher accounts for the fact that an analysis of social networks in an institution does not account for the idea that formal organizations have a role to play in a social network, as ignoring the context might be problematic (Kezar, 2014). Aguinis and Glavas (2012), who focus on corporations rather than learning institutions, mirror the context of formal organizations in their study. The two sources differ from the context covered by Thomas, McGarty, and Mavor (2009), who focus on the internal aspects of an individual in terms of their propensity to use emotions to realize social change.

Of the sources assessed, it would be possible to determine that they fit the criteria of the trustworthiness of qualitative studies. In relation to the aspect of credibility, the researchers employed the triangulation strategy, which calls for the use of several approaches to gather data (Korstjens & Moser, 2018). The researchers secure data triangulation by using a number of datasets throughout the analysis process. On the other hand, the findings from the different studies fit the transferability criteria, as the findings can be transferred and used in other contexts or with other respondents (Anney, 2014; Korstjens & Moser, 2018). In this case, the social change researchers have facilitated the transferability judgment through thick descriptions of the studies.

In relation to the aspect of dependability strategies employed in social change studies, an assessment of the sources reveals that the findings can be stable over time. In this regard, the researchers have evaluated the findings of the participants using appropriate instruments, thereby providing appropriate interpretations as well as recommendations of their studies (Connelly, 2016). In this case, the conclusions derived from the studies are supported by the information or data derived from the participants, which is one of the most vital elements to consider when assessing the dependability of a qualitative study (Pandey & Patnaik, 2014; Elo et al., 2014; Korstjens & Moser, 2018). The confirmability of the different sources is also hinged on the idea that the researchers provide leeway for other researchers to confirm the findings of their studies (Leung, 2015; Morse, 2015). In this regard, the researchers focus on the establishment and interpretation of figments of data that are not imaginative (Morse, 2015). They use information from participants, including other studies to confirm their findings, which is a vital component that should be considered in qualitative studies.

Based on the results obtained from the analysis, social change, as would be understood by Walden graduate students, could refer to the process involved in the creation and application of ideas and strategies that can assist in the development of individuals and the institution's community. This definition is attached to the provision that social change occurs through the internal structures of organizations, which should be balanced with social relationships to create social change (Korstjens & Moser, 2018). In this light, the analysis presents a situation that calls for the combination of social networks and organizational structures to shape a given network that accounts for the effects of formal organizations on the composition of a given network. The understanding of social change in this context accounts for the acknowledgment of the needs of other people in the organization, the inclusivity of the members of Walden University community, the inspiration of individuals on how they can foster social change, and the need to embrace differences.

The identified provisions have affected my understanding of my role as a positive social change agent. In this regard, I have taken note of the importance of collective power in influencing social change. While it is essential to accept change and acknowledge that it is constant, people do not have to accept that they are powerless in its wake (Giroux & Robbins, 2015; Krinsky & Crossley, 2014). For this reason, my understanding as a party to the realization of positive social change is based on the idea that individuals care about the direction of social change, which is a provision that compels them to shape and assist in creating the kind of change they would wish to see in the world (Sorokin, 2017; Sanford, 2017). In this case, the most important thing to consider is the idea that people advocate for social change based on their vision of the kind of world they would wish to be living in.

References

Aguinis, H., & Glavas, A. (2012). What We Know and Don't Know About Corporate Social Responsibility. Journal of Management, 38(4), 932-968. Retrieved from http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0149206311436079

Ajagbe, A. M., Sholanke, A. B., Isiavwe, D. T., & Oke, A. O. (2015). Qualitative Inquiry for Social Sciences. In: International Conference on African Development Issues (CU-ICADI) 2015: Social and Economic Models for Development Track, African Leadership Development Centre, Covenant University Canaanland, Ota Ogun State, Nigeria. Retrieved from http://m.covenantuniversity.edu.ng/Profiles/Sholanke-Anthony/Qualitative-Inquiry-for-Social-Sciences

Anney, V. N. (2014). Ensuring the Quality of the Findings of Qualitative Research: Looking At Trustworthiness Criteria. Journal of Emerging Trends in Educational Research and Policy Studies (JETERAPS), 5(2), 272-281. Retrieved from https://pdfs.semanticscholar.org/1419/f7b54e6b7f1215717a5056e0709f8946745b.pdf

Connelly, L. M. (2016). Trustworthiness in Qualitative Research. Medsurg Nursing, 25(6), 435-437. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/30304614

Elo, S., Kaariainen, M., Kanste, O., Polkki, T., Utriainen, K., & Kyngas, H. (2014). Qualitative Content Analysis: A Focus on Trustworthiness. SAGE Open, 4(1), 2158244014522633. Retrieved from https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/abs/10.1177/2158244014522633

Giroux, H. A., & Robbins, C. G. (2015). Consuming Social Change: The "United Colors of Benetton". In Giroux Reader (Pp. 97-116). Routledge.

Kezar, A. (2014). Higher Education Change and Social Networks: A Review of Research. The Journal of Higher Education, 85(1), 91-125. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/00221546.2014.11777320

Korstjens, I., & Moser, A. (2018). Series: Practical Guidance to Qualitative Research. Part 4: Trustworthiness and Publishing. European Journal of General Practice, 24(1), 120-124. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29202616

Krinsky, J., & Crossley, N. (2014). Social Movements and Social Networks: Introduction. Social Movement Studies, 13(1), 1-21. Retrieved from https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/abs/10.1080/14742837.2013.862787

Leung, L. (2015). Validity, Reliability, and Generalizability in Qualitative Research. Journal of Family Medicine and Primary Care, 4(3), 324-327. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC4535087/

Morse, J. M. (2015). Critical Analysis of Strategies for Determining Rigor in Qualitative Inquiry. Qualitative Health Research, 25(9), 1212-1222. Retrieved from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26184336

Pandey, S. C., & Patnaik, S. (2014). Establishing Reliability and Validity in Qualitative Inquiry: A Critical Examination. Jharkhand Journal of Development and Management Studies, 12(1), 5743-5753. Retrieved from https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Satyendra_Pandey2/publication/266676584_ESTABLISHING_RELIABILITY_AND_VALIDITY_IN_QUALITATIVE_INQUIRY_A_CRITICAL_EXAMINATION/links/543779b40cf2dc341db4d7fb/ESTABLISHING-RELIABILITY-AND-VALIDITY-IN-QUALITATIVE-INQUIRY-A-CRITICAL-EXAMINATION.pdf

Sanford, N. (2017). Self and Society: Social Change and Individual Development. Routledge.

Sorokin, P. (2017). Social and Cultural Dynamics: A Study of Change in Major Systems of Art, Truth, Ethics, Law and Social Relationships. Routledge.

Thomas, E., McGarty, C., & Mavor, K. (2009). Transforming "Apathy into Movement": The Role of Prosocial Emotions in Motivating Action for Social Change. Personality and Social Psychology Review, 13(4), 310-333. DOI: 10.1177/1088868309343290