Come back for a question later in the week related to this topic!
Macro-level interventions are usually designed to improve either the quality of life for clients or communities served or the quality of work life for employees at an organization so that they can provide optimal services to clients or communities (Netting et al., 2004). Usually the focus of macro change is on just a segment of a community or organization – entire towns, cities, or counties or total organizations are rarely the focus of change efforts led by social workers (although they can be).
Because a macro orientation focuses on sociopolitical, economic, environmental, and historical factors that impact people’s lives, macro practice is an important way of fulfilling social work’s commitment to achieving greater social and economic justice on behalf of underserved, vulnerable, or oppressed populations. If social justice were achieved, all citizens would have the same basic rights, protections, opportunities, obligations, and social benefits; if economic justice were achieved, resources would be distributed in a fair and equitable manner.
The following systems are critical to the macro change process (Netting et al., 2004; Kirst-Ashman & Hull, 2006):
Initiator system: The initiator system consists of the person or group who first recognizes the existence of a community or organizational problem and calls attention to it. Sometimes this individual is a social worker. Other initiators are people indigenous to the community or organization who have experienced the problem and/or tried to resolve it but feel powerless to affect the system.Â
Change agent system: A change agent is the individual (the social worker) who initiates the change process. The change agent system includes the change agent and a core planning committee or task force that initially analyzes the problem, the population, and the community or organization where the change will take place (the “arena”).Â
Client system: The client system is made up of the individuals who will become direct or indirect beneficiaries of the change. This will be either (a) a group of clients with similar characteristics or qualifications for receiving services or resources or (b) an organizational or community segment that will benefit from the macro-level intervention. A “target population” gives focus to an initial population analysis and represents a broad spectrum   of people experiencing the problem, while the “client system” refers to those people who actually are intended to benefit from the proposed change. Sometimes they are the same, sometimes they are not.
Support system: The support system includes other individuals and groups who may be willing to support a change effort if they are needed. This encompasses everyone in a community or organization who has an interest in the success of a proposed change, including those who may receive secondary benefits. Initiator, change agent, and client systems can be seen as part of the support system in that they all have an interest in supporting the change.
Controlling system: The controlling system is comprised of the individual or group with the power and formally delegated authority to approve a proposed change and require its implementation. If the change involves a public agency or publicly funded or regulated services, those in control may be elected officials; if the change involves a private agency, those in control may be a board of directors. The controlling system is not necessarily the individual or group at the highest level of authority, however, and change agents, therefore, need to identify the highest level to which they must appeal in order to receive approval for the proposed change.
Host and implementing systems: A host system is the organization or unit with formally assigned responsibility for the area to be addressed by a proposed change. Typically, the host system is located below the controlling system on an organizational chart, and, in most macro changes, the host system will be a subunit of an organization that will be expected to implement the policy change, new program, or project. The implementing system includes employees and/or volunteers within the host system who will have day-to-day responsibility for implementing the change. Because the perspectives of the controlling system, host system, and implementing system regarding the proposed change may differ, each system should be examined separately.
Target system: The target system is the individual, group, structure, policy, or practice that needs to be changed so that the primary beneficiaries of the change effort can receive its intended benefits (i.e., it is the system that is the target of intervention efforts). The target system sometimes is difficult to define. In many cases, values, attitudes, practices, and policies, as well as the provision of services, all need to change, and change efforts often have to address multiple targets.
Action system: The action system is comprised of individuals from any or all of the other systems who have an active role in planning and implementing the intervention and seeing it through to completion. Although the change agent system forms the core of the action system, other participants also should have important roles in decision-making and be added as the change effort proceeds.