Resource Management Concepts

Overview

This lecture covers fundamental concepts in resource management, including wellbeing, needs and wants, goal setting, resource types and sustainability, influences on resource access, personal and group management skills, communication strategies, decision-making, problem solving, effective resource management strategies, and interviews as a research method.

Wellbeing and Needs

• Wellbeing is the degree of satisfaction when needs are met; illbeing is the opposite.
• Wellbeing is affected by six factors (SPEECS): Social, Physical, Emotional, Economic, Cultural, Spiritual.
• Needs are classified using SHESEA: Safety & Security, Health, Education, Sense of Identity, Employment, Adequate Standard of Living.
• Primary needs (food, clothing, shelter) are essential for survival; secondary needs/wants are extras influenced by social context.

Maslow's Hierarchy of Needs & Goal Setting

• Hierarchy prioritizes needs from basic to self-actualisation, requiring lower needs met before pursuing higher ones.
• Goals are objectives set to satisfy needs/wants and can be short, intermediate, or long-term; individual, group, community, or global.

Resources and Resource Management

• Resources are used to achieve goals and are human (skills, knowledge) or non-human (money, materials).
• Resources can be finite (non-replaceable) or infinite (renewable); sustainability ensures resources remain for the future.
• Interchangeability allows exchanging one resource for another.

Influences on Resource Availability & Access

• Factors impacting resource access (GAS CD): Gender, Age, Socioeconomic Status, Culture, Disability.
• Support networks are informal (family/friends) or formal (government or community services).

Personal Management Skills and Models

• Management involves Planning, Organising, Implementing, Evaluating (POIE) or Plan, Do, Check, Act (PDCA).
• Effective management uses resources to achieve goals and adapts to needs and values.

Communication

• Communication includes sender, receiver, message, and medium; can be verbal or non-verbal.
• Communication styles: Aggressive, Assertive, Passive.
• Effective communication is clear, concise, complete, concrete, courteous, and correct.
• Barriers include age, disability, socioeconomic status, language, assumptions, noise, and distrust.

Decision Making & Problem Solving

• Decision making steps: analyse problem, investigate alternatives, choose/implement solution, evaluate outcome.
• Styles (RICHI): Rational, Intuitive, Confident, Hesitant, Impulsive.
• Problem solving involves identifying, exploring solutions, selecting, implementing, and evaluating.

Strategies for Effective Resource Management (SADIE)

• S: Access support networks.
• A: Adopt sustainable behaviours.
• D: Develop personal management skills.
• I: Interchange resources.
• E: Engage in education and training.

Interviews as a Research Method

• Interviews are qualitative methods to gather opinions and understanding.
• Structured interviews use set questions; unstructured are flexible.
• Advantages: in-depth information; Disadvantages: time-consuming, subjective.
• Recording responses can be written, audio, or video.

Key Terms & Definitions

• Wellbeing — Degree of satisfaction when needs are met.
• SPEECS — Social, Physical, Emotional, Economic, Cultural, Spiritual factors affecting wellbeing.
• SHESEA — Safety & Security, Health, Education, Sense of Identity, Employment, Adequate Standard of Living.
• Finite Resources — Non-renewable, limited in supply.
• Sustainability — Using resources efficiently to ensure future availability.
• POIE — Management steps: Planning, Organising, Implementing, Evaluating.
• RICHI — Decision-making styles: Rational, Intuitive, Confident, Hesitant, Impulsive.
• SADIE — Strategies for resource management: Support, Adopt sustainability, Develop skills, Interchange, Education.

Action Items / Next Steps

• Review SPEECS and SHESEA acronyms for factors affecting wellbeing and needs.
• Practice identifying types of resources and their sustainability.
• Prepare examples of goal classifications and management models (POIE, PDCA).
• Develop interview questions and practice conducting/recording interview responses.