Social Work Management and Leadership

Management and leadership are increasingly important within the organi- zation and delivery of social care services, and they now form part of the post-qualification framework for social workers. Yet, whilst there is a relatively broad understanding of management concepts and their application in social care, their foundations often go unchallenged both by students and managers. Furthermore, leadership is open to a wide range of interpretations and is often ill-defined, with the expectation that we share a common understanding of the term. This text promotes an appreciation of the development of management and leadership thinking and the different themes which inform current ideas. It considers these topics from a range of theoretical standpoints in order to stimulate readers to consider their own experience and expectations of man- agement and leadership. It then demonstrates how these standpoints might promote innovative approaches to management and leadership within social care organizations and ways in which such organizations might then develop. The aim of this challenging text is to encourage critical and informed reflection on current practice. Social Work Management and Leadership is essential reading for students of management and leadership in social care as well as being an invaluable resource for managers who simply wish to consider new approaches to their practice.

[...]... esteem and their approach has been developed further and is echoed in the works of others Within the context of social work particularly, Whittington and Holland (1985) use the same framework t o consider theories of social work In later publications Howe (1987) and Payne (2005) also see value in applying and adapting this framework to social work, to help develop our understanding of social work organizations... in social work recently, with leadership now forming an important element of policy advice across the CK public sector and within social care Management and leadership are increasingly concerns within the organization and delivery of social care services and in the UK form part of the post-qualification framework for social workers Whereas there is a growing understanding of management concepts and. .. and in other areas, sharing a particular interest and concern with developments in social work practice and organization This book is the latest result of our work It is the outcome of continuing discussions and deliberations over developments in social work management and the increasing topicality of leadership in this area Our deliberations are based on our personal experience of management and social. .. and practice of management and leadership in social work for the benefit of all stakeholders We will start by considering the trends in governance, marketization and managerialism and their implications for social work management and leadership This will provide our justification for a framework for categorizing different theories and approaches so that their underpinning assumptions and their focus... managerial and marketization processes We believe that this increasing bureaucratization and top-down control of social work is based on an understanding of organizations and management that involves increasing rationalization and promotes a lack of trust in individual workers In what follows we will argue that other approaches to management and leadership of social work organizations are possible and desirable... different writers and many different approaches to management and leadership The book represents the current stage of our thinking, though this continues to develop Thus it will always be a 'work in progress', not a final conclusion Similarly the practice of social work management and leadership is always a work in progress, representing continuing adaptations in social work and social care organizations... politicians and are influenced by and must respond to changes in policy at both national and local levels As a consequence, social work management and leadership cannot be easy We are concerned that some of the practices promoted for use by social work managers were developed to get better performance out of assembly line production We believe that social work managers need a range of tools and approaches and. .. of management and leadership thinking and the different themes that inform current ideas on those topics Furthermore, it considers these topics from a range of theoretical standpoints in order t o stimulate readers to consider their own experience and expectations of management and leadership It then demonstrates ways in which these standpoints might be used to analyse the work, management and leadership. .. Theory; and organizations considered as networks of conversations 8 Introduction In Chapter 7 we look more specifically at some of the key challenges and areas of practice for social work management and leadership and how a reflective-pluralist approach can shed new light on them These are: women in social work management; managing organizational change; organizational culture; joined-up working and whole... strengths and weaknesses of different approaches Conclusion This ~ntroductionhas outlined our aim to introduce a range of theories and practices for social work management and leadership We also want to help to encourage critical reflection in readers by providing a framework to understand and assess the underpinnings of current practice and t o explore alternatives The developments in social work organizations . the practice of social work management and leadership is always a work in progress, representing continuing adaptations in social work and social care organizations bibliographical references. 1. Social work administration. 2. Social case work- Xlanaaement. 3. Social srrvlce. I. Bilson, Andy. 11. Title. HV41.L335 2010