Social Work Administration - Essay Sample

Introduction

Agencies that deal in social work carry out complex tasks considering that they deal with issues affecting people in society. Societal issues vary depending on the vast demographic traits that individuals have, including age, gender, occupation, and family, among others. While in most cases the difficult tasks are carried out by social workers, social work administrative tasks are as equally difficult. The nature of tasks encountered within the organization determines the type of leadership style to use. At the same time, the management style has a great effect on the dynamic and culture and the politics and power of the organization with regards to other companies within the community (Watson & Hegar, 2016). It is, therefore, indicative of the need of having leadership styles that would suit the needs of the organization as a whole, while also considering the people within the community and how they interact with other organizations.

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Management/Leadership Styles

Leadership is all about the manner in which the behavior of a leader would guide, inspire, motivate, direct, and help manage a team of people within the organization. Great leaders inspire other people into doing different positive things with the aim of achieving a common goal. Considering that the organization deals in social work, it is essential to have leadership styles that would take into consideration the various societal issues that affect people. In that case, the first leadership style is democratic or participative which is regarded as the most effective style of leading (Kippenberger, 2002). With such leadership, the management is in charge of offering guidance on what is expected, but at the same time allow other members within the team to have a say of what they think is the best. In this context, the management can at times ask employees of their opinion and find the best way of incorporating them while working towards achieving the company objectives. However, it is essential to note that while the leader allows for the participation of the junior employees, the final decision solemnly belongs to management. Implementing this style has the advantage that employees would always feel appreciated, especially if one of their ideas is taken into consideration and implemented within the organization (Kippenberger, 2002). As a result, the workers become committed in their work and strive to have better results at the end of the day.

The second recommendation on leadership style is transformational management, which is essentially about leaders helping their juniors realize that they have potential and that they can do what they are tasked to do in a perfect manner. Such a leader makes the team members become committed and dedicated to what they do before working towards achieving the common goal of the company (Mitevska-Encheva, 2018). Using different mechanisms, the main aim of the management is to ensure that they enhance the morale and motivation of other members. Transformational leaders act as role models and challenge the rest into taking serious ownership of their tasks so that they can be perfect in what they do. The effectiveness of this style can be crucial as social work involves impacting on the lives of those who have been socially deprived, which requires determination and hard work from the employees (Mitevska-Encheva, 2018).

Leadership-Subordinate Relationship

While leaders form an integral part of any organization hierarchy, subordinates will recognize that only after seeing that their leaders are of essence and that they are adding value to what they do on a daily basis. However, it is upon the leaders to create the nature of the relationship that they hold with the junior workers by coming up with policies which will enable the creation of a relationship that is based on respect and mutual trust. It is only when the leaders trust their workers that they will get the chance of seeing the best from them. In that case, the first recommendation with regards to the same is that the management needs to maintain trust, as the workers are also expected to trust the leaser (Chun, Lee & Sosik, 2018). The management trusts that the employees will always be present at the workplace and that they will do as is expected of them at all times. On the other hand, the junior employees expect that their leaders will act as role models to them where they make decisions based on proper ethics and fairness. Secondly, there is a need to create a relationship where there is clear communication and that both parties know what to expect from the other. There is a need for having a form of communication that is clear where both are ready to pass information without fearing how the other will react. Thirdly, the management needs to clarify the roles of the other so that each is aware of what is expected of them. The employee needs to know that they have to follow what the management says even in the case where the directives conflict personal ideas. At the same time, they should also feel that their ideas are welcome and that they are welcome to air them out when asked. Once these relationship competencies are clear for both sides, the work of the management in social administration will be easier (Chun, Lee & Sosik, 2018).

Organizational Dynamics and Culture

Organizational dynamics and culture refer to the manner in which people affiliated to a given company behave when they interact with each other as they aim towards working with effectiveness. The main intention is to ensure that there are harmony and teamwork within the organization for the effective realization of positive results. From the same, there is the creation of a unique environment that will determine the manner in which the individuals within an organization would interact, including how they create knowledge and share the same as information, and how they accept changes when needed. In that case, the management of the organization needs to allow for a culture where the workers are self-motivated and always want to work for the betterment of the company. One of the major ways of ensuring this is by constantly motivating the employees using various means that range from monetary incentives, holidays, and many more. The presence of these motivating factors would create an organization dynamic which will also have an impact on the Mintzberg organization configurations. From his description, all the components of the configurations are of great essence to the working and management of the organization. However, the most influential structural configuration is the simple structure where the process of making decisions is centralized and they are made from the strategic apex (Kwiotkowska, 2018). With a shift in the organization dynamics and culture, there is a need for creating an environment where all employees rely on a formal centralized administration to make decisions.

Organizational Power and Politics

One of the major ways through which management ensures that things happen in the organization is by ascertaining their power. Is the authoritative influence which makes employees do what is expected of them. On the other hand, politics are the informal efforts and influences that are meant to sell ideas of power, majorly for the sake of making people work towards a given target. It is worth noting that politics brings about shifts of power with the organizations and therefore influences the manner in which workers interact within, and the way companies relate with each other externally. In that case, the management needs to assert its power to make sure that each and every employee relates well with the other (Geppert, Becker-Ritterspach & Mudambi, 2016). As discussed earlier, one of the leadership styles to be implemented is democratic where all workers need to be allowed to work freely and air out their professional opinions in the proper way. If that is the style with all levels of leadership, then the relationship of colleagues within the organization needs to be of professional standards. However, that does not imply informal relationships are not allowed, as at times they may influence some form of initiative among the employees. Therefore, it is indicative of the fact that all leaders need to exert their power so that all workers do what they are supposed to do, but at the same time do it cautiously so as not to instill fear within them. Positive discussion of issues affecting the organization could be allowed but proper controls need to be present. Improper politics needs to be highly discouraged considering that it creates groupings within the workplace, and in most cases, people are demotivated, especially when some consider themselves as minorities (Geppert, Becker-Ritterspach & Mudambi, 2016).

How the Changes Will Affect Organization Structure

The structure of the organization refers to how activities and tasks are carried out in the various departments and levels of management with the intention of realizing the main objectives. While it may appear as though each department differs from the other with regards to what is carried out, the mission is the same from the topmost management level. In that case, the various aspects of change within the management, power and politics, organization culture and dynamics, and leader-subordinate relationships will have an effect on the structure of the organization, especially with regards to decision making (Kwiotkowska, 2018). The management will still be in charge of making the last decision, even though all the employees will be given a chance to issue out personal professional opinions. However, the flow of communication will greatly change as it will not only be vertical, but the horizontal type will also be used at all levels. That means there will be communication within departments but there will also be more across sections (Kwiotkowska, 2018). A result of the same is that there will be more interdepartmental support across the company, hence better results.

Conclusion

Social work administration is one of the most tedious tasks considering that one is tasked with managing people who deal with societal issues. In that case, there is a need of making various changes that would make the work of the management easier as they plan, lead, and direct the employees into carrying out tasks that would lead to the realization of the company goals. The changes will take place in various manners that involve the management styles, the tradition, and culture of the company, and the ways in which employees interact within and outside the organization.

References

Chun, J., Lee, D., & Sosik, J. (2018). Leader negative feedback-seeking and leader effectiveness in leader-subordinate relationships: The paradoxical role of subordinate expertise. The Leadership Quarterly, 29(4), 501-512. doi: 10.1016/j.leaqua.2017.11.001

Geppert, M., Becker-Ritterspach, F., & Mudambi, R. (2016). Politics and Power in Multinational Companies: Integrating the International Business and Organization Studies Perspectives. Organization Studies, 37(9), 1209-1225. doi: 10.1177/0170840616656152

Kippenberger, T. (2002). Leadership styles. Oxford, U.K.: Capstone Pub.

Kwiotkowska, A. (2018). Business model configurations and organizational performance. Scientific Papers Of Silesian University Of Technology. Organization And Management Series, 2018(121), 257-271. doi: 10.29119/1641-3466.2018.121.18

Mitevska-Encheva, M. (2018). Effects of Demographic Indicators on Perceptions of Followers of Leadership Styles. Information & Security: An International Journal, 39(3), 206-219. doi: 10.11610/isij.3918

Watson, L., & Hegar, R. (2016). The Tri-Sector Environment of Social Work Administration: Applying Theoretical Orientations. Administration In Social Work, 37(3...