There are many descriptions of leadership, but not many of them seem to apply to social work effectively. Lawrence (2005) states, “new leadership may be seen as an attempt to imply greater individual freedoms within a practice more constrained than ever before,” implying the common term of leadership restrains the individual expression (p.137). Social work leadership is different from generally perceived leadership, which is more related to business. Social work does not need the hierarchal ruling but management where everybody is free to discuss their thoughts and are inspired to work for the wellness and prosperity of others.
The reading by Shields (2004) suggests that social worker leaders should not use a transactional approach where the leader rewards or punishes the follower for his or her action but need to be transformational. This way, the colleagues would be encouraged to work on the shared motive without having a sense of obligation but more of a personal will. Leadership incorporates vision, collective methodology, critical thinking, and the capacity to impact others’ perspectives, activities, and to motivate and develop change (Holosko, 2009). Iachini, Cross, and Freedman (2015) develop this thought further by proposing that the best model of leadership in the social work area is by following the Social Chane Model. This method allows the intervention of several leaders and allows the exchange of information and feedback between workers.
I agree this is the best type of administration in social work since the area itself requires the reliance on equal rights, evenly distributed duties, and consideration of different opinions to help society. During my last project, our team used this approach, where all the leading tasks were divided between experienced workers. I had to teach the new recruits and dive them into the process. It helped our team to meet all the requirements on time. Moreover, when there are several leaders in a group, they can learn valuable skills and knowledge regarding the subject from each other.
References
Holosko, M. (2009). Social work leadership: Identifying core attributes. Journal of Human Behavior in the Social Environment, 19(4), 448-459. Web.
Iachini, A. L., Cross, T. P., & Freedman, D. A. (2015). Leadership in social work education and the social change model of leadership. Social Work Education, 34(6), 650-665. Web.
Lawler, J. (2005). Leadership in Social work: A case of caveat emptor? British Journal of Social Work, 37(1), 123-141. Web.
Shields, C. M. (2004). Dialogic leadership for social justice: Overcoming pathologies of silence. Educational Administration Quarterly, 40(1), 109-132.