Building on strengths to develop the leadership of social workers

Abstract

The importance of leadership to creating supportive organizational cultures and positive team cultures for social work practice is well recognized. Yet, there are few opportunities provided for developing leadership behaviors among social workers. Jointly developed by a university and an improvement body, this paper examines the experiences of social workers participating in a post-qualifying leadership program that was aimed at developing participants’ leadership that is embedded in the principles of strengths-based practice. Employing a case study approach, the study presents findings from an end-of-program survey, semi-structured interviews, self-reflection forms, and focus groups. Following the Kirkpatrick evaluation framework as our analytical tool for data collection and analysis, our findings suggest that the design and delivery of the program provided theory informed opportunities for reflection, improving the knowledge, skills, and leadership behaviors of participants. By offering theoretical and practical opportunities for reflection, participants were more confident in claiming a leadership identity and recognizing how to reflect their social work values within their leadership. Greater emphasis in social work education and by professional bodies on the nature of social work leadership would further strengthen its legitimacy and contribution.