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Description
For more than three decades, social work educators have recognized the unique challenges of training social work administrators and the limitations of schools of social work in preparing students as administrators (Ezell, Chernesky, & Healy, 2004; Neugeboren, 1986; Patti, 1987). During this period a decline has been documented in the number of NASW members identifying themselves as administrators (Gibelman & Shervish, 1997), and attempts have been made to determine the management competencies that should be addressed in social work education programs (Edwards, Cooke, & Reid, 1996; McNutt, 1995; Menefee &Thompson, 1994; Wimpfheimer, 2004).
Social work educators are studying the issue of how best to include management content in the social work curriculum, and two disturbing trends have been noted. A 2003 study by the United Way of New York City suggested a looming crisis in nonprofit management, with many nonprofit leaders on the verge of retirement and few potential leaders poised to take over. Despite the finding that staff members needed more work to improve their managerial performance, few organizations reported that they are investing in the leadership training of their management staff (Birdsell & Muzzio, 2003). The second trend is the growing number of social services agencies being run by administrators from fields other than social work. "Social work administrators find themselves in competition with those in other areas of administration, including non-profit administration and law, who are thought to possess stronger decision making skills" (Ezell et al., 2004, p. 73) These two trends, taken together, are resulting in fewer social services agencies being run by social workers (Slavin, 2004).
TRAINING FOR HUMAN SERVICES MANAGEMENT
After interviewing a manager who calls for fewer social workers in managerial positions, Patti... |
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