Use of Self in Indirect Practice Leadership Chapter Seven Policy, Advocacy, Management, and Community Practice Definition of Indirect Practice The concept, “indirect practice” refers to the use of policy, advocacy, community and management methods of social work practice to bring about and manage a more humane and just social order. Beneficiaries of Indirect Practice • Indirect practice benefits all citizens through policies and programs of universal entitlement. • Indirect practice benefits population subgroups specifically targeted by selective social welfare policies and programs. Target Systems of Indirect Practice • Macro practice targets societal dysfunction directly. • It targets social forces that affect population subgroups disproportionately Change Agent System • The use of self in indirect practice is based on the practitioner’s use of leadership in the exercise of authority and power to bring about and manage social change and reform • Leadership is a dyadic relationship between the leader and the led (group). Also see chapter 17. Declarative Knowledge Social Forces • The declarative knowledge needed by practitioners in indirect practice focuses on theories of causality associated with functional and dysfunctional social forces and societal structures. • Declarative knowledge gets transformed into interventions (practice theories) consistent with the social work methods of policy, advocacy, community and management practice. Procedural and Tacit Knowing • Procedural knowing is based on: (1) declarative knowledge- Sociological, political, and economic theories of causality of functional and dysfunctional social forces (if this, then that-prediction) (2) declarative knowledge of policy, advocacy, community and management methods; practice methods used to bring about social change (prevention and intervention) Tacit Knowing • Tacit knowing refers to mastery of procedural knowing within the worker’s use of self in the art of leadership. • Tacit knowing differentiates the master practitioner from the novice. Declarative Knowledge Normative Frameworks • Because the desired end-goals of social policies and programs, reform, and change efforts are value-based and normative, students also require: (1) knowledge of ethical decision-making (2) knowledge of moral philosophy (3) knowledge of theories of social justice The Relationship of Leadership • Relationship or the use of self in policy, advocacy, community and management practice is characterized as the exercise of leadership through the use of authority, influence and power. • Whereas relationship is the art of healing in clinical practice, relationship is the art of leadership in indirect practice. Definition of Leadership • Leadership is defined as the exercise of authority, influence, and power to accomplish tasks for which there is some degree of consensus (between leaders and followers) as to the desired outcome of organized, structured, activities. • Leadership is a complex concept about which much is written. • There are over 850 definitions, one thousand empirical studies and more than 2,000 books (written in 1999 alone) on leadership. Definition of LeadershipContinued • Despite the number of definitions, empirical studies, books and articles written, no single definition of leadership provides a wholly adequate explanation of leadership. • Initially, only political philosophers and historians wrote about leadership. • Subsequently the literature has focused on leadership as a management skill, focusing on the personal qualities and attributes of a chief executive officer. Definition of LeadershipContinued • Most often, leadership was regarded as a benign concept. • From the 1990’ to date, however, the literature on leadership has focused on the pervasiveness of bad leadership in all domains of public and private endeavors (Kellerman, 2005). • According to Kellerman, defining bad leadership and knowing how it happens (cause-effect) can advance good leadership. The Credentials of Leadership in Social Work • MBA: Master of Business Administration Degree leading to position of leadership in business • MPA: Master of Public Administration Degree leading to position of leadership in government or public service. • MSW: Master of Social Work Master of Social Work Administration • The MSW is the terminal practice degree regardless of concentration. • Students usually choose a second year concentration in administration if they aspire to be agency administrators. • Students with clinical concentrations may be promoted from within agencies to head agencies. A clinical director must oversee clinical staff. Master of Social Work Leadership in Policy • Students who aspire to leadership within the field of policy advocacy, choose second year concentrations in policy analysis, development and implementation. • Such students benefit from advanced courses in research as well as from courses on political and legislative processes. Master of Social Work Leadership in Advocacy Practice • Students who wish to engage in social change involving societal structures benefit from courses in small and large group dynamics. • Such students benefit from courses on planning and organizing. • Such students benefit from courses that increase their skills in public speaking, speech writing, and the use of other media mediums. Master of Social Work Leadership-Community Practice • Students who aspire to leadership in community practice benefit from courses on inter-group conflict, conflict negotiation and consensus building. • They benefit from courses on planning for incremental change within existing social structures and a law and order perspective. • They benefit from courses on grant writing and fund raising. Teaching and Supervising Leadership • The exercise of leadership as part of student learning often goes untaught and unmonitored. • The consequence of an unexamined and unmonitored use of self in a relationship of leader and led is as dangerous as the unexamined use of self in clinical practice. • Bad leadership affects many direct and indirectly; through bad decisions or good decisions left unmade. Typologies of Leadership • Given that inability to define leadership, scholars have attempted to conceptualize it through the use of typologies. • Five typologies of leadership are explored in this chapter: (1) power, (2) bureaucracy, (3) inspiration, (4) morality, (5) effective and ethical The Typology of Power • Power is the basic energy needed to initiate and sustain action. It translates intention into reality. • Power is the the quality without which leaders cannot lead. • Leadership and power are inevitably linked. • Despite this, curricula on leadership has systematically neglected this topic. Sources of Power French and Raven 1. Legitimate: Power resides in the position of a hierarchically ordered organization not the person; often referred to a authority. 2. Expert: power based on individual’s expertise. 3. Reward: power based on an individual’s capacity to reward or punish others. 4. Referent power based on social factors of influence i.e. position within social, political and financial hierarchy. 5. Coercive: The ability to inflict physical, psychological or social pain to secure support Weber’s Typology of the Bureaucracy • Bureaucracies are based on rational principles and a chain of command. • Bureaucracies are designed to be efficient by limiting the direction of interaction – top down chain of command • Not all rational behavior is moral. • Under the influence of authority, individuals often suspend their conscience. Followers Technical Bureaucrats • In the case of the technical bureaucrat (Weber) critical thinking and/or moral judgment are often suspended under the obligation to follow orders. • Followers lack internal control over actions that have their origin in authority i.e. Milgram’s experiment of administering shocks and Zimbardo’s prison experiment Typology of Inspiration • Inspirational leadership is an emotional transaction between leader and led. • The inspirational leader captures hearts, minds, and souls based on a leader’s passionate, uncompromising strength of conviction or particular worldview. • The downside of such conviction and passion is intolerance. Typology of InspirationContinued • Inspirational leaders are as likely to lead others in the commission of immoral acts (unjust wars, genocide, torture) as they are to lead them in acts that elevate humankind and the human condition. • Examples: -Downside are Hitler, Stalin, Mao-TseTung; Upside are Mahatma Ghandi. Reverend Desmond Tutu, Reverend Martin Luther King • Charismatic leadership is known to produce outcomes that are good or evil’ principled or petty, or a mixture of both Followers Typology of Inspiration • Emotionally aroused individuals or groups, under the influence of a charismatic leader often engage in behavior they would not otherwise engage in under ordinary circumstances. • In the presence of emotional arousal, individuals often suspend critical thinking and moral judgment. Typology of Morality Transformative Leadership • According to Bennis and Nanus, leadership is a creative and deeply human process that speaks of moral character not charisma. • Transformative leadership (MacGregor, 1996) is defined as that occurrence where one or more persons engage with others in such a way that leaders and followers raise one another to higher levels of motivation and morality. • Transforming leadership ultimately becomes moral in that it raises the level of human conduct and ethical aspiration Typology of Morality-Continued Moral Demagoguery • Some of most atrocious acts against humankind have been carried out in the name of religion (God) and patriotism. • All leaders,regardless of tactics, lay claim to the moral high ground. • The determination of “moral” requires critical thinking and the capacity to differentiate the symbols used to portray morality from the actual performance of moral acts themselves. Kellerman’s Typology Effective and Ethical • Kellerman proposes a 4X4 typology within which we can understand good and bad leadership. • Good leadership is (1) Effective and ethical. • Bad leadership may be: (2) ethical but not effective (3) effective but not ethical (4) effectively unethical What Accounts for Bad Leadership? According to Kellerman three factors account for bad leadeship: (1) human nature (2) human motivation, (3) followers: According to Kellerman, human beings (whether leaders or followers) cannot be relied upon to behave well. We behave badly because of who we are (character) and because of what we want (motivation). The Need for Power As A Character Flaw • Kellerman uses the term,”character flaw” to denote the intractability of core dimensions of personality related to one’s moral compass. • When bad leadership is linked to character flaws, the leader seeks power to compensate for feelings of inferiority and anxiety (Gummer, 1990). Being able to control, manipulate and/or hurt others brings satisfaction. Unconscious needs disable moral judgment. • As part of human nature, bad leadership is also linked to needs for affiliation. The Need for Affiliation As a Character Flaw • Leaders with affiliative needs are more concerned about being liked than with exercising power. • Such leaders fail to appropriately address internal organizational conflict allowing it to escalate and become more destructive. Bad Leadership The Motivation Of Greed According to Kellerman leadership is bad when it is motivated by greed; the desire for more power, more money, greater prestige, increased social status, more material goods, more of anything. Why We Follow Bad Leadership • Because leadership is a dyadic relationship (leader and led) Kellerman examines why followers follow bad leadership. • Followers usually follow even when they know that a leader is misguided or malevolent. • Followers follow because even bad leaders satisfy basic human needs for safety, simplicity, and certainty. Why We Follow Bad Leadership Self Preservation Self preservation is the strongest motive for following bad leadership. Going along – self preservation depends on going along;. Often it is in the followers best interest to go with the flow. Not going along takes time, energy, and more often than not courage. Preference for simplicity – obeying authority is the easiest way to keep life simple; easier to assume leaders know what they doing than to challenge them. Why We Follow Bad Leadership Continued Being on a winning team – we value camaraderie over being isolated. We want to be a “star” on a winning team. Security – workplace security is tied to where one lives on the organizational chart. Security seekers are willing to yield to authority in exchange for financial security and a meaningful definition of self within the organization. Dysfunctional Organizational Cultures • Poor performing organizations usually have strong dysfunctional cultures. • Such cultures are characterized by polarized factions each of which seeks to solidify its power base at the expense of other factions and the organization as a whole. • Tactics of coercion are common within dysfunctional organizations. Dysfunctional Followers • According to Kellerman, going along with a bad leader is one thing but to knowingly and deliberately commit oneself to an unethical leader is something else. • Kellerman identifies three types of followers associated with unethical leadership: Followers that Support Unethical Leadership According to Kellerman, those who consciously and deliberately support unethical leadership are themselves “bad”. They stand to benefit financially or politically. They fall into three categories: (1) bystanders- those who go along (2) collaborators –those who actively participate in unethical behavior (means-ends). (3) co-architects – true believers and coarchitects of unethical means and ends. Theories of Leadership Overview 1. The great man theory- leaders are born 2. The great event – events and the availability of followers make leaders out of ordinary people. 3. The crucible – leaders are formed through some confluence of forces that meld character; some turning point. 4. Rationalism and Enlightenment –18th century perspective- leaders reflect a belief in reason, progress and perfectibility of man. Theories of Leadership Overview-Continued 5. Freud and Weber – 19th century perspective Not all leaders are rational and not all leaders are moral. 6. Personal Traits -20th century perspective.Numerous empirical studies- concept of leadership traits is mixed – good an bad traits coexist side by side in same person. 7. Leadership Style – democratic style better than autocratic (authoritarian) or laissez-faire. Theories of Leadership Management 8. The efficient leader/manager - time and motion studies; science informs leadership 9. The humanist leader/manager – human relations and sensitivity model. Employees work best when their emotional needs are taken into account. 10 Theory X – employees are motivated by their paychecks; they work best under supervision Theories of Leadership Management 11 Theory Y: positive incentives rather than negative reinforcements. 12. Theory Z: A combination of X and Y motivates employees and keeps morale high. 13. Contingency Theory – Belief that context determines leadership. There are endless contingencies and therefore endless varieties of leadership. Empirical Evidence on Leadership • Leadership is a concept lacking conceptual clarity and therefore empirical verification. • One cannot measure what eludes definition. • Conceptually, leadership is in the exploratory stage of research with a focus on definition through the creation of typologies. • The only consensus among scholars is that leadership is not a benign concept. The Exercise of Authority, Influence, and Power • See the leadership checklist in the text. • See sample process recording of administrative meeting in text. • See sample minutes of a meeting.