Week 1:Social Work Administration:An Ecological Perspective, As you have been completing your coursework and developing your experience working in human services organizations, you have likely become aware of some of the environmental influences on organizations. What external factors, factors outside the organization, influence what occurs within the organization? What internal factors influence the organization’s functioning? And, most important, how do these factors impact your work and the type and quality of the services that your clients receive?

Students will:

• Analyze leadership and management roles as they relate to human services organizations
• Analyze application of systems theory to human services organizations

Week 1:Social Work Administration:An Ecological Perspective

Learning Resources

Required Readings

Lauffer, A. (2011). Understanding your social agency (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: Sage.

• Chapter 1, “Where Your Agency Came From and Where It’s Going” (pp. 2–31)
• Prequel to Chapter 2, “Meet the Staff Members” (pp. 35–37)
• Chapter 2, “Concepts, Theories, and Classifications” (pp. 38–65)
• Chapter 7, “Organizational Culture” (pp. 210–240)
• Chapter 8, “Leadership, Management, and Governance” (pp. 243–280)

Optional Resources

Walden University. (2014). Master of Social Work home page. Retrieved from https://class.waldenu.edu

Visit the Master of Social Work interactive home page to explore resources available to students in the program.

Week 1:Social Work Administration:An Ecological Perspective

Discussion: Leadership and Management: What Is the Difference?

 

Leadership and management in social agencies are about starting things up, getting them done, and keeping them moving.

—Armand Lauffer

 

Leadership and management are two terms that are used interchangeably but represent different roles that have different functions. Understanding the differences and similarities is essential for social work administrators as they develop leadership strategies within organizations. Understanding the functions associated with leadership and management roles can influence how social workers supervise and work with colleagues in administrative practice. As you prepare for this Discussion, consider how your understanding of leadership and management roles might affect you when you assume a supervisory position.

By Day 3

Post an analysis of the similarities and differences of leadership and management roles as they relate to human services organizations. Include how your understanding of these roles may affect you as you assume a supervisory position.

Support your post with specific references to the resources. Be sure to provide full APA citations for your references.

By Day 5

Read a selection of your colleagues’ posts.

Respond to at least two colleagues by explaining whether you agree or disagree with your colleague’s analysis of the similarities and differences of leadership and management and their application to a potential supervisory position in a human services organization. Provide support for your position.

Return to this Discussion to read the responses to your initial post. Note what you have learned and/or any insights you gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.

Submission and Grading Information

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:

Week 1 Discussion Rubric

Post by Day 3 and Respond by Day 5

To participate in this Discussion:

Week 1 Discussion

Week 1:Social Work Administration:An Ecological Perspective

Assignment: Human Services Organizations as Systems

Social workers use the person-in-environment approach to understand the relationship between individuals and their physical and social environments. This ecological perspective is a framework that is based on concepts associated with systems theory. Systems theory guides social workers when they assess how factors in the environment such as school, work, culture, and social policy impact the individual. Although social workers commonly use the systems approach to focus on the individual, they may apply this approach to human services organizations as well. Human services organizations exist within the context of the social, economic, and political environments, and any type of change in one aspect of the environment will influence the organization’s internal and external functioning.

For this Assignment, consider how administrators of human services organizations may apply systems theory in their work. Also, consider what you have discovered about the roles of leadership and management and how these contribute to an organization’s overall functioning.

Assignment (2–3 pages in APA format): Explain how systems theory can help administrators understand the relationships between human services organizations and their environments. Provide specific examples of ways administrators might apply systems theory to their work. Finally, explain how leadership and management roles within human services organizations contribute to their overall functioning.

By Day 7

Submit your Assignment.

Submission and Grading Information

To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:

• Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK1Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
• Click the Week 1 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
• Click the Week 1 Assignment link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.
• Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK1Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click Open.
• If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.
• Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.

Grading Criteria

To access your rubric:

Week 1 Assignment Rubric

Check Your Assignment Draft for Authenticity

To check your Assignment draft for authenticity:

Submit your Week 1 Assignment draft and review the originality report.

Submit Your Assignment by Day 7

To submit your Assignment:

Week 1 Assignment

Week 1:Social Work Administration:An Ecological Perspective

Week in Review

This week you analyzed leadership/management roles and the application of systems theory to human services organizations.

Next week you will examine external factors that influence organizational funding and ways leaders can influence change in these systems.

Week 1:Social Work Administration:An Ecological Perspective

Looking Ahead

Note to Students: Technology and Students With Disabilities

In Week 3 of this course, you create and upload a video that your Instructor and your colleagues view. Walden University’s goal is to make assignments and materials accessible to everyone, regardless of disability. If you are unable to create a video or access other students’ videos due to a disability, it is your responsibility to request appropriate accommodations from the Office of Disability Services at your University within the first week of the course start date.

Final Project (Due Week 10)

As you work through the course, keep your Final Project in mind. For full details, refer to Week 7 in Week 10 of the Weekly Dashboard.

To go to the next week:

Week 2