Leadership in Social Work: Basis for Promotion of The Heads of Social Work Institutions in China

Zhili Wang

doi:10.54097/wcdg2k45

Authors

Zhili Wang

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.54097/wcdg2k45

Keywords:

Promotion of Social Work Heads, Social Work, Social Workers in China, Transformational Leadership

Abstract

The call for studies on social work leadership has been raised since then. Various leadership models from the business literature were adopted in social work literature but had not been analyzed thoroughly to determine their appropriateness with social work mission and values to advance the social work agenda. In China, nearly 8,000 social work service organizations (SWSOs) were developed quickly in the end of 2017 which offered both opportunities and challenges for social work administrators who were observed to practice transformational leadership often. Apparently, a Chinese version of transformational leadership was developed by Li & Shi (2005) based on the four-factor structure anchored on Chinese culture of moral integrity, leadership charm, vision motivation, and individualized consideration which was the study’s framework. The study investigated the transformational leadership of heads in social work institutions in China as basis for their promotion. This inquiry filled a perceived gap in the scant literature regarding leadership of Chinese social work heads. Also, it analyzed the organizational conditions and management of heads in social work institutions. The study involved 193 heads from 5 social work institutions in China who were mostly female with 1-5 years of service as a professional social worker with specialized educational background. Through quantitative descriptive, comparative, and correlational methods, the results showed that social work leaders always experienced transformational leadership. However, the heads presented numerous challenges that called for improved guidelines on their promotion. Thus, the output of the study was developed.

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