Social Work 688
SOWK 688: Administration, Management, and Supervision
Prerequisite: Graduate standing
Credit Hours: (3)
This elective course is designed to focus on the role and function of the social work leader in the role of supervisor, manager, and administrator.
Detailed Description of Course
This elective course is designed to focus on the role and function of the social work leader in the role of supervisor, manager, and administrator. The various roles and theories of leadership and administration are examined and applied. A working knowledge of the purpose, function, and role of social work supervisors and managers is explored, analyzed, and expanded. This course explores macro level management, including planning, organizing, staffing, leading, controlling, and evaluating. Strength focused, empowering models of leadership, management, and supervision provide a focus for the course. The interactive processes of ethno racial identity, socioeconomic status, gender, sexual orientation, and disability and their impact on decision making process, staff relations, organizational environment, and service delivery are emphasized.
Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
The course is organized around lectures, discussion sessions, experiential activities, films/videos, and individual and group investigation of the issues.
Goals and Objectives of the Course
1. Compare and contrast leadership theories and leadership styles and integrate this knowledge to develop an individual leadership style;
2. Critically analyze and synthesize theories, principles, and concepts of supervision and administration;
3. Evaluate multiple dimensions of diversity, including ethnoracial identity, socioeconomic status, age, gender/sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, ability, using a critical multicultural lens;
4. Analyze the impact of diversity on organizational dynamics and explore the potential
5. Assess and integrate the skills and functions of supervision and management including performance evaluation, staff relations and interactions, planning, staffing, organizing, controlling, and leading;
6. Demonstrate the congruence between social work values and quality management and supervision for effective practice;
7. Apply macro practice functions of program evaluation, leadership, organizational change, group dynamics and interpersonal interactions, consensus building, and conflict resolution;
8. Examine what it means to be a member of an organizational team, exploring followership, emotional abuse, misbehavior, and ethics; and
9. Explore the situational factors influencing management and supervision and demonstrate the ability to adapt methods contingent upon these.
Assessment Measures
Course evaluations used at the University Level
1. Critical thinking: Work that demonstrates the ability to evaluate and critique ideas.
2. Conceptual ability: Work that demonstrates the ability to use theoretical concepts accurately, to think in logical sequence and to organize ideas into a conceptual whole. 3. Communication and presentation: Work that demonstrates the ability to transmit ideas in a verbal or written form in an organized and grammatically correct (sentence, paragraph, spelling, etc.) structure.
4. Research: Work that demonstrates that the subject matter has been adequately researched and correctly cited.
5. Creativity: Work that suggests innovative approaches to the subject matter being discussed or presented.
6. Application: Work that demonstrates relevance to practice.
Other Course Information
Gibelman, M. (2003). Navigating human service organizations. Chicago, IL: Lyceum.
Kouzes, J. M. & Posner, B. Z. (2002). Leadership the challenge (3rd ed.).San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
Tsui, M.-S. (2005). Social work supervision: Contexts and concepts. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
Review and Approval
March 2007