Social workers seek to empower people and communities in their everyday lives. Unfortunately, the field has garnered a reputation for being a noble but dreary profession. As a result, a leadership crisis currently besets the social work labor market. Experienced leaders in nonprofit administration are abandoning the field. Watson and Hoefer (2016) hypothesize that the negative representation of social work by academics is contributing to the current crisis in leadership. Watson and Hoefer (2016) argue that it is necessary to inform students about the joy of social work administration to attract new talent to the field.
Firstly, the paper outlines the current state of the social work market. The present challenges affecting nonprofit administration include high educational requirements, lack of funding, lack of research and evidence-based programs, and a leadership crisis. Social workers are expected to advocate for marginalized groups, navigate complex moral situations, and deal with a bulwark of bureaucracy. Watson and Hoefer (2016) argue that graduate-level classes in social work administration focus too much on emphasizing the hardships of the profession, which fosters reluctance in students to work in the nonprofit sector. To overcome this problem, principles of positive organizational psychology should be applied in teaching administration. Academics must warn students of the challenges of social work but also focus on its joyful elements.
Secondly, the design and method of the experiment are presented. To conduct a study on the joy of social work administration, Watson and Hoefer (2016) first define “joy” as the self-confidence that comes from fulfilled potential and free expression of feelings. Over three semesters, graduate-level students in an Advanced Administration class conducted 20 interviews with a human service organization’s executive director or administrator (Watson & Hoefer, 2016).
They came from organizations such as school service programs, home health agencies, adoption agencies, and mental health clinics. The basic question posed to every interviewee was: “What, if anything, brings you joy in your work as a human services administrator?” (Watson & Hoefer, 2016, p. 180) Students then wrote a seven to ten-page detailed summary of the administrator’s verbal and nonverbal response.
The study revealed five major sources of joy in social work: making a difference, mentoring staff, finding meaning, being an advocate, and receiving recognition (Watson & Hoefer, 2016). Students noted how body language, facial expression, and tone shifted from stressed to passionate as administrators discussed their professional accomplishments. Without exception, all extolled the rewarding nature of realizing they had a positive impact on both their clients’ lives and their staff’s professional development. Working for organizations that prioritized helping others over financial gain made them feel like they had attained meaning in their lives.
Many took pride in being able to advocate for marginalized groups and facilitate community services for them. Respondents reported satisfaction when receiving compliments and seeing the community come together in a common goal. In general, employees loved coming to work because it made them feel like useful, respected members of society.
Finally, Watson and Hoefer (2016) call for more rigorous and replicable research on joy in social work administration. They believe this is the key to reversing the current labor shortage. Studying positive aspects of social work administration will encourage employee retention by helping avoid burnout, stress, and early retirement and attract much-needed new talent to the field (Watson & Hoefer, 2016).
In conclusion, Watson and Hoefer (2016) conducted an interesting and unprecedented study in job satisfaction among social work administrators. They argued that focusing on the rewarding elements of work-life according to the principles of positive psychology would solve the current leadership crisis. Their study revealed that joy in human service administration mainly came from positively impacting other people’s lives. Educators must present both the difficulties and these joys to produce more graduates willing to enter the field and avoid employee burnout.
Reference
Watson, L. D., & Hoefer, R. A. (2016). The joy of social work administration: An exploratory qualitative study of human service administrators’ positive perceptions of their work. Journal of Social Work Education, 52(2), 178-185. Web.