Facilitative Leadership in Social Work Practice - Springer Publishing

More documents

Recommendations

Info

ONE What Is the Role of the Facilitative Leader? WHAT IS FACILITATION? Facilitation is a process (a word we shall use often and in many ways) in which a person or persons, “acceptable to all members of the group, substantively neutral, and [who] has no decision- making authority intervenes to help a group improve the way it identifies and solves problems and makes decisions in order to increase the group’s effectiveness” (Schwartz, 1994, p. 4). It is important to note the first part of that definition: “acceptable to all members of the group.” Being acceptable to all members is significant, because facilitation has some similarities to therapeutic roles social workers use with treatment groups and individuals. Among those important parallels are trust, rapport, empathy, and acceptance. These qualities, among others, allow the individual or group session to be the most productive because the individuals who participate understand that each has unique contributions that can be made to help address the task at hand. The second phrase, “substantively neutral,” is also important. The traditional definition of a facilitator is one who enables a group to function better but does not insert his ideas and opinions—no matter how germane they may be to the group’s decision. Neutrality is one of the key differences that distinguishes a facilitator from a facilitative leader. A facilitative leader is not neutral. Yes, she facilitates. But she also offers information and 1
Facilitative Leadership in Social Work Practice expertise, is transparent about her investment in the group process and outcome, and functions as a member of and with the group. More discussion about facilitator versus facilitative leader occurs later in this chapter. WHO ARE FACILITATIVE LEADERS? The effectiveness of a group is directly related to the efficacy of its process. If the group is high functioning, the facilitative leader uses a light hand on the process machine. If the group is low functioning (e.g., filled with conflict), the facilitative leader will be more directive in helping the group run its process. Even in a high-conflict group, however, the facilitative leader does not dictate the group’s actions; rather, he poses questions, summarizes, or uses other skills that invite members to move forward. The facilitative leader’s job is to focus on how well people work together and, by this focus, to help members of a group accomplish the goals they set for themselves. An effective facilitative leader monitors the group dynamic, offers process suggestions, and intervenes as needed to help the group stay on track to complete tasks with a high level of member satisfaction. The facilitative leader also works to ensure that all members have a voice and that “groupthink” (discussed in Chapter 5) is avoided. FACILITATIVE LEADERSHIP AND THE SOCIAL WORK CODE OF ETHICS The ethical practice of social work is a process and, unlike the surgeon with such external tools as scalpels, the social worker is the tool—social workers have themselves. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) Code of Ethics is a guide to help social workers use themselves in the most ethical way possible to embody the values and principles of the social work profession. The core values and ethical principles of social work are: Value: Service Ethical Principle: Social workers’ primary goal is to help people in need and to address social problems. Value: Social justice 2
Page 1 and 2: Facilitative Leadership In Social W
Page 3 and 4: Elizabeth M. Breshears, PhD, MSW, M
Page 5 and 6: Copyright © 2013 Springer Publishi
Page 7 and 8: Contents Situational Leadership 38
Page 9 and 10: Contents Index 203 Nameplate Exerci
Page 12 and 13: Preface Facilitative leadership is
Page 14 and 15: Introduction The Value of Facilitat
Page 16: Introduction REFERENCES National As
Page 21 and 22: Facilitative Leadership in Social W
Page 31: Facilitative Leadership in Social W

Facilitative Leadership in Social Work Practice - Springer Publishing

You also want an ePaper? Increase the reach of your titles

Delete template?

Save as template?