**8.1 Leadership theories and models in organization**

In today's society, the application of leadership theories and models in organizations starting from the global north to the south from social work perspectives is very important. Varieties of literatures demonstrate that there are many leadership theories and models that have been long and remained a highly elusive concept in social work organizations. The blurred lines between leadership and the social workers needing leadership makes it difficult to clearly define leadership in the social work and organization context. For example, some organizational approaches which are scientific in nature

have failed to consider the workman by however concentrating on the organizational processes gearing towards production which evidently do not resonate well in the modern social work organizations. The success of social work as a profession is contingent on the effectiveness of the leadership itself and however it is from this fact that fostering effective leadership in social work organisations using leadership theories and models in organization has been leaving a lot to be desired. However, multiple studies such as Munro [16] is of the view that leadership will be needed throughout organisations to implement the recommendations successfully, especially to facilitate the move from a command-and-control culture encouraging compliance to learning and adapting culture. These underscore the importance ascribed to leadership for improving social work practice. The desire on leadership in social work is to span the entire profession, from the education stage, where social workers are trained, all the way to the frontline in their social work practice in organizations. Kinds of literatures show that there is however, a notable incongruency between leadership education given to students and that given to social workers in practice [19–21]. Thus leadership in social work organizations is often referred to as managers or leaders, with both titles being used interchangeably. There is however a need to distinguish between the two as they differ greatly in meaning. Thus managers are often strict leaders who do things by the book i.e. is concentrating on the management process devoid of approach where human relations is of paramount significant. Under the former, organization manager plans, organizes co-ordinates and controls the subordinate social workers under authoritarian leadership style in order to achieve the tasks at hand. Thus organization managers often put emphasis on completing tasks and meeting deadlines and targets. They follow protocol and "manage" staff to make sure positive results are achieved. Leaders on the other hand, give direction, offer inspiration, build teamwork, set an example and gain acceptance among their subordinates. In that regard, social work leaders in organizations believe the title of leaders and not those of managers. Social work leaders are visionaries [22] "who act as role models and inspire practitioners in contexts of turbulence and uncertainty" [23]. As indicated earlier on, social work leadership is a process of social influence in which one person can enlist the support of others in the accomplishment of a common task [23]. Thus social work leadership in various organizations may refer to the structures within the organization through which information is relayed to the subordinates. Moreover, these ranks are often displayed in the form of an organization structure for example the bureaucratic form which shows the top, all the way to the bottom, often forming the shape of triangle. The bureaucratic leadership at the top often adopts different theories and authoritarian leadership styles used in military to effectively foster the required leadership in that particular organisation when working with the frontline social workers to achieve the goals of the organization. In contrast, the democratic leadership used in social work organizations fosters group participation to ultimately achieve the goals and objectives of the social work organization. The reviewed literature shows that some of the theories anticipated to foster effective leadership in organizations from social work perspectives are the following;

#### *8.1.1 Transformational theory*

The available literature shows that the Transformational leadership is a model of leadership that puts emphasis on bringing about change in an organization. This model resonates well with the social work profession because it harnesses the power of the individual and the potential they possess to effect change [20]. The leaders work with the frontline social workers to bring about this change. This leadership

#### *Perspective Chapter: Fostering Effective Leadership in Social Work Organisations DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.106281*

model is also important because it focuses on the motivation of the frontline workers. Social workers all over the globe face an increasingly large workload, which adds to the tremendous amount of fatigue it presents to the workers. This fatigue has led to a great number of social workers quitting the profession. Because of this anomaly demonstrate that there is need to constantly motivate the social workers to foster effective leadership in executing the duties in an organization. Multiple studies have shown that the Transformational model is the most effective model as far as the motivation of the social workers is concerned. It transforms staff perceptions and it focuses on the collective action of the organization as a whole [2].

#### *8.1.2 Client-centred theory*

Multiple literatures show that the Client-centred leadership is grounded on the client or service user as the distinguished focus, with the motivation and job satisfaction of social workers merely acting as a means towards the desired end of meeting service users' needs and improving their life circumstances. This approach resonates with that definition of the social work profession and also on the core principles, which is client self-determination [2]. This means that there is constant communication between the social workers and the clients in order to make sure that at any given stage, the interests of the clients are put at the helm of the interaction. Within the social work profession, the client-centred approach means that the roles of client and service provider are interchanged between the leadership and the frontline workers. For example, in the situations where the frontline social workers are being audited on the results of their organizational work, the leadership assumes the role of the client and the social workers become the service provider. In that regard, there should be constant interaction between the two to ensure that the needs of the leadership are met. For instance, this could possibly be in the form of reports and other feedback mechanisms which inform the leadership on the progress of activities on the ground. Hence, the client-centred approach makes interaction between both parties a key feature and leaves little room for speculation and guesswork in an organization.

#### *8.1.3 Participatory theory*

To add on, participatory leadership is an approach that is linked to developing shared purpose and values, constant improvement and cooperative culture between leadership and the workforce. It has been observed that this approach realizes leadership not as a rigid structure, but as a dynamic practice that is distributed among the leaders and the social workers [24]. Also, this approach brings the specific situation into focus and makes the approach an influential factor regarding leadership. Even though the organization has its rigid leadership and organizational structure, participatory leadership for specific tasks is determined by the nature of the dilemma at hand. In the specific circumstances, leadership is rewarded based on one's experience and expertise. There is a considerable amount of meritocracy taken into account before deciding on leadership for a specific mission. Participatory leadership has a hand in glove relationship with social work values and has benefits in social work organisations. Participatory leadership model enhance the level of cooperation between the social workers and the leadership. It takes a bottom up approach, where any major decisions are discussed at grassroots level before being elevated to the top of the hierarchy. When such decisions are implemented, they are more readily accepted by the majority because they are a reflection of their own thoughts. The mindset and esteem

of the social workers on the ground is a highly underrated component that plays a pivotal role in the effectiveness of social work practice. The participatory approach is one that upholds the positive esteem and motivation of the social workers.

### *8.1.4 Situational theory*

Another theory is the situational leadership approach which is a model that was developed by Hersey and Blanchard [25]. This model realizes leadership as being inseparable to situations. It views leadership as a highly dynamic force that keeps changing to match different situations. This model of leadership matches with the nature of contemporary social work. Social work is a profession that deals with people from all walks of life and the problems they face. The nature of such problems is ever changing and not set in stone. The rate at which this change takes place has increased greatly, with modern technology and globalization playing ever increasing roles. Hersey and Blanchard [25] noted that two factors come into play when considering candidates under the situational model, experience and knowledge. Experience is important because it determines whether or not an individual will be able to do their job independently and take responsibility for it. The social workers in an organization should also have adequate knowledge of what is happening here and now as well as the required skills in order to adequately perform their job. Hence it is also important for the leadership to have motivation, as they are the top of the organization. If the leadership is well motivated, there is a high likelihood that the workforce will also be motivated. Within situational leadership, four leadership styles are created, which are directing, coaching, supporting and delegating. However, even though this book chapter has only selected a few theories highlighted to foster effective leadership in social work organizations, the list is endless as there are other theories and models appropriate in social work organizations.
