What should be the roles and behavior of administrators to meet the challenges facing social service agencies today? Here is a thought-provoking book that provides a great deal of insight into administrative leadership, an essential component in the survival and effectiveness of social service agencies.In response to the enormous challenges that social service agencies are facing, including justification of their mission, mobilization of resources, and responsiveness to new social needs, experts present theoretical and empirical studies on administrative leadership in the social services, reviewing the most recent theories and research on the relationship between leadership and service effectiveness. They also focus on emerging issues in social work administration, including a description of the role of women in social work administration and an assessment of a feminist model of macro practice; the rise of for-profit social service agencies; management-union relations; and entrepreneurship as a new model for administrators.Administrative Leadership in the Social Services is especially useful for administrators of social service agencies by providing them with insight into their own practice and giving them guidance to improve their administrative effectiveness. To students and scholars, this outstanding new volume presents a review of theories and research on current and emerging issues in social work administration.

ContentsThe Challenge to Administrative Leadership in the Social Services: A Prefatory Essay