Facilitative Leadership in Social Work Practice

Abstract

Facilitative leadership is a fundamental skill for social workers, especially in macro practice situations. Identified roles in social work practice commonly include enabler, mediator, coordinator, manager, educator, analyst/evaluator, broker, facilitator, initiator, negotiator, and advocate. The skills required to fulfill these roles are called upon every day in work with clients and colleagues. The role of facilitative leader incorporates pieces from many of these roles. This book enables the reader to understand the concept of facilitative leadership, shows how it relates to the social work code of ethics, and clarifies the facilitative leader’s role and distinguishes it from a trainer, consultant, or chairperson. It explores the concepts of leadership and shows how they apply to social work in group process. The book demonstrates how to develop skills in performing facilitative leadership without sacrificing a stakeholder position and how to identify the phases of group development and their significance. It discusses communication and intervention techniques and their situational value to others who perform facilitative leadership tasks and enables to gain comfort and demonstrate competence in the use of group process techniques. The book also enables the reader to learn to be a facilitative leader of group process regardless of the formal role he/she has been assigned in the group.