The Development of Resilience of Social Work Services in a State of Political Conflict

Abstract

Throughout the world, political conflicts lead to violence between countries. In such situations, wars and terrorism result in physical and mental injury to members of the civilian population. The social work services are many times the first to provide assistance in the initial stages of shock and defense. The success of the services depends, among other things, on their organizational characteristics. The present study is based upon qualitative research conducted in Israel with social workers. The point of departure was the knowledge gained from the experience of the social workers. The sample included 46 interviewees from 20 social work services. Thirteen of the services were identified as having organizational resilience and coped effectively with emergencies among the civilian population exposed to war and terrorism, and the other 13 were found to lack resilience. The research findings indicated that the tendency to take action was the most prominent characteristic among the resilient organizations. Other characteristics that contributed to action (in resilient organizations) or deterred action (in unsuccessful organizations) were associated with organizational structure, management and leadership style, the decision-making process, communication, role division, relations with the environment, and nature of the roles of the team members. The study discusses the characteristics of resilience and practical aspects for the development of social work services.