The Perception of Leaders Regarding Networking among Nonprofit Social Service Agencies: Focusing on Competitive Environments in South Korea

Abstract

With a growing number of nonprofit social service agencies in South Korea, leaders are required to networking among agencies to provide quality services. On the other hand, increasing competitive environments negatively impact building relationships. Leaders of nonprofit social service agencies have an initiative to network; however, there is little research on understanding these leaders’ experiences of networking. This study explores the perception of leaders regarding networking among nonprofit social service agencies. In-depth semi-structured interviews were conducted with 21 social workers who are in a leadership position at nonprofit social service agencies. Results revealed that most leaders were aware of the importance of networking and were involved in networking activities, however, they perceived the quality of networking as low and superficial. In addition, the findings indicated that within competitive environments, leaders' lack of awareness of the importance of networking and lack of incorporation of networking prevent its facilitation. Implications for practice and for future research in strong networking are suggested.