Organisational behaviour for social work unites the well-established study of behaviour in organizations with the special, and sometimes unusual, organizational settings of social work practice. In doing this, it recognizes the gendered nature of social work organizations, but, uniquely, retains simultaneously the valuable insights of mainstream organizational behaviour research, despite its often male context.
Another innovation of the book is the targetting of non-traditional organizational behaviour audiences. For, where previous textbooks have tended to cater for managers, this book is aimed at the social work practitioner, and others who interact with social work organizations.
Finally, the book uses real social work case examples to flesh out traditional organizational behaviour concepts, and, in doing so, also explains the impact of recent organizational changes upon social work practice.
Introduction; Organisational theories and contexts; Motivation: what makes social work a good job?; Communication: does the social work grapevine work for you?; Decision making: do your practice decisions seem to make themselves?; Team working: can you join the perfect social work team?; Organisational culture: do social services have a culture of complaint or a culture of care?; Organisational learning: is a learning organisation a good place to work?; Leadership and management: is a social work style of management possible?; Management strategies: do the costs outweigh the gains?; Power and the organisation: who really controls social services?; Organisational change: do welfare organisations resist change?; Conclusion: social workers in organisations
