A Comparative Analysis of Social Workers’ Macro Practice Activities

Abstract

Writers have long argued that social workers require some level of competence in supervisory and administrative roles, but there has been scant research identifying what competencies are necessary for all practitioners. This study explored the frequency with which purposive samples of managers and direct practitioners reported engaging in 35 “administrative competencies.” Questionnaires (sent to managers in 1992–93 and to practitioners in 1996) asked respondents to rate their frequency for performing each administrative competency on a 10-point scale. Following data analysis in which the 35 competencies were reduced to 12 management dimensions, the authors found no significant differences in frequency for 10 of these dimensions. Moreover, the two groups’ job behavior patterns were remarkably similar. These findings suggest that social work education should provide the knowledge and skills necessary for human services management, possibly through an advanced generalist model of education.