Validation of a Measure of Social Work Leadership

ABSTRACT

A social work leadership measure, designed to address research and leadership challenges described in recent research, is validated. Distribution of 418 surveys to professionals and graduate students at a large mid-Atlantic social work school yields a 87.80% response rate. Exploratory factor analysis using data from the 202 participants whose demographic characteristics meet inclusion criteria yields a five-factor solution, provisionally labeled Organizational Health, Change Management, Community Relations; Mutual Empowerment; Social Work Ethics. Further use in research and practice settings may contribute to the validity of this leadership instrument, the first developed specifically for social work and grounded in the profession’s goals.

KEYWORDS:

• Management
• Leadership and organizational change
• Workforce/workplace issues in human service organizations

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.