A Tribute to Yeheskel “Zeke” Hasenfeld: Theoretical Legacy and Contribution to Human Service Organizations and Management

ABSTRACT

The article is a token of appreciation to Yeheskel (“Zeke”) Hasenfeld, who passed away on February 28, 2019, and left a great vacuum not only in our hearts but also in theory and research on human service organizations. The article focuses on Hasenfeld’s theoretical legacy, and on his unique contribution to human service organizations and management. Specifically, the article deals with the following topics: the theoretical basis and conceptualization of human service organizations and their unique attributes; the role of power in inter-organizational and intra-organizational relations; the relationships of the organizations with their clients; and management of these organizations. A critical examination of Hasenfeld’s contribution to current knowledge and the extent to which it fits the changing context of human service organizations is presented. In addition, implications for social work research and researchers as well as for Ph.D. programs in social work are discussed.

KEYWORDS:

• Yeheskel Hasenfeld
• human service organizations
• political-economy perspective
• moral work
• gendered work
• power-dependence relations
• bureaucracies
• clients
• management techniques and practices

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.