Supervision in Social Work Flashcards
Administrative Supervision
Supervision function concerned with providing the work structure and agency resources workers need to perform their jobs effectively
In-Service Training
Planned, formal training provided to a group of agency personnel with the same job classification or the same job responsibilities and designed to meet their general educational needs. The generic content is useful for all the members of the group but is specifically relevant to none of them
Quality Circles
Participatory management approach in which a group of workers at an agency or elsewhere voluntarily meets to identify, study, and solve work-related problems. Representatives of the quality circle then present their solutions to management
Vicarious Liability
The legal principle that civil liability may extend to a defendant’s employer, supervisor, etc. A client who sues a social worker for malpractice may include the worker’s agency and/or supervisor as co-defendants. In other words, by delegating tasks, a supervisor shares some of his authority with a supervisee who may be empowered to make decisions and take action when doing an assigned task. The supervisor, however, retains ultimate responsibility for the work he assigns and delegates (i.e., If the work is performed incompetently, the supervisor is responsible for having delegated it to a worker who was not competent to perform it)
Coercive Power
A source of power for supervisors and other leaders involving the ability to control tangible punishments (demotion, poor performance rating, etc.) and psychic punishments (criticism, disapproval)
Initiating Structure (Leadership)
A dimension of leadership behavior that refers to the extent to which a leader defines, directs, and structures his own role and the roles of subordinates. Leaders high in initiating structure are task-oriented and concerned with the instrumental aspects of the job. Leaders who communicate both high performance expectations (instrumental) and support (expressive) are likely to have the most effective work groups. See also consideration
Referent Power
A source of power for supervisors and other leaders that derives from a subordinate’s identification with the leader and eagerness to be like him and liked by him. See also bases of social power
Educational Supervision
Supervision function concerned with providing the training that enables workers to achieve their objectives and the skills that prepare them to perform their jobs effectively and to function more autonomously
Live Supervision
Supervision procedure in which a supervisor observes an interview in real time and is able to give the worker immediate feedback. The supervisor may sit in on the interview or watch it through a one-way mirror or video camera pickup. Traditional live supervision formats include ‘knock-on-the-door’ supervision and ‘bug-in-the-eye’ (BITE) supervision, rely more on computer technology
Sanctions (By Supervisors)
Corrective action by supervisors in response to worker noncompliance, from least to most severe, include discussion with the worker, warning, verbal reprimand, written reprimand placed in the worker’s file, lower-than-usual evaluation rating, suspension for a limited period, demotion, and dismissal. Guidelines for taking action include the following: (a) The goal should be preventative and corrective, not punitive. (b) The supervisor should respond in a timely way the first time a worker chooses to be noncompliant. (c) The supervisor should discuss in private any behavior that calls for a reprimand. (d) When delivering a reprimand, the supervisor should be impersonal, consistent, specific, and factual. (e) The supervisor should communicate concern for the worker, listen to the worker’s explanation, and convey a desire to help the worker improve or change
Expert Power
A source of power for supervisors and other leaders that exists when the leader has special knowledge and skills that his subordinates need. See also bases of social power
Management By Objectives (MBO, Supervision)
Participatory management approach in which a supervisor and worker jointly establish precise, measurable objectives and a time frame for achieving them; monitor work toward the objectives; ad then evaluate performance by determining the extent to which the worker achieved the objectives
Staff Development
The procedures used by an agency to improve the job-related knowledge, skills, and attitudes of its staff. In-service training and educational supervision are examples of staff development procedures
Compliance
Occurs when a person changes his behavior in order to obtain a reward or avoid a punishment. Compliance is public and does not involve a private change in opinions or attitudes. Reward and coercive power tend to produce compliance and a change in behavior, particularly when a person knows he is being observed. See also bases of social power; identification (social influence); and internalization
Internalization
Occurs when a person changes his behavior because he actually (privately) accepts the beliefs, attitudes, or behaviors of another person. Expert, legitimate, and informational power are most likely to result in internalization. See also bases of social power; compliance; and identification (social influence)
