Motivation and Leadership in Social Work Management

Maslow’s theory of motivation is called the “hierarchy of needs”. Maslow believes that people have five main needs in the following order of importance;

Leadership is a facet of management. It is just one of the many assets a successful manager must possess. The main aim of a manager is to maximize the output of the organization through administrative implementation. To achieve this managers must undertake the four functions of management: planning, organization, leading and controlling. In some cases leadership is just one important component of the leading function. Predpall (1994) said, "Leaders must let vision, strategies, goals, and values be the guide-post for action and behavior rather than attempting to control others". In some circumstances, leadership is not required. For example, self-motivated groups may not require a single leader and may find leaders dominating. The fact that a leader is not always required proves that leadership is just an asset and is not essential.

Maslow, A.H. (1943). A Theory of Human Motivation. Psychological Review 50, 370-96—this article details the five basic needs. We are beings of want and in all of our wants we are partially satisfied and partially unsatisfied. The article discusses motivations for behavior and how Maslow’s hierarchy plays a part in these motivations.

According to Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs theory, there are five motivation needs which are found in the hierarchical levels in a pyramid. This theory is not related to any rewards or unconscious desires.

Abraham Maslow is a psychologist who had developed the Hierarchy of needs model in 1940-50s, and the Hierarchy needs theory is still being used to day and for understanding the human motivation. In his hierarchy he believes that people are motivated to achieve certain needs. And when a human had fulfilled a person would seek to fulfil the next one. Maslow’s hierarchy needs is concerning the responsibility of service providers to provide a

As it was mentioned before, the key idea of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs theory relates to the existence of several sets of motivation and needs that govern human behavior. Hence, the major concepts of this theory include certain needs that are grouped into sets based on their place within the hierarchy of all the needs. The first version of the theory has five needs, which are divided into

Management has changed significantly over the past 50 years. The role of leaders in an organization is an ever changing thing. At one point, a manager was also the owner of the company, and thus used a carrot and a stick to get his employees to work, just like a parent personally invested in the raising of their child. Not anymore. Nowadays, leaders are there to “serve” their employees. The focus is on motivating the individual, achieving organizational goals by integrating each and every individual into the system. We no longer rely on a one size fits all approach, and management theory is no longer focused on having a winning philosophy, or motivating large groups.

In everyday life, there are aspects of leadership and motivation that influences an individuals’ actions. Leadership is “a person or thing that holds a dominant or superior position within its field, and is able to exercise a high degree of control or influence over others.” (How, Web) Motivation is “the act or an instance of motivating, or providing with a reason to act in a certain way.” (Motivation, Web) Depending on the situation, the different levels of leadership and theories of motivation can aid an individual to complete a task. A leader must know the balance between motivation and the abuse of power. Along with the use of different forms of motivation to effectively simulate a desired result. The use of both leadership and

The theory I chose to analyze and discuss is Path Goal. The Path Goal theory generally is about how a leader motivates subordinates to accomplish designated goals.The main focus on the Path Goal theory is to define the goals, designate the path that you are going to take, remove and overcome any obstacles that may arise and finally provide support. The main components of Path Goal Theory consist of leader behaviors, subordinate characteristics and task characteristics. Leadership behaviors are comprised into four components: directive, supportive, participative and Achievement oriented. Directive leadership is when a leader sets clear standards of performance and makes the rules and regulations clear to subordinates. Supportive leadership consists of being a friendly and approachable leader. In case a staff member needs your assistance they can come to you with no hesitation. Participative leadership is when the leader allows for input from subordinates and is not focused solely on their ideas. Last, achievement orientated is when a

FOUNDATION DEGREE IN HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE MANAGEMENTETHICS, LEADERSHIP AND INTERPROFESSIONAL WORKING IN HEALTH AND SOCIAL CAREHS4501-40Describe The Importance Of Quality Leadership And The Difference Between Leadership And Management Within A Health And Social Care Environment, And Explain The Ethical Value Framework Leaders Of Services Should Adhere To STUDENT ID: 213599 06/05/2011 WORD COUNT 3,606

Social leadership is defined as the capability of working creatively, effectively and constructively with individuals, groups, communities, families and organisations for the purpose of promoting social justice, catalysing social change as well as addressing social, community and individual issues. In social work, leadership is achieved in many different ways which include, offering direction, supporting individuals and communities, inspiring vision and as a collective action for the purpose of obtaining results that are mutually valued. A human service organisation that employs social workers requires professional leadership for the effective provision of human services and caring for the immediate workplace environment.

With Maslow’s hierarchy of needs I felt this was an underpinning motivational theory within Babcock skills and learning as it relates to how we as humans operate and what we need implemented or have available to ensure that we remain motivated through our working life.

Leaders are those who empower, guide, directs, motivates, are willing to take risks and have the confidence to question the status quo. I recognized the nursing supervisor I interviewed as a democratic leader. She told me that “I do not expect the staff to blindly conform any decisions that I make, but I would like them to be open with me and share their ideas for a best possible decision.” Recognizing staff by giving them awards or simply saying thank you and encouraging their creativity was identified by her as some effective methods to motivate them in the

Osland, et al. (2007) provide a good introduction to three basic motivational content theories. The first theory is Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs that proposes man is motivated by a lack in the one or more of the five common needs. The needs that Maslow identifies are physiological, safety, social belonging, self-esteem, and self-actualization. Maslow believed that one fills needs from the most basic (like food and water) to the highest level (self-actualization). Maslow’s ideas are easy to relate to and attempt to provide an all-inclusive approach to the concept of motivation; however, there is little evidence to support the idea that man cannot have self-actualization without the other more basic needs first satisfied. The second content theory Osland, et al. discuss is McCelland’s learned needs. McCelland states that man is motivated by one of three things: achievement, power, or affiliation – or a mixture of the three. Each of these needs can possess a negative or positive connotation or implementation, but it is argued that people motivated by affiliation make better leaders. The third theory presented is McGregor’s Theory X and Theory Y. McGregor asserts that Theory X people or employees are inherently lazy and must be controlled and forced to act, whereas Theory Y people are self-controlled, motivated, and ambitious.

It is easy to discuss the different theories pertaining to motivation such as Maslow’s hierarchy of needs, theory X and theory Y, the two-factor theory, and McClelland’s theory of needs (Robbins & Judge, 2014). However, there is more to motivation such as the job characteristics model, work motivation, and rewards used to inspire employees.