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  • Essay / Effective Leadership within a Human Services Organization

    Table of ContentsLeadership Models, Philosophies and StylesConclusionReferenceLeadership within organizations varies widely across the public, private and third sectors. This article will examine the difference within leadership in the human services sector, examining the influence that the human services sector has on leadership practices and analyzing effective leadership models that lend themselves to the context personal services. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”?Get the original essayLeadership is the role of directing and influencing the trajectory of an organization by guiding employees, stakeholders, and other people involved in the daily operation of an organization to align their daily practice with organizational objectives. The concept of leadership includes many aspects, including the organizational, personal, and social processes that motivate direction. Effective leadership strives to improve organizational processes to stay abreast of the changing nature of society and become innovative to meet changing demands. Leadership, unlike management, occurs at multiple levels of an organization and is not a direct top-down approach informed by management. Effective leadership strives to achieve positive change and continuous improvement through a clear vision, process transparency, valued stakeholder contributions, trust and an effective organizational culture. Leadership within the third sector – those whose primary objectives are focused on social aspects rather than economic performance – differ from traditional leadership styles in public and private organizations. The environments in which human service organizations operate have become much more complex over time. This complex nature is evident through the ever-changing socio-dynamic variations of localities, explained by the onset of immigration, resulting in demographic profiles that are transient, dynamic and diverse in nature. The ever-changing nature of these fields means that the human services sector continually adjusts its leadership and services to meet the needs of changing socio-economic populations within the locality where the organization operates. Leadership Models, Philosophies and StylesLeadership models, philosophies and styles vary across organizations and sectors, many leadership models and theories have been developed for business and military organizations, which have very different goals and processes than those human service organizations. The underlying philosophies and leadership styles that work in the business sector often do not succeed in the human services sector, resulting in poor organizational culture and organizational goals that are not met. The main theoretical frameworks of leadership observed in the human services sector include transformational, situational and service principles. leadership. Transformational leadership is business-focused, characterized by a focus on leaders encouraging, inspiring and motivating their employees to be innovative and generate change to promote growth and influence the future success of an organization . Transformational leadership uses senior managers to set an example for their subordinates by developing a strong sense of company culture,employees and independence within their practice. Situational leadership proposes that no single leadership style is best for an organization; it focuses on the best direction and strategies suited to the task. This leadership style is adaptive and innovative, allowing flexibility to adapt to changing environments. Situational leadership includes four styles that depend on employees' level of knowledge, skills, and willingness to accomplish tasks. Using situational leadership allows leaders to read the situation and the skill level of individuals and adapt an approach suited to the situation. It provides support and guidance based on the skill of the individual. Servant leadership is classified as both a theoretical framework and a set of principles used to help others achieve a common goal. Servant leadership places the needs of others before themselves and emphasizes the importance of empowering staff to continually develop their skills and perform to the best of their abilities. Leadership styles can be classified into three classes, task oriented, relationship oriented and change oriented. The main leadership styles seen in the human services sector span these three categories and include adaptive, distributed, authentic, and servant leadership styles. Due to the complex nature of the human services sector, the appropriateness of these styles varies between organizations and is dependent on current social, political and economic environments. Adaptive leadership is defined by DeRue as “leading and following as a complex adaptive process.” This style of leadership revolves around bringing in different knowledge, beliefs and preferences from individuals working within the organization. A leader emerges from the group who has the skills and knowledge in a particular area needed to accomplish that task. Adaptive leadership is more flexible in its application and uses knowledge from previous experience to adapt to changing industry dynamics. Adaptive leadership allows multiple people within the organization to be leaders when their expertise and knowledge match the task at hand. Distributed leadership shares some commonalities with adaptive leadership: When using a distributed leadership style, there are multiple leaders within the organization who are responsible for a specific area. An example of distributed leadership within the human services industry is an organization where team leaders are responsible for managing their team of employees. Adaptive and distributed leadership styles have multiple leaders within the organization. Authentic leadership is based on developing an approach that ensures consistency in words, actions and values. Authentic leadership requires the leader to have a comprehensive understanding of their values ​​and not allow the values ​​or beliefs of others to influence their actions regarding leadership decisions. Core values ​​often act as a motivational force guiding decision-making processes for authentic leaders. This creates a work culture promoting mutual trust, transparency and orientation towards the common goals of the organization as well as the well-being and career development of individuals within the organization. Unlike the public or private sectors, leadership within the human services sector is influenced by a multitude of factors. factors. These include, but are not limited to: the gendered nature ofindustry, financing causality, multiple and complex customer needs, service delivery pressure, high staff turnover, customer relationship and daily context. In the personal services sector, no two days are the same; The challenges and demands that human services employees face on a daily basis are the unpredictable nature of this industry. Due to the unique nature of this sector, leadership within the social services sector focuses on the needs of vulnerable people in communities who depend on developing strong relationships with their communities. A common theme of staff division can be observed within social service organizations, between social service staff and trained administrative teams. Having a strong leadership model can be difficult when the goals of these two crucial but distinct teams conflict. Leadership within human services organizations has two fundamental goals: helping their clients and staying in business, one cannot exist without the other. Within human service organizations, there is a shortage of social workers employed in senior administrative positions. This shortage can be seen as a result of the lack of leadership training integrated into social work training and continuing professional development within the human services sector. To address this disparity within the industry, the skills of those in the human services sector must be expanded to include leadership and organizational knowledge. It is imperative that staff understand and appreciate the roles within the organization. All positions must make a contribution to the organization, providing skills that add value and expertise to the organization and align with key organizational objectives. In an industry characterized by the complexity of an unreliable and ever-changing environment, human services organizations must embrace inclusive leadership. style, which reflects the goals and core values ​​of the industry. The sole reliance on a business-based leadership model in the human service sector influences practice methods and organizational outcomes. These styles often undermine human service employees' ability to facilitate positive client outcomes, prioritizing organizational growth. An effective leadership style can be developed by implementing a style composed of aspects of situational leadership and servant leadership theories, integrating aspects of adaptive and authentic leadership styles, resulting in a collaborative, innovative, people-oriented approach. relationships and solidarity. This approach complements reflective and ethical practice and is innovative as often limited funding and resources are readily available in the sector. Implementing a blended leadership model allows organizations to meet the complex demands of customer needs and allows the organization to remain financially viable to continue providing services. Keep in mind: this is just a sample. Get a personalized article from our expert writers now. .Get Custom EssayConclusionA crucial element in developing an effective leadership style within a human services organization is the current nature of the sector which is then influenced by the identified target group the organization is working with and their needs. Effective leadership within the human services sector should see organizations develop, 32(1),.1315-1332.