Leading by example? Culture, change, and strength-based social work

Leaders play a central role in positive change through setting out a clear vision and inspiring others to commit their skills and resources. Leadership can also influence professional and organizational cultures to provide a more receptive environment for new ways of working. This article considers the interplay of leadership and culture within the context of strengths-based transformational programme within adult social work. Using theory of change, the research used mixed qualitative methods over a twenty-four-month period to understand assumptions of those tasked with leading change and experiences of those involved in implementation. Participants included senior managers, social workers, operational managers, health professionals and the voluntary and community sector. Underlying programme assumptions highlighted potential benefits of distributing leadership within and outside social work organizations to encourage practice innovations. In reality, senior leaders remained central to the process and communities often had limited influence. The need for culture change was recognized but how best to approach and sustain within local contexts was not sufficiently understood. Improving knowledge and practice of distributed leadership and culture change within social work will result in more effective transformation. Building stronger infrastructures to support co-production and skills in community development will enable more inclusive leadership contributions.