The Pressures of Neoliberal Managerialism: Challenges and Opportunities for Social Work Supervisors

Supervisors play a key role in social work's claim of professional authority through their efforts to promote high-quality ethical practice. Understanding the nature and extent to which social work supervisors help ensure professionalism in their organizational context is a critical concern for the public and the profession. The purpose of this article is to explore social work supervision in the context of neoliberal managerial pressures with a focus on the professional discretion and resistance to neoliberalism of social work supervisors. Utilizing a cross-sectional survey design, the research measured managerialism, professional discretion, and resistance among 275 Minnesota licensed social work supervisors. The results of the survey demonstrated that on average social work supervisors act as a conduit of neoliberal governance, pressured to ensure worker productivity and efficiency, while facilitating the standardization of direct-line practice. Yet, some responses are contradictory in regard to reporting support for integrating clients' interests while maintaining organizational pressure for predetermined interventions. Finally, the research may signal the supervisor dilemma of how to support the interests of professional social workers while positioned as managers themselves.