Reflections of a social work administrator on the opportunities of crisis

The administration approach described focuses on what staff can do rather than what they cannot do. It is the primary task of administration to bring out whatever strength a social worker possesses and to use each staff member's strength to help other social workers to improve their performance and to grow. The text of administrative achievement is not conformance but performance. The focus of administration must be on opportunities. The organization must be inculcated from the top with the habit of achievement. Social work management must set high standards of performance for itself that are related to the accomplishment of organizational objectives and not the needs of administrators. The administrative track record will include mistakes and failures. The better social work manager will make more mistakes because more new things will be tried. It is an administrative imperative to plan for crises, to make the unanticipated anticipated. The social work director, as architect, using a systems approach, can prepare for crisis and develop long-range plans for the social work program. Dr. Bennett states it well: As scientists and as professional people we would all do well to examine our roles, our motives, our faults, our policies, our prides and our prejudices in the broad context of our evolving society. If we look searchingly, we may finally arrive at a new viewpoint which will enable us to be pragmatic without sacrificing ideals, and hopefully, more humble without sacrificing pride (Bennett, 1978).