Social Justice and Organisational Leadership: Strategies for Creating a Socially Just Workplace

Abstract

Ife (2010) argues that the ethics of the profession place social justice at the heart of organisational structures. This workshop will explore how organisational social work leadership actions can implement its ethical obligation to address actual or potentially unjust organisational policies. The consequences of new public management (NPM) policies and practice marginalising ethical values-based leadership will be identified through a case study. The workshop will consider how organisational leadership as one of the 13 ‘core purposes’ of the global profession (Sewpaul & Jones, 2005) can act as an organic agent to implement the other 12 purposes. Leadership will be presented in the workshop as creating organisational culture by working with people and dealing with ‘wicked problems’ (Grint, 2005) by asking questions rather than prescribing solutions. Participants will be introduced to ‘whole systems development’ (Attwood et al,2003, p. xv) as giving rise to ‘systemic questions’ defining how leadership is exercised: 1. How can I best use my [leadership] position to assist us all to make sense of what is going on, so that together we can contribute to sustainable change? 2. How do I lead this organisation so that we can make the best possible contribution to the improvement and well-being of those we serve? 3. How can I share my ideas and emerging goals in ways that do not stultify debate but assist learning about the ‘bigger picture’? 4. How do I ensure that we implement plans that we have agreed with partners? (Attwood et al., 2003, pp.31, 32, emphasis added.)