Social Workers as Emergent Leaders in Research, Technology, and Practice

by Gina Griffin, DSW, MSW, LCSW

     We live in interesting times. Problems such as race, health, politics, and policy have never been as important as they are now. Social workers have always been admirably prepared for these issues. We are, by nature, systems thinkers. At the core of social work education is the preparation of providers who are trained to think deeply about the impact of the environment on the person. I recently heard a person from another profession proudly relate how they had begun to consider factors such as social determinants of health, and social justice. I thought, “Well, that’s social work, isn’t it?” And while it’s always good that other professions are beginning to understand the need to look at the world in this manner, social workers also need to begin to see the world in a new way.

     The time is right for social workers to emerge as leaders. In point of fact, we are everywhere, from small community agencies to large hospital systems to the White House. However, I’m not sure that the rest of the world sees us as leaders. I’ve worked in a very large hospital system for a decade. Although social workers sometimes rise to top leadership positions, I’ve observed that we are often siloed in positions that are considered “appropriate” for social workers. While we are trained as case managers, therapists, researchers, and policy makers, my observation is that many of us are compelled by external factors to maintain roles as case workers and clinicians. And while these are admirable roles in which we serve the greater community, I think the world around us is in need of the full breadth of our training and knowledge at this time. So, here are my thoughts on the subject.

The time is right for social work research.

     I spent several years working on my capstone project, which focused on social work research. This stemmed from the fact that even though I work for a large research organization, social workers seem to be largely excluded from those activities. The requirements can vary greatly from one organization to the next, but there is a considerable amount of gatekeeping. This is regrettable, as social workers are often the providers with the most exposure and insight into the subjects being studied. Clients trust us, and we know the inner workings of the system. Additionally, it currently takes about 17 years from the inception of a research project to implementation (Griffin, 2021). No matter what we’re working on, this will almost always be too long. As a result, research is beginning to incline itself toward methods such as community-based participatory research and practice-based research networks. Both methods involve as many stakeholders as possible in the process, and there is generally more satisfaction with the outcomes. Dr. Jon Brekke, a researcher at USC, has written extensively on this subject and believes that this type of transdisciplinary research is crucial to the ongoing development of social work research (Brekke & Anastas, 2019). Research also develops curiosity, critical thinking, and other skills that are essential to the growth of a provider (Kwong, 2017). So, it’s time for social work research to become a more trusted and integrated part of social work practice.

The time is also right for social workers to make the best use of technology.

     Many of us were called upon to use telehealth tools to provide services and therapy to clients during the early parts of the COVID-19 pandemic. Educators learned to use platforms such as Microsoft Teams and Zoom to teach. And although we have not been traditionally known for our technical prowess, social workers rose to the challenge.

     There are social workers who are also using technology in new and different ways to serve our communities and to explore new ways of gathering and disseminating knowledge. Social workers such as Dr. Melanie Sage and Dr. Desmond Patton are using technology to deep dive into areas such as child welfare, and the effects of social media and violence on young people. Social workers are expanding into hospital informatics, because we can put together the numbers with what we know about our communities in new and different ways. Social workers are learning to use skills such as R Programming, which is a language that can be used for research and data analysis. Dr. Lauri Goldkind has done extensive research and written quite a lot regarding the impacts of technology on our communities and on our profession. My predecessor at The New Social Worker, Stephen Cummings, writes about technology and ethics, and he passes on what he learns to his students. Eric Rice, a faculty member at the USC Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work, uses skills like AI to solve problems such as homelessness and HIV. And if you’re like me, you’ve been working on Harnessing Technology for Social Good as a part of the Grand Challenges for Social Work. Dr. Jonathan Singer is part of the leadership for this challenge, and he has been bringing the Social Work Podcast to us for many years.

     As a profession, we need to continue to develop these skills in ourselves, in our students, and in our trainees. I would love to see the emergence of classes at all levels of study that explore subjects such as data justice and the ways in which technology positively and negatively impacts our clients. And while many of us find our way into technical fields, I would love to see more formal pathways that prepare us for those roles.

Finally, the time is right for social work leadership.

    In many of the environments in which I’ve worked, social workers have been viewed as the weakest link, with the poorest professional education. Naturally, I have always objected to this loudly. We are more than qualified to serve at leadership levels in our agencies and communities, as we have such a broad view of the ways in which these systems are intertwined. The social determinants of health are more than just a couple of buzzwords to us; we’ve understood the ways in which factors such as race and trauma and life expectancy are connected for many years. We have a lot to offer at the leadership level, and we are ready to lead others.

     In my mind, social workers are innovators. With a few tweaks, we can be ready to serve in any capacity. My undergraduate work was in organizational behavior, and I was already well acquainted with Lean Six Sigma and Agile and other types of management methodologies by the time I tackled my MSW. But once I started my MSW, I don’t remember another management course until I started my doctoral program. I imagine this can vary a lot from one program to another; but many of these concepts seemed unfamiliar to the folks in my cohort, and I feel that this is a disservice. In a large organization such as the one where I work, a large number of social workers wind up in middle management. The organization offers Six Sigma training. However, I believe that we can give students a leg up by preparing them with a little more education on management and leadership while they’re still in school.

     These are my thoughts and opinions about the readiness of social workers to excel in these areas. They’re a part of our training (or should be), and I believe it’s time or us to fully inhabit these roles. Please drop me a line and let me know what you’re doing at your school or your agency to prepare social workers in these areas.

     And the time is always right for social work, friends.

References

Brekke, J. S., & Anastas, J. W. (2019). Shaping a science of social work: Professional knowledge and identity. Oxford University Press.

Griffin, G, (2021). Investing in social work research. [Unpublished capstone project]. University of Southern California.

Kwong, K. (2017). Advancing social work practice research education—an innovative, experiential pedagogical approach. International Journal of Higher Education, 6(5).

Dr. Gina Griffin, DSW, MSW, LCSW, is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker. In 2012, she completed her Master of Social Work at University of South Florida. In 2021, she completed her DSW at the University of Southern California. She began to learn R Programming for data analysis in order to develop her research-related skills. She now teaches programming and data science skills through her website (A::ISWR) and free Saturday morning #swRk workshops.