Views of social work managers on the transformation management of non-profit social welfare organisations

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Transformation management is an essential competency that is required by social work managers for the effective transformation of non-profit social welfare organisations. Given the harsh socio-economic environment in which these organisations exist, particularly with the decline of the global economy, transformation management is critical for sustainability and survival. Moreover, the altruistic need in dealing with the decay of the moral and social fabric of society compounds the necessity for these benevolent organisations to survive. To this end, the landscape of effective social welfare service delivery in South Africa will immensely regress without their survival. In this regard, the transformation of the non-profit social welfare sector in this country has been characterised by being slow and underdeveloped. Despite the inception of democracy and the subsequent promulgation of a myriad of laws, policies and protocols, the malaise within the non-profit social welfare sector continues unabated. The burgeoning growth of social welfare dependants increases daily, crime and violence in the country is at an all time high and the levels of unemployment still escalates. What exacerbates these challenges even further is that social demands are particularly prevalent in historically disadvantaged communities throughout South Africa where poverty levels have continued to remain unchanged. The dire need to revitalise and renovate the social welfare sector by government is thus an urgency that cannot be ignored. Ultimately, it is the responsibility of the state to fulfil its social mandate of ensuring that the embedded human rights contained within the Bill of Rights and Constitution of South Africa is upheld. It is thus incumbent of this government to demonstrate the necessary political will in expediting beneficent social transformation in fulfilment of its mandated obligation. Transformation and development of the social welfare sector can no longer be seen as an ideal. Instead, it must be driven as an intentional and compelling priority by the state in order to accelerate the transformation of the ailing social welfare sector. It is within this context that the views of social work managers on transformation management of non-profit social welfare organisations become the primary focus of this investigation. A qualitative exploratory-descriptive design was chosen to explore the following objectives: to conceptualise transformation management; examine transformative management processes, dynamics and models; analyse transformative laws, policies and protocols; study transformed governance, management and operations and to empirically investigate the views of social work managers on transformation management of non-profit social welfare organisations.Research methods included conducting in-depth interviews with twenty social work managers followed by a focus group meeting with four more social work managers. Themes emerging from the data were then delineated into further sub-themes and categories providing rich contextual data which deepened insight and meaning of the topic being empirically investigated. As a result, the research findings provided evidence of the ailing social welfare sector and the compelling need for an integrated approach to be developed in accelerating the transformation of the non-profit social welfare sector. Based on these research findings, some of the core recommendations are: that the government provides the necessary leadership and political will to accelerate the transformation of the social welfare sector by reviewing pertinent funding policies, programmes and protocols; that non-profit social welfare organisations develop rigorous sustainable strategies such as the development of social entrepreneurship programmes, social media networks and websites to generate sustainable income and that a curriculum for transformation management practice be developed and included in the training of future social workers. The research confirms that transformation management is an essential competency that is required by social work managers for the effective transformation of non-profit social welfare organisations. Consequently, through the application of effective transformation management practice, the sustainability and indeed the survival of non-profit social welfare organisations in South Africa will undoubtedly improve.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University