Innovation in Social Work and its Impact on Social Management

This article shows the diversity of drivers for social services, including demographic change, changing social roles, consequences of lifestyles, changed attitudes and expectations, progress in the field of science and technology, new forms of management and new organizational forms as well as changes in social politics. At the same time, innovations in social services have significant effects on different levels: users, quality, organizations, cooperation, financing, sustainability, social politics and values. On the basis of the results of a two-year study seven innovation trends observed in social services all over Europe will be presented and their impact on social management will be explained in this article. It becomes clear that innovation in social services is a complex process, in which business concepts are transferred and adapted to social-economic conditions, which results in the constant re-negotiation of the underlying conditions and the involvement of external actors. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change. www.ijicc. net Volume 1, Issue 4, November, 2014 INTRODUCTION Which are the consequences for management processes resulting from the challenge to launch, organize and monitor innovations? The answer for this question gets to the heart of an innovation research which claims to be relevant for the future design of social services. The answer is about recognizing challenges and pressure for change, identifying future trends and focusing on the mechanisms that allow the implementation of trends in new or improved services. The way to find the answer will be outlined in this article: First, innovation will be defined as an answer to societal challenges, and then essential trends of innovation will be outlined on the basis of empirically reliable findings. Finally, important conditions for the implementation of innovation in social management will be shown. INNOVATION AS RESPONSE TO SOCIAL CHALLENGES Social work is in a profound transformation process. It is connected with further change processes, such as demographic, technological or social change. These lead to new needs as well as to rising costs that result in new forms of services, which are understood as response to new needs or as solutions for current problems. Important drivers for innovation in the field of social services are (Hawker et al 2012): Demographic change: there is an increased number of people living longer into old age, with a particular increase in the numbers of people aged over 80. This development will lead to an increase in care and medical interventions. This is alongside a reduction in the numbers of people at working age, due to a declining birth rate, which leads to concerns about levels of informal care for older people and arises questions about the ability to meet these increasing care demands from declining tax income bases. Changing social roles: The changes are within family structures. Families are getting smaller or the family members live far apart from each other. The number of single households, especially of older people, is increasing, as well as the number of single parent families, which are facing the challenge of proper ‘socialization’ of their children. There are also changes in generational relations due to longer life expectancy. Changing gender roles lead to rising female employment rates. Consequences of changing lifestyles: There is a growth in lifestyle related conditions arising from unhealthy behaviors, such as poor diet or smoking, alcohol consumption International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change. www.ijicc. net Volume 1, Issue 4, November, 2014 and drugs, but also resulting from stress (burn-out). At the same time, progress in medical research and preventive health care lead to a rising life expectancy which results in a growing need for care services. Changed attitudes and expectations: Citizens are expecting a better quality of life, personal autonomy and self-determination have become more and more important over the past years. Consequently, patients wish to be more involved in decisions about their health and their health care options. Persons with disabilities no longer want to be defined by their disability, but wish to be accepted as full members of society, who are allowed to shape their lives on their own. Progress in the field of science and technology: The growth in internet and web-based technology is leading to an exponential growth in access to information and new forms of communication. This development does not only change workflows or co-operations between providers of social services and the involvement of users, but it does also change the range of services itself (e.g. tele-health/care solutions to ongoing care needs are becoming more widely available). At the same time, the introduction of technical support systems at home leads to the preservation of independence even in old age. Changing management styles and organizational changes: The shifting of provision of services from the public sector into the private sector creates new organizational forms, which react differently to ongoing needs. The involvement of a growing number of actors increased the necessity to introduce new management forms that take account both of individualism and shared expertise and respect at the same time greater involvement of the users. Changes in social politics: Welfare organizations are in charge of social policy objectives, while services and costs are being regulated through the introduction of competition in the social sector. At the same time, the available resources are not growing to the same extent as the needs, which results in increased cost pressure in social politics. Since innovation can be „a product, production process, or technology (much like innovation in general), but it can also be a principle, an idea, a piece of legislation, a social movement, an intervention, or some combination of them” (Phills et al, 2008: 39) the response to social challenges can have the shape of new services (new products or new services), new forms of delivery (new means and processes of service delivery), new forms of governance (new forms of implementing the service delivery and new responsibilities), new forms of resourcing (new forms International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change. www.ijicc.net Volume 1, Issue 4, November, 2014 of financing, co-financing and redistribution of resources), and new ways of evaluation (new sets of criteria to evaluate the service, e.g. on the basis of effectiveness instead of professional criteria. The criteria of novelty is crucial for innovation. This can mean an evolutionary improvement or a total restart. The dimension ‚new for whom‘ also has to be respected. A novelty can be new and better for one organization, but does not necessarily mean an improvement for other actors. This leads to a second criteria for innovation: quality. Innovation has to be connected to an improved service: “In public services . innovation is justifiable only where it increases public value in the quality, efficiency or fitness for purpose of governance or service“ (Hartley, 2005: 30). The improvement of the quality needs to be completed with the aspect of contextual fit, which ensures the fitness in the respective frame of the service provision. The aspect of sustainability, which entails a wide-reaching implementation and societal acceptance, also is an important feature of improved quality. Social services constantly deal with contradicting interests such as the needs and expectations of users, their relation to public authorities, quality expectations, access to financing and the general legal framework of social politics, which is changing quickly. Innovations therefore face the challenge to provide solutions to key problems in totally different contexts (vgl. Eurich/Langer 2014). The user’s perspective: The users can be involved in developing, designing and evaluating the service delivery and thus contribute to the improved quality and effectiveness of the service which is now better adapted to the user’s needs. Innovation has to correspond to key problems of individualization and personalization of services and it has to improve the user’s possibilities to participate. The quality perspective: On the one hand, the involvement of users and the closer co-operation of organizations, professionals and relatives lead to new quality standards, including possible new criteria such as easier access to services, availability and affordability. On the other hand, quality and innovation are always connected with the definitional power and the acceptance of quality standards. The professional’s perspective: The professional’s perspective on innovation opens a widereaching discussion which deals with a shortage of skilled professionals, the need for International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change. www.ijicc. net Volume 1, Issue 4, November, 2014 qualifications and even the use of modern assistance and information technologies. The implementation of information technologies could result in new approaches for social work, in new innovative tools and in new competencies, but also in new means for evaluating professional expertise. The organizational perspective: The organizational perspective focuses on the “what” and on the “how” of innovation: Social services can satisfy new needs or new solutions are developed for already existing needs. Access to social services can be facilitated. The division between sectors can be softened by the offer of cross-sectoral services (such as art classes for children, which imply jobs for artist and at the same time support mothers who are looking for a job). Changes in the form of collaboration with the user are possible, e.g. in highlighting the aspect of self-help, but new roles and new relations between the providers also can be consequences. There can also be changes regarding the managemen