Social workers versus bureaucracy

370 Social work is often described as an the profession. Green argues that organizational profession because most . . when responsible to both a pro of its activities are carried out within fession and a bureaucracy, the indi formal agency settings. Thus, the vast vidual finds himself confronted by two majority of social workers carry at sets of mutually incompatible de least three distinguishable roles: the mands." 4 For example, limits placed role of practitioner or "helper," the on professional activity by an orga role of professional working in a fornization may become viewed by the mal agency, and the role of bureauworker as impediments to the effective crat who must negotiate the stresses delivery of services. Similarly, the and capitalize on the opportunities of increased specialization of bureaucratic organizational life.1 Because most soorganizations may constrain the pro cial workers cannot avoid contact with fessional's ability to address client formal, bureaucratic organizations, one needs in their totality. Wasserman has can assume that they have some perposed a question that is therefore of spective on the nature of such organibasic concern to the social work prac zations and the ways in which workers titioner: "How (and in what ways) may achieve personal and professional does the bureaucratic structure sup goals while working within their conport or constrain the worker's profes text. The success of professionals in sional activities?" 5 organizations may ultimately depend However, the controversy over pro on their acquiring a set of beliefs and fessionalism versus bureaucratization values that helps them decide what is has tended to obscure the accommoda true, what questions need to be asked, tions that can be reached between pro and what is right or wrong in any fessionals and the organizations in given situation.2 which they work. In order to effect ac The question of whether the pursuit commodations, social workers may of professionalism inevitably involves have to temper their feelings of pro a conflict with bureaucracy has been fessional and organizational identifica of major interest to social work aution, which can vary between the ex thors. While the demands of prof estremes of "high" and "low." By work sionalism and the demands of work ing from these two extremes, four in a bureaucracy may be compatible in possible categories can be examined, many ways, major sources of conflict Cell A, as indicated in Figure 1, exist that are usually related to the represents the orientation of the service ideal of professionals and their worker whose professional as well as desire for autonomy in working with bureaucratic identification is high. clients.3 This article will review the poOne would expect compatibility to pre tential sources of conflict for the social vail between, professionals having such worker as these have been identified an orientation and the organizations in the literature and will offer in light in which they work. Cell B represents of recent changes in the field a rean orientation in which identification definition of the problem of profeswith the organization is high but pro sionalism versus bureaucratization. fessional identification low. Workers having such an orientation might ex perience minimal conflict only with their agencies, although at the cost of Basic to the argument that professionisolation from their professional peers, alism and bureaucratization are incomWhen the worker's bureaucratic iden patible is the dilemma of professional tification is low, as represented by autonomy versus bureaucratic control. Cells C and D, one would expect the A number of social work authors bedevelopment of intensified conflict be lieve a certain tension exists between tween worker and organization, the organization's need for the proMost studies of professionals in for fessional's expertise on the one hand mal organizations emphasize that and its requirement of employee loyworkers often go to polar extremes in alty that may, on the other hand, intheir orientations. For example, pro hibit the worker's identification with fessionals who adopt a bureaucratic PRACTICE AND BUREAUCRACY