Transformational leadership

Extracted Content from Question Files:

Located at opposite ends of the country, Northwest Center for Families (NCF) and
Southeast Social Services (SSS) are local government agencies specializing in family,
child, and school social work in rural areas. After attending a conference on performing
social work in small communities, the directors of both organizations have returned with
plans to address the issue of dual relationships, in which social workers relate to their
clients on multiple levels—including social and professional. Each director takes a
different approach to solving the problem.

NCF’s director sends out a memo to employees stressing that dual relationships are a
conflict of interest prohibited by the organization. She states that a dual relationship could
be grounds for employee termination and encourages employees to report any non-
sanctioned interaction between social workers and their clients. The NCF director’s plan
also includes the construction of a new employee lounge, with the understanding that
employees will eat their lunches in the office, rather than eating in town.

The director of SSS holds a meeting with his staff to discuss the organization’s role and
purpose in the community. He shares what he has learned at the conference: the potential
to improve people’s lives outweighs any other social or professional interaction that
could derail the organization’s purpose. The SSS director explains that he will make it his
personal mission to solve the problem of dual relationships and asks employees for their
input and participation in overcoming this obstacle. The leader explains all the employees
must work together to reform the organization in order to better serve the community.