Abstract
This Banded Dissertation focuses on the need for leadership training in schools of social work. The dissertation presents three distinct scholarly Products on leadership in the social work profession. It also explores the leadership styles of leaders in Human Service Organizations (HSOs) and examines how their styles are impacted during a crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic. The first scholarly Product is a conceptual manuscript examining leadership within social work practice. It argues that continuous, enhanced training that includes intentional recruitment is necessary for increasing social workers' presence as leaders of HSOs. The second scholarly product presents the results of a qualitative research study examining changes in leaders’ styles in managing their organizations before, during, and after the COVID-19 pandemic. The study conducted semi-structured interviews with leaders of HSOs, and the results highlight how leadership styles changed to accommodate the needs of the organizations’ stakeholders. The findings from this research show a transformational leadership style to be the most effective leadership style required of successful HSO leaders during the COVID-19 crisis. Two major themes emerged from the study: COVID-19 brought about (1) leadership style changes and had a (2) significant operational impact. The third Product of this Banded Dissertation is a peer-reviewed conference presentation titled, “Importance of Leadership Training in Social Work Schools,” given at the Indiana Association of Resources and Child Advocacy (IARCA) Annual Conference.