Abstract
Reviewed by: Erin Roark Murphy, University of Texas at Arlington, USA DOI: 10.1177/1468017317715574
Social work professionals “often wonder why ‘those MBAs’ are taking over the leadership of human service programs and organizations” (p. XIII). While MBAs have business skills and knowledge, organizations are beginning to realize the value of empathy, person-in-environment and big-picture thinking, and nurturing relationships with various stakeholders, all of which are at the heart of the social work profession. Written from the perspective of someone holding both a Master of Business Administration (MBA) and a Master of Social Work (MSW) degree, Andrew Germak’s Essential business skills for social work managers: Tools for optimizing programs and organizations attempts to provide social workers with the business skills needed to successfully manage teams, talent, finances, and market agencies or programs, skills often inadequately addressed in social work undergraduate and graduate curriculum.
The text briefly describes the evolution of social work management and the value of well-rounded professional portfolios or resumes demonstrating business skills in addition to social work skills acquired through formal education and training. It also introduces a myriad of business skills social workers should obtain to effectively manage teams, programs, and organizations. At the end of each chapter, learning exercises are provided to help readers develop the skills described in the respective chapter. Further, each chapter’s conclusion includes additional online resources that include membership organizations, training programs, job postings, portable document formats (PDFs), blogs, grants, resume writing tips, and a host of other resources one might find beneficial as a social work student or recent social work graduate. Although the text sacrificed some depth for the sake of breadth, it does provide an overview of each introduced concept, a clear definition of business jargon, and an extensive number of resources for those interested in learning more about a specific business skill.
The author states that this text could serve as an introductory book of management skills for recent social work graduates, a teaching book for macro social work courses, a desk reference for current social work managers, and a toolkit for those in mid-level management seeking promotion. While the book appears to successfully meet the majority of its aims, the level of depth provided may not be adequate for use as a desk reference or for those in mid-level management seeking promotion. While the author’s unique perspective sheds light on some issues social workers may not take into consideration, the author also attempts to incorporate other professionals’ opinions and stories, while protecting their anonymity. Unfortunately, partly due to the de-identified nature of the case studies, these real-world examples are often vague and not especially helpful. As a manager looking to solve problems or to complete tasks in a timely manner, one might receive better advice by seeking appropriate consultation or utilizing other resources.
Instead of making the claim that this book is appropriate to meet the needs of a majority of social workers, the text seems more specifically suited for macro social work courses or targeted to students and recent graduates of social work programs. Germak’s succinct writing style, breadth of information, and ability to highlight key points through figures and tables are appealing to students and recent graduates who are looking to gain a large amount of information in a short period of time. College professors, specifically those teaching macro courses, could easily integrate this text into their curriculum. Readers will find that it complements much of the current literature used to teach macro social work courses in the USA such as Allison and Kaye (2015), Carlson and Donohoe (2010) and Kettner et al. (2013). Additionally, the concepts described are highlighted in other works targeted toward students and recent graduates like Levit (2004) and Westfall (2012).
Social work students and graduates in the United States, Europe, and across other developed nations, can benefit from reading Andrew Germak’s Essential business skills for social work managers: Tools for optimizing programs and organizations and applying the concepts to build their business toolkit. There are management and leadership positions in non-profit, for-profit, and social entrepreneurial organizations waiting to be filled. Instead of allowing “those MBAs” to continue to take on the management roles, Germak empowers social work students and recent graduates with the basic business skills and confidence they will need to effectively lead and manage teams, programs, and human service organizations.