Publications from ODSW Social Insights: Letters by DSW (Vol 1) | Page 146
Letter to Social Service Leaders #2
including cross-sector networks of private sector-social sector peer networks.
Private sector involvement could bring expertise in less familiar areas such
as supply-chain management, social media, knowledge management and
customer care.
C. Managing outcomes and producing quality improvements
Not unlike the private sector, social service sector leaders too have to manage
outcomes and produce quality improvements as a core requirement of good
leadership. However, this remains an ongoing challenge for most social
service sector leaders as they operate with very tight budgetary constraints.
They are often tested in stretching the funder’s dollar and find it hard to scale
and expand with long term planning. To a large extent, an unintended or
intended outcome which has emerged from the social service sector is its
ability to harness the strengths of volunteers and communities through the
sheer need to see them as resources and assets.
So while we help social service leaders to develop in capability and capacity
building, be it through more business-like strategies and operational
efficiency measures, we must do so alongside the skills that volunteers and
communities bring to solve social issues. Keeping the integrity of the social
sector as a birthplace for civic contribution to optimise the skills and goodwill
of volunteers is worth upholding. These are worthy ideals to bear in mind in
the face of a growing surge of the phenomenon of managerialism in social
service sector organisations. The depth in leadership development must
help leaders to use data and evidence as part of good problem solving and
operational efficiency and produce quality improvements by optimising the
support of volunteers and communities.
D. Innovate and implement
The challenge posed to social service sector leaders is usually that of
innovation and scaling. Social service leaders will often cite time to experiment
and innovate and sabbatical time to rejuvenate themselves, gain exposure,
and broaden their horizons as reasons impeding them from innovation and
145