Beyond formal authority: Cultural perspectives on informal leadership in social work practice

The importance of social work leadership in motivating staff and promoting changes is well recognized. However, there is limited evidence regarding informal leadership, particularly concerning expressions of informal leadership in ethnic minority contexts within multicultural societies. The present study addresses this gap by identifying leadership practices employed by social workers as informal leaders to promote organizational and social policy changes, as well as their perceived success in implementing these changes. For clarity, informal social work leaders are defined in this study as social workers employed at social service agencies who, despite not holding formal authority, have a significant influence on other social workers. Based on twenty-five semi-structured interviews with social workers serving indigenous minority communities who were identified as informal leaders within local social services, we highlight their contribution in driving change in multicultural societies. Their contribution is evident in the implementation of innovative approaches to organizational service delivery, addressing unmet needs, fostering cultural mediation and partnership building to adapt organizational procedures, and creating mechanisms to increase participation in social policy change processes.