Social Work Management Practice, 1917–2017: A History to Inform the Future

This historical analysis presents a retrospective of the evolution of social work management practice as reflected in textbooks and selected articles over the past 100 years. One of the major venues for codifying practice can be seen in the textbooks of different eras. Management practice and community practice evolved in a parallel process. In a similar manner, the evolution of direct practice and management practice reflected an expanding interdependence that continues to shape the present character of both direct practice and management practice. As a result, the future of education for management practice resides in the hands of social work deans and faculty, along with related policy, funding, and political trends. One of the key findings in this analysis is the 40-year comparison of social work education programs and enrollments in management practice specializations (1977—35 management programs with enrollments of 1,021; 2017—31 programs with enrollments of 806). The analysis concludes with future implications for education and research.