Search

This study developed a scale of perceived salient organizational career management practices based on a survey of 420 social workers from social work organizations in Guangdong province, China. A two-factor structure OCM scale was constructed using items reflecting the components of organizational career management (OCM) practices. The scale showed sufficient reliability and validity. The results demonstrated the necessity of designing promotion ladders, relevant training, career counseling and other OCM measures to assist social workers in their career progression. The perceived salient OCM scale helps social work managers to understand how social workers perceive OCMpractices in social work organizations. Social work managers can specifically target OCM practices to social workers, and a systemic career progression ladder will facilitate a proactive and flexible response to social workers' aspirations. Organizations should organize their OCM practices systematically, and the entire OCM system should be monitored and reviewed methodically. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This qualitative research examined Hong Kong social workers' perceptions of the usefulness and ease of adopting information and communication technology (ICT) in their practice during the COVID-19 pandemic. Invitations to participate in this research were sent to various social welfare agencies, resulting in the recruitment of 23 social workers with different work experiences. In-depth interviews followed by thematic analysis were employed to explore participants' experiences of using ICT in their practice during the pandemic and factors influencing their readiness to use ICT. The results showed that various factors influenced social workers' perceptions of the usefulness and ease of using ICT, including digital service output quality, shared expectations and subjective norms, technology self-efficacy, and organizational support. The research further identified ethical considerations that posed challenges to ICT utilization. The research provides insights into social work management regarding the strategies of enhancing social workers' motivation and acceptance of utilizing ICT. Recommendations on future development and research of digital social work services were discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]