Enhancing social work influence in the hospital: identifying sources of power.
Social workers need to develop interest and skills in hospital politics. Turbulent health care systems, combined with the unique organizational attributes of health care organizations, create environments where political skills are essential to achieve social work goals and objectives. This article identifies sources of social work power within the hospital. Power resides not only in the political acumen of the individual but also in the structural attributes associated with the work group. Discussion focuses on resource control and network centrality as structural sources of social work power.
Berger
C S
CS
Social Work Department, University of Washington Medical Center, Seattle 98195.
D006801:Humans; D007400:Interprofessional Relations; D010348:Patient Care Team / Q000639:trends; D010351:Patient Discharge; D011209:Power, Psychological; D012948:Social Work Department, Hospital / Q000639:trends*