Human Services Organizations Management Leadership & Governance· 2026Q2
“Leading without Authority”: The Emergence of Informal Leaders in Local Social Services
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- Q2SCImago
- 2026year
Short summary
Informal leaders in local social services emerge due to a combination of personal characteristics (traits, values, skills), supportive environmental conditions (organizational support, autonomy, development opportunities), and distinct leadership styles (moderate, confrontational, integrative).
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Key points
- Informal leaders in social services possess specific personal traits, commitment to values, and professional skills.
- Environmental conditions such as organizational support, autonomy, and development opportunities facilitate informal leadership emergence.
- Informal leaders adopt diverse leadership styles, including moderate, confrontational, and integrative approaches.
- The study addresses a research gap on informal leadership within local social services.
AI-generated from the title and abstract; the full text is not read.
Abstract
While the importance of social work leadership in motivating staff and promoting changes is well recognized, there is limited evidence regarding informal leadership, particularly regarding the emergence of informal leaders in local social services. The present study addresses this gap by identifying personal characteristics that enable social workers to emerge as informal leaders, the environmental conditions that facilitate this emergence, and the leadership styles adopted by informal leaders. The study is based on semi-structured interviews with social workers who were identified as informal leaders within local social services. The findings indicate that personal characteristics, including personal traits, commitment to social work values, and professional skills; environmental conditions, including organizational support, space for action, and professional autonomy, and opportunities for learning and development; and leadership styles, including moderate, confrontational, and integrative leadership, are necessary for the emergence and expression of informal leadership within organizations.
The authors' abstract, as published at the source. Human Services Organizations Management Leadership & Governance, 2026 · DOI ↗
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Field: Public Administration
Public AdministrationSocial Sciences