Workplace Learning in the Contemporary Supervision Landscape: The Case of Supervision in a Social Service Organisation

Abstract

The blurring of the boundaries and interconnectedness between learning and work are features worth exploring in the contemporary supervision landscape. Grounded on transition-experiential learning theories, the study analysed a social service organisation as a context for learning and examined how this context facilitated or inhibited supervision learning experiences for first-time supervisors. It draws on the qualitative findings of thirteen in-depth interviews whose data were analysed using the thematic analysis. This study found that the transitioning of first-time supervisors into the new role took place through their active participation in an organisational context. It concludes with the notion that workplace learning is a context-specific and interactive process. The social service organisation, with its unique features, serves the purpose of providing an environment for learning, with first-time supervisors afforded the opportunity to learn within the context and through interaction with other role-players. In summary, the study recommends a need for fostering of communities of practice, designing and management of workplace learning programmes, and ensuring the creation of sustainable and healthy workplaces. Keywords: social service organisation, organisational context, supervision practice, workplace learning, social service professions

Social Work Practitioners’ and Supervisors' Conceptualisation of Supervision at the Department of Social Development, King Cetshwayo District: A Polity Dualism

“…A growing body of literature suggests that social work supervision is mainly conceptualised in terms of the administrative function, which emphasises accountability and managerialism. The prioritisation of the administrative function of supervision by social work supervisors stems from the focus on managerial rather than professional supervision and compromises the quality of supervision provided to the supervisees (Engelbrecht, 2013;Sithole & Shokane, 2023;Vetfuti, Goliath & Perumal, 2019).…”