A study into the variables that predict power and authority in a child welfare agency

Abstract

"A Study into the Variables that Predict Power and Authority in a Child Welfare Agency" is a thesis examining the results of a survey completed by the management staff of Winnipeg Child and Family Services. The purpose of this study was to. highlight the factors that contribute to individual sources of personal power as well as the authority managers perceived was theirs as a result of their management positions. Since the literature suggests that power is demonstrated in the decision-making process, the study examined the involvement of managers in strategic and operational decision-making. The independent variables examined were gender, age, career interruptions, family status, level of education and mentors. The dependent variables of the study were power, authority, involvement in a number of strategic and operational decision areas, involvement in the stages of the decision-making process and level of involvement in the decision-making process. The results of the study were then discussed using Hasenfeld's (1983) theory of political-economy as a frame of reference. (Abstract shortened by UMI.)