Social management
Social Managers are leaders and leading employees in social organizations. They have to – as in other organizations – use economic means and human resources in the most efficient and satisfactory way. Most Social Managers have for the most part a professional qualification as a social pedagogue, social worker, nurse, doctor, business administrator, accountant, finance expert or lawyer. To fulfil their professional duty they often lack key management capabilities that could supplement and consolidate their acquired professional training and education.
The professional education of Social Managers has proofed its worth, for example, for more than 25 years, since the start of the Social Management Program by the University of Linz in Austria. Social Managers in general are able to take on key management positions and leadership role in social organizations, due to both long-standing professional experience and specialized education for the profession as social manager. University-level degree programs usually focus on creating new management knowledge and skills, filling gaps in, as well as strengthening the educational background in fields as:
- Executive Management and Strategic Management
- Crisis Management
- Human Resource Management
- Accounting
- Finance and Controlling
- Social Marketing in the wider sense (all marketing techniques applied to social organizations)
- Fundraising
- Project Management
- NGO Management and Community Development
- Social Development
- Social Policy
- Principles and Case Studies in Business Law, Private Law, Social Law, Labor Law, Family Law, etc.
Career Prospects
Social Managers possess specialized leadership and management skills covering all areas of management, social policy, social services, as well as many aspects of law. The Social Management pursues the goal of connecting social objectives with principles of efficiency in management. The aim is to increase the potential and actual career changes of practicing social administrators (government offices related to the social sector, education and health care sector, public or private housing estates, social service organizations, etc.), social workers, kindergarten and school teachers, psychologists, nurses, doctors, even police officers, and all other professionals who are working in the social service sector.
Social Managers will work in private as well as public social organizations, such as: 1. Elderly homes, care homes, counselling centers, youth centers, re-socialisation centers, children homes, orphanages, 2. kindergartens, primary schools, high schools, universities, educational institutions for social professions, education centres, 3. hospitals, clinics, rehabilitation centers, wellness centers, recreational centers, 4. government offices related to education, health care, housing, social services, social assistance ("welfare benefits"), employment services, social insurance, social development, crime prevention and policing, etc., as well as 5. welfare and social service related companies.