Macro Social Work: The Strategic Power You Didn’t Know You Needed
The title “social worker” tends to conjure a specific image: therapy, case management, and clinical practice. This has been the dominant idea of social work for centuries. But at the start of the 1980’s a new branch of the profession was named to officially indicate practitioners interested in policies, systems, and communities rather than one-on-one care. The National Association of Social Workers (NASW) adopted Macro social work into their standard literature, and large-scale social change became formalized in the academic and professional world.
Macro social workers are unique in the sense that our lenses are wide but our focus is personal. We ask, “How can this work better for everyone?” And yet, despite the growing number of macro trained professionals in Richmond and across the country, I have found there is still very little knowledge about the macro social worker archetype, especially in spaces where candidates from other disciplines are competing for the same roles. With two social workers on our team at TSM (myself included), along with keeping tabs on practitioners across the region, I have compiled a brief list to shed light on the topic and hopefully endear you to the macro social workers you may come in contact with. Based on my experiences, here is what hiring a macro social worker actually gets you:
A problem-solver trained for complexity
Macro social workers generalize nothing. The framework from which we operate emphasizes nuance and supports the unpacking of layered circumstances that lack one clear answer. Macro social workers are specifically trained to excel in dynamic environments. Things like limited resources, competing needs, and shifting priorities are what I consider to be “macro bait,” or circumstances that make an environment ripe for change. The path toward progress may not be linear, but it begins to form (in some 3D, oblong, twisted up shape of its own) in a macro social worker’s head the minute we enter the space. And honestly, I don’t think it ever stops. Even after we close a project with a client at TSM, we crave progress updates and make an effort to stay up to date with local news surrounding any initiatives we may have touched. We are undoubtedly aware of how quickly things shift and are inherently interested in how our work ages after the time working with a client has ended. In short, complexity intrigues us and keeps us interested from beginning to end.
A connector between leadership and the frontlines
Good leaders want their decisions to reflect the reality of what their staff and client populations are experiencing. But too many times we’ve all watched insights from the front lines get lost in translation once they reach a higher-level. It is a natural part of human communication for a game of telephone, combined with differing opinions and perspectives, to result in an unhelpful and inaccurate mess. In an attempt to smooth out that wrinkle, macro social workers are trained to not only synthesize critical information, but effectively communicate it between two parties that may have differing work styles or priorities. We perform well when acting as a conduit and a catalyst for information sharing, ultimately working to prevent important details and perspectives from falling through corporate cracks. Similarly, we specialize in asking follow-up questions that may not occur to others during tense moments, all while paying close attention to who isn’t in the room, because that’s often where the blind spots are. By prioritizing integrity and honoring relational dynamics, macro social workers are effective at facilitating the fluid exchange of information and communicating ambiguity across organizational levels.
A facilitator who can navigate sensitive dynamics
As exciting as periods of growth can be, it’s not uncommon for things to get tense when you are in the thick of it. Macro social workers are typically stimulated by the prospect of keeping people engaged during difficult conversations. Our foundation of clinical and psychological knowledge allows us to approach these moments with the compassion and curiosity required to address the root causes of discomfort while still facing forward. Having someone on your team that is not only trained in handling emotional human responses, but also recognizes the long term benefit of leaning into conflict rather than away from it, can go a long way in creating a desirable workplace culture. Macro frameworks equip social workers with the forethought to see beyond immediate conflict and envision the butterfly effect that each conversation and action contributes to. We specialize in zooming out and in simultaneously in order to navigate the prickly moments, making sure people feel heard while keeping them on track to the greater goal.
A values-based strategist
In the nonprofit sector, mission driven work is wonderfully abundant. The challenge comes when the operations that are required to drive that mission create an uneven mental load, especially for teams also expected to think strategically. The unique value of macro social workers is their refined skill for strategizing effectively, while inherently weaving core values throughout each element of the work, all the way from vision to implementation. In practice, they are the people at the conference table asking, “How does this move us closer to the kind of change we’re committed to?” and, “Will people understand not just what we’re doing, but why?”. Core values are seen as essential commitments rather than general ideals. During complex moments macro social workers can be incredibly helpful in keeping organizations grounded, accountable, and aligned with who they say they are, even when you are knee deep in the weeds.
Macro social workers are by no means miracle workers, nor are they a built-in, catch-all, HR department. My purpose in writing this is to educate our clients and community on what this relatively new discipline is adding to the workforce. What we do is not clinical, but it’s also not not clinical. I feel that the work of today’s Macro SW workforce reflects the incredible complexity and nuance of today’s world. A refreshing notion that instills a nugget of hope in me, one that felt important to share.