Towards a culturally sensitive model of social work supervision in Hong Kong (Thesis)

Abstract

This study examines the format, purpose, relationship, authority, and ideal of social work supervision in the cultural context of Hong Kong. Grounded theory approach was used to explore the experiences and views of supervisors and supervisees from seven focus groups and forty in-depth interviews to modify a model derived from North American literature into a culturally sensitive model within the context of Hong Kong.

The format of supervision in Hong Kong is relatively loose. Written agendas and supervisory contracts are seldom used. Both supervisors and supervisees view successful client outcomes as the highest priority, but supervisors view supervision as a rational and systematic tool for safeguarding the standard and quality of service, while supervisees hope that supervision will provide emotional support and foster teamwork.

The supervisory relationship is both personal and professional. Tension is lessened by the traditional Chinese cultural values of reciprocity: <i>qing</i>, <i>yuan</i>, and <i>face</i>. The use of supervisory authority reflects the political strategy of the British-Hong Kong government--"consensus by consultation and consent"--which was used to reduce conflict and gain acceptance.

The ideal supervision is scheduled in advance and regularly conducted in a comfortable and pleasant physical environment. The supervisor's advice and instructions would be clear, concrete, specific, and workable, in which supervisory relationship would resemble student fieldwork supervision. For supervisors, supervisory practice is ideal when staff members are self-disciplined and self-motivated; then the use of administrative authority can be reduced to a minimum.

It is worthwhile for researchers to conduct studies in specific societies, especially the multi-ethnic societies such as Canada and the United States. Developing models of social work supervision in different cultures will contribute to theory building; research on cross-cultural supervision will refine existing supervisory practices; and studies of the supervisory dyad will benefit the supervisory practice at the micro-practice level. Outcome research on cross-cultural practice may also be used to evaluate the effectiveness of various supervisory practices.