Abstract
D.Litt. et Phil. (Social Work)
From the onset of his involvement with social work practice in industry, candidate found
himself reflecting upon the position and resulting characteristic functions of social work
practitioners within an industrial context. The search for clarity in this regard led to the
perusal of reading matter and the consideration of past experiences and encounters. This culminated in a desire to investigate the positioning of industrial social work in order to effect a compromise between the promotion of the objectives of industry viz. financial gain and human resource development. The main research issue or problem of the study, therefore centres around the positioning of industrial social work, and consequently the title of this dissertation is "The positioning of social work in the labour milieu". The purpose of this study is the placement of industrial social work within the context of meaningful work, work environment, influences from within industrial enterprises on man as worker, human resource activities in industrial enterprises, the course of industrial social work in industrial enterprises, the embodiment of social work in industrial enterprises and the provision of guidelines for social workers to position their profession most effectively in industrial enterprises. The study is exploratory-descriptive in nature, since the domain of study (industrial social work) is still being regarded as fairly unfamiliar and relatively less researched as compared to other branches of generic social work. Methodologically viewed, the study, the outcome
of which is documented in this dissertation, was undertaken by marshalling practice
experience into expertise mainly by interacting it with an eclectic literature study, a
conceptual analysis of certain concepts and constructs central to the management of
industrial social work, and systematising impressionistic wisdom while collecting information and gaining insight. In addition to the study of literature, information was collected by studying official documents of various industrial enterprises, consultations with various colleagues and attending seminars, courses and workshops, whilst regular consultations with my promotor took place and in the process progressing from an argumentative phase to guidelines for practice. In the study the following main conclusions were drawn: Although only partially, man's work and his work environment offer opportunities and challenges in reply to his quest for a meaningful life. An industrial enterprise co-ordinates the occupational activities of people rendering certain
goods and services at specific venues. People, material, machines, means, markets and management, are utilised in the work environment as resources for the production of goods and the rendering of services to industry, its employers and the community.
Man as employee is subject to influences from within industrial organisations but also
reflects certain distinct characteristics. Organisationally, industrial social work is a manpower managment function, whilst industrial social services usually form part of the enterprise's manpower department. Industrial social work ensures from the corporate social responsibility of industrial enterprises. This responsibility is external (concerning the community in general) and internal (concerning employees and their families). The latter enables employees to contribute optimally to the production process and the realisation of business objectives and in compliance with their individual abilities and potential, to develop in human beings with a commitment to work. The establishing of an industrial social service usually develops from a micro to a macro level, from a peripheric to an integrated component of the enterprise. A typology of
composite industrial social work models illustrates this statement in the dissertation.
The general aim of industrial social work is to contribute to the realisation of corporate
objectives by rendering professional services to employees. The components of the strategic planning of industrial social work are similar to those of any management planning. The study is concluded with guidelines for the positioning of industrial social work in industrial enterprises.