PERCEPTIONS OF ORGANIZATIONAL CONTROL AND CLINICAL SOCIAL WORKER AUTONOMY: IMPLICATIONS FOR CONFLICT, ORGANIZATIONAL ALIENATION AND BURNOUT

Abstract

This quantitative-descriptive study examines the issue of professional autonomy and its relationship to organizational alienation and burnout among 105 clinical social workers in residential treatment organizations. It uses self report questions to measure: (1) the clinical social worker's degree of satisfaction with professional autonomy, (2) the clinical social worker's perceptions and ideals of professional autonomy, and (3) the hypothesized relationships between professional autonomy and organizational alienation and burnout.;The descriptive findings indicate that as a group, the subjects felt satisfied with the degree of professional autonomy granted by their organizations. They felt highly identified with their organizations (low organizational alienation) and experienced a moderate level of burnout. It was further found that younger, less experienced social workers reported a higher degree of burnout, while older, more experienced social workers reported a higher degree of organizational alienation.;Using the Pearson Correlation, highly significant relationships were established between the: (1) perceptions of professional autonomy and organizational alienation and burnout, and (2) the conflict associated with professional autonomy and organizational alienation. Less consistent relationships were established between the conflict associated with professional autonomy and burnout. Overall, the hypothesized relationships between the clinical social worker's perceptions and ideals of professional autonomy with organizational alienation and burnout were supported by this study.