Expression of leadership in the development of non-governmental organizations in the field of social work

The practical relevance of the research. Strong and competent non-governmental organizations represent the country in international organizations, promote volunteering, increase civic and corporate social responsibility, raise funds from private donors and international foundations and organizations, or engage in commercial activities, thus creating social and economic value for the state. NGOs stem from the civic initiative and a desire to address pressing issues and needs that cannot be met by the government and the business sector. There is a shortage of talented leaders, so it is necessary to create a new generation of leaders and support current and future leaders. Leadership development programs for NGO leaders must incorporate best practices and existing practices, rather than applying traditional leadership training methods. Scientific relevance of the research. The current global environment for NGOs is defined by the uncertainty of fundraising, the effects of climate change, growing economic inequality, changing geopolitical dynamics, and greater interaction through the use of the Internet (Green, 2015). A review of the scientific literature shows that the level of implementation of strategic planning had a positive relationship with organizational effectiveness in social service organizations in Portugal (Ferreira, Proenca, 2015). The factors implementing the strategy influencing the effectiveness of the project in the NGO were leadership, culture, resource allocation, and structure (Ramadan, 2015). In addition, a recent study focusing on the impact of strategy drivers on project effectiveness in Warsaw, Poland, found supportive leadership and leadership to ensure NGO success (Okorley, Nkrumah, 2012). The above-mentioned research reveals the novelty of the research on the expression of leadership and the impact on the development of NGO activities in the field of social work. The research problem is defined by a problematic question: how is the leadership that develops the activities of NGOs in the field of social work? Research object: expression of leadership in the development of NGO activities in the field of social work. The aim: to analyze the expression of leadership in the development of NGO activities in the field of social work Research tasks: 1. To reveal the development of the activities of non-governmental organizations in response to topical issues in the field of social work. 2. To analyze leadership in the development of non-governmental organizations in the field of social work. 3. To study the expression of leadership in developing the activities of non-governmental organizations in the field of social work. Methodological research approaches. Modern theories of leadership were used to substantiate the object of the research, ontological leadership theories were based on the following authors: Alvenson (2012), Apost (2013), Atkočiūnienė (2019), Barvydiene (2009), Byrne, Dirgiene (2018), Fahrudin (2017), Miniotaite (2019), Nort-House (2012), Speacer (2004), Vaitkevičius (2016), Vanagu (2012), Vyšniauskiene (2012), etc. authors. For NGOs working in the field of social work, these modern theories of leadership are appropriate to describe a leader. Charismatic is when the basis of leadership is the wisdom and morality of the leader. Authentic leadership is based on values and goals. Servant leadership begins with a perceived desire to serve the solid. In shared leadership, each member of a group influences the other, while pursuing a common goal for the organization where each member can take responsibility. The expression of leadership in the epistemological aspect of an NGO operating in the field of social work was examined based on interpretive phenomenological analysis. The analysis of the findings of the study was based on the ideas of these phenomenologists. Husserl (2009), who was the creator of this method, looked at phenomenology as a way to discover true meanings by penetrating deeper into reality. According to Schutz (2009), the human being is the object to be studied. It is a preconceived, conscious experience directed at the other self. Hartman (2009) considered her ability to perceive and assimilate values to be an essential feature of her personality. Scheller (2009) argues that a person would lose his humanity if he focused only on formal values. The man also needs love. For Levin (2009), the interpersonal relationship is primarily ethical. Levin understands responsibility as responsibility for another person. The content of the work consists of the first part presenting the theoretical interpretation of the research, the second part containing the research methodology, and the third part presenting the results of the research. The content of the work consists of the first part presenting the theoretical interpretation of the research, the second part containing the research methodology, and the third part presenting the results of the research. The study sample, time, and place. The study involved 7 NGO leaders working in the field of social work. The interview took place from November 2021 – to January 2022. Most of the interviews took place in a live meeting in Klaipeda, Telsiai, and Taurage, and we met with research participants from Vilnius and Kaunas with the help of the Zoom program. Conclusions. The study revealed that a well-functioning third sector is an important player in the state to bring about social change. The main obstacles to the development of the non-governmental sector are the lack of active, responsible citizens, insufficient financial and administrative resources, and underdeveloped cooperation between the NGO sector and the authorities. The following modern theories of leadership that characterize a leader are appropriate for a non-governmental organization operating in the field of social work: charismatic, where leadership is based on the wisdom and morality of the leader and the charisma given by God. Authentic leadership is based on values and goals, and self-knowledge. Servant leadership begins with a perceived desire to serve the solid. Shared leadership, where each member of the group influences the other, simultaneously pursues the organization's common goal, where each member can take responsibility. Leaders, by constantly growing themselves, encourage the growth of followers, and at the same time, the whole organization grows. Examining the expression of leadership that develops the activities of non-governmental organizations in the field of social work, revealed that leaders in dynamic times are motivated by higher incentives, guided by values, able to accept new challenges and changing es, prep and care for themselves and their organizations for new goals, constantly improve themselves, help improve other people, reveal their best qualities and help volunteers take the lead themselves