Motivating the unemployed: A full‐range model of motivational strategies that caseworkers use to activate clients

Governments use activation policies to stimulate unemployed citizens in finding work. Caseworkers are, as front‐line workers, responsible for concrete activation trajectories based on these activation policies. Little is known about how caseworkers try to get clients to participate in these activati...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Social policy & administration Vol. 54; no. 3; pp. 375 - 389
Main Authors: Grandia, Jolien, La Grouw, Yvonne M., Kruyen, Peter M.
Format: Journal Article
Language:English
Published: Oxford Blackwell Publishing Ltd 01.05.2020
Subjects:
activation
Citizens
client interaction
Clients
front‐line workers
Leadership
leadership styles
Motivation
motivational strategies
Observational studies
observational study
Unemployed people
Welfare
Work
Workers
ISSN:0144-5596, 1467-9515
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:Governments use activation policies to stimulate unemployed citizens in finding work. Caseworkers are, as front‐line workers, responsible for concrete activation trajectories based on these activation policies. Little is known about how caseworkers try to get clients to participate in these activation trajectories. In a qualitative, inductive study (consisting of observations and reflective interviews) in two welfare agencies, we identified 10 motivational strategies that caseworkers employed. The full‐range leadership model appeared to be an appropriate perspective to understand, systematize, and reflect on these strategies, in particular as our analyses show that these motivational strategies can be placed on a continuum ranging from laissez‐faire to transactional and transformational strategies. We found that caseworkers matched their motivational strategy to the situation and client but preferred transformational strategies. Our findings implicate chances but also challenges for activation in practice and literature on front‐line workers.
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ISSN:0144-5596
1467-9515
DOI:10.1111/spol.12540