Supervisory working alliance and organizational commitment in social work

The present research explores the relationship between the nature of the supervisory working alliance and the social worker's organizational commitment. A convenience sample of 176 social workers filled out the Trainee Version of the Supervisory Working Alliance Measurement Tool and the Organizational Commitment Questionnaire as well as a Background Questionnaire.;Results indicate that supervisee perception of the mutual understanding of the goals and tasks of their supervisor was related to organizational commitment, whereas perceived level of emotional bond with their supervisor was not related to organizational commitment. Additional findings show that social workers who did not receive supervision were older, more tenured, and working in private practice. Social workers in primary social work agencies and hospitals reported receiving less supervision than social workers in other settings and tended to receive supervision from multiple and non social work supervisors more than workers in other types of settings.