The Direct Effects of Field of Practice on Core Managerial Role Competencies: A Study Across Three Types of Public Sector Human Service Agencies Mark S. Preston, PhD ABSTRACT. The direct effects of field of practice on managerial action has received minimal empirical attention within the social work manage- ment literature. The present study addressed the issue by surveying 81 pub- lic managers responsible for three types of county-based human service agencies across the state of New York. Consistent with Yukl's (2004) flex- ible leadership theory, child welfare managers reported engaging in the criterion measure, human relations activity, significantly more than senior service managers. Unexpectedly, a significant difference also was found between employment and senior service managers; however, none was noted for child welfare and employment service managers. The findings are discussed, along with implications for social work management practice and research. KEYWORDS. Field of practice, managerial role competencies, human service management, social work management, flexible leadership theory, competing values framework Mark S. Preston is an Assistant Professor at Columbia University's School of Social Work. Address correspondence to: Mark S. Preston, Columbia University School of Social Work, 1255 Amsterdam Ave., New York, NY 10027 (E-mail: mp2557@ columbia.edu). Administration in Social Work, Vol. 32(3) 2008 Available online at http://asw.haworthpress.com © 2008 by The Haworth Press. All rights reserved. doi:10.l080/03643I00801922597 63