The purpose of this research was to examine potential differences betw
een the roles of community social workers who supervise nonprofessiona
l staff and those who do not supervise nonprofessionals. Although it w
as hypothesized that the social worker who supervises nonprofessionals
would be freed for more professional roles and would spend less time
on roles that do not require professional skill, such differences were
not found. Both devote about 40% of their work to tasks that do not r
equire professional skill. Some differences were found between the two
groups in those role factors that require professional skill. The soc
ial workers who supervised nonprofessionals spent a greater proportion
of their time in guidance and activation of neighborhood committees,
whereas those who did not supervise nonprofessional staff devoted more
time to complex and executive roles.