Understanding and Building Compatibility between Organizational Climate and Casework Practice

Heidi Young, Training Administrator, Organizational Learning & Quality Improvement, NH DCYF

Christine Tappan, Director of Strategic Management, APHSA

Goals for this workshop:

Understanding of what is Organizational Social Context (OSC)

Awareness of importance in assessing OSC, particularly climate, before, during, and after organizational change to inform training and workforce development strategies

Understanding of how training can be leveraged to increase compatibility between workforce and agency beliefs related to casework.

Achieving our goals

Setting the story

Exploring OSC

Making the linkages

Inspiring compatibility…

Setting the story

What major initiatives has your agency tried to implement?

Many state’s have chosen to create a Practice Model

• Kentucky• Washington• Florida• NewYork City• Kansas• New

Hampshire

• Benefits of a Practice Model• Reasons to Create a Practice Model

• Key Components of a Practice Model– Theoretical Framework– Core Values & Practice

Principles– Casework Components– Practice Elements and Behaviors– Organization and System Standards

NH’s Experience

Benefits• Promotes alignment

– Statewide consistency in families’ experiences with child welfare– With Juvenile Justice – With Stakeholders

• Addresses all aspects of the agency– Systemwide undertaking

• Guides daily interactions without prescribing a specific program– “Super” clarity and articulation of beliefs and principles

• Describes behaviors, activities, and strategies in significant detail– Sets the expectation for quality – a higher bar

• Defines outcomes – Aligned with CFSR, CFSP/APSR

• Address “initiative” fatigue– Creating a Practice Model MUST BE different

Reasons to Do a Practice Model

• Reform• Legal mandates• Improvement effort• Address an

identified problem• Proactive

leadership• Something was

missing• Go from good to

great

“This is not a new initiative…it will be our way of life”Maggie Bishop, NH DCYF Director, May 2009

40

Staff from across the agency

Application and selection

Monthly work sessions and homework in between

Commitment to a decision-making process

“Spread” leaders

Sustained engagement

Youth and parent team members

Approach to Practice Model design

Beliefs and Guiding PrinciplesPrevention reduces child abuseand neglect.

All children/youth should be safe.

Everyone deserves to be treatedwith courtesy and respect.

All children/youth need anddeserve permanency.

All children, youth, and familiesdeserve a life of well-being.

All families have strengths.

Exploring OSC

Describe your organization’s culture & climate in a few words…

2 minutes

Characteristics of Organizations

Constructive Organizations◦ Emphasize

achievement motivation◦ Safe climate that

minimizes conflict◦ Flexible structure with

shared authority◦ Promote innovative

new approaches

Destructive Organizations◦ Depersonalization◦ Emotional exhaustion◦ Role overload◦ Role conflict◦ Resist innovation &

new technologies

Generate a Learning

Organization!

What are the themes?

Do culture & climate matter?

“Children served by child welfare and juvenile justice systems with more positive climates are more likely to experience improved psycho-social functioning, obtain more comprehensive services & experience more continuity in the services they receive.”

Glisson & Hemmelgarm, 1998

What is OSC?

Culture

Climate

Organizational Culture

“It’s the way we dothings around here”

•Values •Norms•Behaviors

Organizational Climate

“The way I feelabout working here”

•Perceptions•Attitudes•Motivation

Culture vs. ClimateWhat’s the difference?

Culture

Property of organizationExpectationsStandards of practice

Climate

Property of individualPerceptionAffective response“psychological safety”

Climate + Culture = OSC which…

Affects: ◦ Acceptance of new practices (whether or not)◦ Implementation and fidelity (How)◦ Sustainability and Effectiveness

“of new technologies” (even Evidence Based Practices)

“Molds the nature, tone, and focus of relationships and interactions between service provider and recipient”

Other influences on Social Context

Mixing & managing four generations of employees

Identity confusion/role clarification for seasoned employees

Communication by management

Veterans, Silent Traditionalists(1922-1945)

Baby Boomers(1946-1964)

Generation X(1965-1980)

Generation Y, Millenials(1981-2000)

Work ethic & Values Hard work, respect authority, duty before fun Adhere to rules

WorkaholicsWork efficientlyDesire qualityQuestion authority

Eliminate the taskSelf-relianceWant structure & directionSkeptical

MultitaskingTenacityEntrepreneurialGoal oriented

Work is An obligation An exciting adventure A difficult challengeA contract

A means to an endFulfillment

Leadership Style DirectiveCommand & control

ConsensualCollegial

Everyone is the same, challenge others, Ask why

*TBD

Interactive Style Individual Team playerLoves meetings

Entrepreneur Participation

Communications Formal memo In person Direct immediate E-mail, voice mail, text

Feedback & Rewards No news is good newsSatisfaction in job well done

Don’t appreciate itMoneyTitle/recognition

Sorry to interrupt but how am I doingFreedom is the best reward

Whenever I want it, At the push of a buttonMeaningful work

Messages that Motivate

Your experience is respected

You are valuedYou are needed

Do it your wayForget the rules

You will work with other bright creative people

Work & Family Life Ne’er the twain shall meet

No balanceWork to live

Balance Balance

* Hammill, G. 2005

Identity confusion/role clarification

Distress response

Confusion

AcceptanceIntegration

Communication style of leadership and management

YES

Inclusion

Recognition

Clarity

NO

Impacted over several years by:

Increased emphasis on: Use of data Accountability for outcomes

Budget cuts Service integration and agency

mergers Practice Model development

Inclusion of client voice Changes in Leadership Media attention

“Social Context” at NH DCYF

How does the agency, your team, you, use data? Has it influenced your work/practice?

How has it impacted the culture/climate in yourorganization?

What kinds of questions would you ask about climate?

How does data help us understand OSC?

1.

Organizational Readiness Survey

The summary scales include

1) Readiness for Change (14q)

2) Family Strengths (23q)

3) Family Assessment (not in 2013)

4) Youth Strengths (10q)

5) Obstructions to Practice (28q)

6) Frequency of Experiences (22q)

7) Perceptions of DO or Bureau (14q)

8) Climate in DO or Bureau (7q) 9) Perceptions of Management (4q)

10) Satisfaction with Job (7q) and

11) Staff Burnout (17q)

Organizational Readiness Survey (2011 to 2013)

Baseline:

210 completed surveys out of a potential 346.

Progress/Update:

254 completed surveys out of a potential 376.

Climate Questions

1. The climate in this office is encouraging and supportive;

2. *The climate in this office or Bureau is distrustful and suspicious

3. The climate in this office is relaxed and comfortable4. *The climate in this district office of Bureau is rigid

and rule-based5. People in this office are sensitive to differences in their

coworkers’ cultural beliefs, values, and practices6. You appreciate belonging in this office, and7. Your office is successful at problem solving

Belief Questions

Safety: Children/youth should be safe. (5)

Prevention: Prevention reduces child abuse and neglect. (3)

Respect: Everyone deserves to be treated with courtesy and respect. (5)

Permanency: All children/youth need and deserve permanency. (6)

Well-Being: All children, youth, and families deserve a life of well-being. (4)

Strengths: All families have strengths. (4)

Organizational Readiness Survey:Congruence with PM Beliefs & PrinciplesChild Protection Staff (2013)

Core Belief Scale “I Believe” “Agency Believes”

All children/youth should be safe*** 4.67 4.73

All Children/youth belong with their family*** 4.66 4.74

All children/youth need and deserve permanency*** 4.60 4.69

Prevention reduces child abuse and neglect*** 4.12 4.30

Everyone deserves to be treated with courtesy and respect**

4.58 4.64

All families have strengths 4.68 4.69

All children, youth and families deserve a life of well-being***

4.46 4.58

Organizational Readiness Survey:Results (2013)

Overall, staff assessment of climate was favorable before, during and while change was occurring.

Highest climate results were related to staff feeling appreciated and success at problem solving.

Measures of organizational climate may be associated with staffs’ endorsement of one specific Practice Model belief

SAFETYWells, M., Bartlett, L., Tappan, C., Levesque, S. (2015) Child Welfare Agency Climate: Congruence with Practice Model Beliefs. Journal of Public Child Welfare, Vol. 9:236-255.

DOI: 10.1080/15548732.2015.1043422

Making the linkages

Inspiring compatibility…

What’s involved in creating a healthy OSC

Recruit the “right” staff

Provide quality supervision, mentoring, coaching & learning opportunities

Assess, enhance, and monitor organizational culture & climate

WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?

“Workers who perceive a positive organization climate report higher job satisfaction and a greater commitment to their agency.”

(Glisson & Durick, 1988; Glisson, 2000)

www.NCWWI.ORG

Organization and System Standards

Organizational Development

•Became a learning organization •Viewed the training as a system intervention•We were intentional about developing the capacity for change• Committed to assessing and measuring organizational readiness over time•Adjusted supervisory standards •Used Appreciative Inquiry to strengthen capacity and CQI

Systemic alignment

•Modified organizational and practice policies and standards promptly•Conducted a comprehensive assessment of workforce development approaches•Considered the impact on Technology•Reassessed budget priorities•Clarified the impact on contracting for services

How the training system lead/partnered to promote compatibility of individual perceptions and Practice Model beliefs

Lead a team of staff and community partners in revising training curriculum, including adding parents and youth as trainers and experts

Promoted peer-to-peer learning with other states Facilitated discussions in leadership, supervisory and

team meetings to create safe environments for staff exploration and learning

Integrated extensive coaching/support/integration points across entire agency

Enhanced staff recruitment and selection processes –including selection of interns (future employees)

AND…

Took responsibility and accountability for…

Finding creative, inspirational and practical ways to maintain sustained attention to OSC throughout the organization.

Training

• Sustainability starts from day 1• Leadership must live the Practice Model• Practice Model can generate organizational credibility• Creating a culture of learning is key• Practice Model = PIP = Practice Model• Communication: the Practice Model becomes the

language of the system• Time is a friend and a foe

• Culture and climate need constant, careful, and inspirational attention

DCYF Practice Model Beliefs• Prevention reduces child abuse, neglect

and delinquency and• Promotes safety for children, youth,

families and communities.• Everyone deserves to be safe.• All children and youth need and deserve

permanency.• Everyone deserves to be treated• with courtesy and respect.• Everyone needs and deserves a life of

well-being.• All children, youth and families have

strengths.• All children and youth belong with family.

Inspiring compatibility…