Successful and Not Successful ImplementationTHE IMPACT OF ORGANIZATIONAL CLIMATE FACTORS

Funding for this project is made possible through a Cooperative

Agreement between the University at Albany, SUNY and the U.S.

DHHS/ACF Children’s Bureau (www.Acf.Hhs.Gov/programs/cb/)

Grant number 90CT0149. Its contents are solely the responsibility

of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views

of the Children’s Bureau.

Climate & Implementation

Organizational climate is: Predictor of positive service qualityAssociated with worker performanceAssociated with client outcomesAssociated with worker job satisfactionAssociated with worker retentionAssociated with innovative implementations

Focus of the Study

Hypothesis 1: Successful implementation of a change initiative is associated with a more positive organizational climate.

Hypothesis 2: Administrator position is associated with a more positive perception of the organizational climate.

Intervention

Child Welfare Workforce Initiative (CWWI)

Not-for-profit agencies contracted to serve children and families in the public child welfare system

Informed by Learning Organization and National Implementation Research Network (NIRN)

Intervention continued

Collaborated with agencies for 18 months to address a substantial change initiative

Agency Design Team consisting of managers, supervisors, and line staff with authority to develop strategies and implement the change

CWWI provided an expert in organizational change and team facilitation

Intervention Model

4-Phase model: 1st Explore change initiative and conduct assessment

with data and agency stakeholders 2nd Identify the solution and plan for implementation 3rd Implementation 4th Evaluation and stabilization

Sample

3 agencies completed implementation vs. 3 agencies that did not complete implementation

870 employees

83% of all employees at baseline; 65% at follow-up

Psychological Climate Survey

Role DimensionAmbiguity, Conflict, Overload

Job DimensionImportance, Autonomy, Challenge

Organization DimensionInnovation, Justice, Support

Supervisor DimensionTrust & Support, Goal Emphasis, Work Facilitation

Administrators and Non-Administrators:Differences in Perceived Climate

85 (40.5%) Administrators defined as Executive Director/CEO, Program Director, Manager, Department Head

125 (59.5%) Non-Administrators defined as Supervisors, Social Workers, Caseworkers, Case Planners, and Childcare Workers

Design & Analysis

Pre-post, longitudinal design

OLS Regression – implemented/non-implements to each climate dimension

OLS Regression – administrator/non-administrator to each climate dimension

H1: Confirmed Successful implementation of a change initiative is associated with a more positive organizational climate

3 of 4 Organizational Climate Dimensions were significant: Organization Job Role Supervision was not significant

Organization Dimension Significant

Innovation is the ability to adopt or implement new ideas, processes, or products successfully

Justice is making decisions fairly = accurate information and hearing all concerns

Support is caring about employee wellbeing, opinions, and general satisfaction

Job Dimension Significant

Importance is work is highly meaningful and makes a contribution to team and children/families

Autonomy is the authority to make decisions on how to do job and control assignments

Challenge is job requires use of full knowledge and skills

Role Dimension Significant

Ambiguity is having unclear authority for decision-makingConflict is rules & regulations interfere with doing a good

job, or too many people directingOverload is amount of work and pressure interfere with

doing a good job

H2: ConfirmedAdministrator position is associated with a more positive perception of the organizational climate

Administrators have a more positive perception of the organizational climate than direct care workers in Organization & Job Dimensions

Administrators have an intrinsic wider scope of authority and empowerment- in both implemented and non-implemented agencies.

Successful implementation is likely due to administrators’ approach and behavior toward employees during the innovative process

Implications

Administrators and child welfare workers from agencies that successfully implement change, report having a significantly more positive organizational climate.

Administrators desiring to implement change initiatives can create a positive organizational climate by being attentive to the organizational, role and job dimensions.

Implications

Essential is creating a supportive environment that: employees feel their opinions are heard, decisions are made fairly with full information, and leaders impart a sense of concern and investment in

employees.

Implications

Administrators generate the foundation for an innovative environment by providing workers with: a sense of security, recognition for accomplishments, clarity in job responsibilities, autonomy within their sphere of authority, and a creative atmosphere.

Inference

Individual and organizational innovation engages employees in discussions and fosters a work environment that sustains learning and innovation.

Organizations having such innovative capacity are more successful in responding to their environments and will likely enjoy improved performance and outcomes.

Thank YouNANCY CLAIBORNE, PHD

SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WELFARE

UNIVERSITY AT ALBANY

STATE UNIVERSITY OF NEW YORK

nclaiborne@albany.edu