ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE IN HUMAN SERVICES ORGANIZATIONS: USING EVIDENCE TO GUIDE PRACTICE Tom Packard, DSW Professor Emeritus School of Social Work San Diego State University NSWM Annual Conference June 2016 Los Angeles

“People hate change, and with good reason. Change makes us stupider, relatively speaking. Change adds new information to the universe; information that we don’t know. Our knowledge – as a percentage of all the things that can be known – goes down a tick every time something changes.” - Scott Adams, The Dilbert Principle, 1996, p. 198.

GOAL & OBJECTIVES Goal: present an evidence-based model for implementing successful organizational change in human service organizations Objectives: increase participants’ knowledge regarding evidence- based organizational change tactics increase participants’ interest in acting as change leaders in their organizations increase participants’ knowledge regarding identifying a change opportunity, assessing one’s own capacities as a potential change leader, assessing the organization’s readiness and capacity for change, and designing an organizational change initiative.

CHECK IN What key things do you know about organizational change? Can you give an example of an organizational change process you have experienced? Is there anything specific that you’d like to learn about organizational change? What is your role in your organization? Are you in a position to introduce new ideas about organizational change?

OVERVIEW Definition Levels of change An organizational change process Applications Questions, Discussion, Next steps

ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE DEFINED Planned organizational change involves leadership and the mobilizing of staff to explicitly address problems or needs in the organization’s current state, to move the organization to a desired future state, using change processes which involve both human and technical aspects of the organization.

THREE LEVELS OF CHANGE Developmental: incremental: problem solving, training, improving communications, improving minor systems or processes Transitional: moderate, to something new: reorganizations; interagency coalitions; new technology systems; implementing new programs, EBP Transformational: large-scale: organizational culture change, privatization, managed competition

APPLICATION IDEAS As we review the steps of a change process, consider an opportunity for organizational change in your agency. –At least transitional change E.g., implementing an EBP, new information system, enhance cultural competence, program performance improvement –Won’t have time for a comprehensive plan; think about things you might do at any step –Share and discuss ideas

STEPS IN PLANNED ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE 1.Assess the present 2.Create a sense of urgency 3.Communicate the change vision 4.Develop an action system 5.Develop and maintain support 6.Implement the change 7.Institutionalize the change 8.Evaluate the change

1: Assess the Present Develop a clear understanding of the problem, need for change, and desired outcomes Gather and assess available data to guide the change Determine the level of change which will be needed Assess readiness (level of support and enthusiasm) Assess capacity (skills, abilities, resources) Assess possible resistance (who may resist, and why) Determine your role in the change process

Readiness Bouckenooghe, Devos, & Van Den Broeck 2009 Quality of change communication Participation Attitude of top management toward organizational change Support by supervisors Trust in leadership Cohesion Minimal/no politicking

Capacity (Judge & Douglas, 2009) Trustworthy leaders Trusting followers Capable champions Involved mid-management Innovative culture Accountable culture Effective communication Systems thinking

The Resistance Pyramid From Proehl, p. 161; graphics adapted from Felicity Mildon, retrieved from Set goals, provide coaching and feedback, reward and recognize. Educate and train in New skills. Communicate the Who, what, when, Where, why, & how. Create mutual advantage, build alliances & partnerships. Provide emotional support. Involve in the process.

2. Create a Sense of Urgency Show the need for & desirability of the change: the problem, what needs attention Share info to document need: –Pressures from the environment –Internal conditions –Accent the importance of a crisis –Show what will happen if the problem is not addressed

3: Communicate the Change Vision Vision and outcomes Implementation plan o Auspices & mandates, o Data collection & analysis, task forces, change processes o Time, resources

4. Develop the Action System Top management support Change champion People with credibility, power, interest, relevant knowledge and skills People affected by the problem Steering committee Task forces Widespread staff participation Information & training Opportunities for team building & conflict management

Change Agent Roles Sponsor: high level executive: provide support Champion: day-to-day responsibility for making change happen and monitoring the process Other change agents: consultants, team leaders, facilitators Other stakeholders: Board/CEO support, employee organizations, community partners as necessary

5. Develop & Maintain Support Key individuals and groups affected by the change Political overseers (Board, advisory boards) Other stakeholders (unions, community groups) Sufficient resources (e.g., staff time, funding, technological support)

6. Implement the change Communication mechanisms to inform staff regarding progress Ensure that any concerns of staff are addressed Use monitoring tools to track progress Revise project activities as appropriate based on new information or changing conditions Action plans Quick results and short term wins Specific change technologies as needed

Some implementation technologies Analysis of performance data Employee surveys Problem solving groups TQM, Lean Six Sigma, Business Process Reengineering Organization redesign Team building

7. Institutionalize the change Formalize changes in policies and procedures Support necessary culture changes Link changes with other systems (performance measures, HR changes) Continuous monitoring and adaptation Celebrate successes Commitment to ongoing change and improvement

8. Evaluate the change Evaluation of results using data Change process: was the change plan implemented as designed? Change content: outcomes Make staff aware of results and new systems Assess institutionalization of changes

Thank you Questions Comments Discussion Suggestions Next steps Any questions later:

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES Anderson, D. and Ackerman-Anderson L. (2010). Beyond change management, 2nd Ed. San Francisco: Pfeiffer: An Imprint of Wiley. Glisson, C. (2012). Intervention With Organizations. In C. Glisson, C. Dulmus & K. Sowers (Eds.), Social work practice with groups, organizations, and communities. (pp ). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons. Johnson, M., & Austin, M. J. (2008). Evidence-based practice in the social services: Implications for organizational change. Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work, 5(1- 2), Kotter, J. (2012). Leading change, rev. ed. Boston: Harvard Business Review Press. Packard, T., McCrae, J., Phillips, J, & Scannapieco, M. (2015). Measuring organizational change tactics to improve child welfare programs: Experiences in 13 counties. Human Service Organizations: Management, Leadership, & Governance. 39(5), Packard. T. & Shih, A. (2014). Organizational change tactics: The evidence base in the literature, Journal of Evidence-Based Social Work. 11:5, Packard, T. (2013). Organizational change: A conceptual framework to advance the evidence base. Journal of Human Behavior and the Social Environment. 23(1), Packard, T. (2013). Organizational change in human service organizations. In The Encyclopedia of Social Work online. Retrieved from Oxford University Press & NASW.