How do consumer leaders co-create value in mental health organisations?

Abstract

Objectives Contemporary mental health policies call for consumers to be involved in decision-making processes within mental health organisations. Some organisations have embraced leadership roles for consumers, but research suggests consumers remain disempowered within mental health services. Drawing on a service-dominant logic, which emphasises the co-creation of value of services, the present study provides an overview of consumer leadership within mental health organisations in the Australian Capital Territory. Methods Mental health organisations subscribing to the local peak body mailing list were invited to complete a survey about consumer leadership. Survey data were summarised using descriptive statistics and interpreted through the lens of service-dominant logic. Results Ways in which organisations may create opportunities for consumers to co-create value within their mental health services included soliciting feedback, involving consumer leaders in service design, having consumer leaders involved in hiring decisions and employing consumer leaders as staff or on boards. Strategies that organisations used to develop consumer leaders included induction, workshops and training in a variety of organisational processes and skills. Conclusions The findings of the present study extend the application of a service-dominant logic framework to consumer leadership within mental health organisations through consideration of the diverse opportunities that organisations can provide for consumer co-creation of service offerings. What is known about the topic? Policy calls for consumer involvement in all levels of mental health service planning, implementation and delivery. The extent to which service organisations have included consumer leaders varies, but research suggests that this inclusion can be tokenistic or that organisations choose to work with consumers who are less likely to challenge the status quo. Service literature has explored the way consumers can co-create value of their own health care, but is yet to explore consumers’ co-creation of value at a systemic level. What does the paper add? This paper outlines ways in which mental health organisations report involving consumers in leadership positions, including having consumers on boards, having consumers on recruitment panels and providing leadership training for consumers. These initiatives are considered in terms of the potential value co-created within mental health services by consumers in leadership, suggesting that consumer leaders are a resource to mental health organisations in terms of the value brought to service offerings. What are the implications for practitioners? Research suggests that medical professionals have been resistant to increased consumer leadership within mental health services. The findings of the present study emphasise the value that can be brought to service organisations by consumer leaders, suggesting that mental health practitioners may reconsider their approach and attitudes towards consumer leadership in the sector.

‘It depends what you mean by leadership’: An analysis of stakeholder perspectives on consumer leadership

“…The second aspect of the theoretical framework is informed by service‐dominant logic (SDL; Vargo & Lusch ) which has been recently applied to work in consumer leadership by Scholz et al . (). One of the key concepts of SDL is that mutually beneficial cocreation of value is achieved through resource exchange between parties, coordinated through socially constructed rules, norms, and beliefs (Vargo & Lusch ).…”

“…Consistent with O'Hagan's () conceptualization of consumer leadership, SDL emphasizes consumers’ contribution to the mental health system (Scholz et al . ). However, SDL currently fails to account for documented power differentials between consumers and traditional health providers (Cleary et al .…”

“…Few attempts have been made to construct a framework for consumer leadership (O'Hagan ; Scholz et al . ), despite its projected benefits.…”

Doing what we can, but knowing our place: Being an ally to promote consumer leadership in mental health

“…Establishing partnerships requires consumer involvement at a higher level than the term ‘participation’ might suggest (Scholz et al . ). ‘Participation’ by definition could refer to activities with minimal influence, such as consultation on existing policy, rather than meaningfully co‐designing new policy, for instance.…”

“…Even in organizations with consumer leadership, there is often a lack of support for consumer leaders, as well as internal resistance to change (Scholz et al . ).…”