Using organizational assessment as a tool for program change

Abstract

Organizational functioning within substance abuse treatment organizations is important to the transfer of research innovations into practice. Programs should be performing well for new interventions to be implemented successfully. The present study examined characteristics of treatment programs that participated in an assessment and training workshop designed to improve organizational functioning. The workshop was attended by directors and clinical supervisors from 53 community-based treatment units in a single state in the Southwest. Logistic regression analysis was used to examine attributes related to program-level decisions to engage in a structured process for making organizational changes. Findings showed that programs with higher needs and pressures, and those with more limited institutional resources, and poorer ratings of staff attributes and organizational climate were most likely to engage in a change strategy. Furthermore, organizations with greater staff consensus (i.e., smaller standard deviations) on ratings of organizational climate also were more likely to engage in change.

Assessing program needs and planning change

“…Although both groups have important and differing perspectives of the organization, they tend to agree on critical new training areas to help improve clinical work with their clientele. Findings from Courtney et al (2007) however suggest that uniformity (or concordance) in staff viewpoints is also an important consideration. The one area of disagreement involved the Satisfaction With Training scale; in this case, the clinical supervisors were more satisfied (compared with staff) with the training they had received in the last year.…”

“…For the organizational functioning analyses, the four ORC assessment domain indexes (described above) served as overall summaries that measured distinct aspects of organizational functioning (see Courtney, Joe, Rowan-Szal, & Simpson, 2007;Greener et al, 2007). The relationships between the PTN and ORC domain indexes were examined using Pearson's correlations.…”

Frontline counselors in organizational contexts: A study of treatment practices in community settings

“…How unfortunate and paradoxical then if frontline staff members' efforts to use new EBPs might prompt the development of unfavorable organizational climates. If efforts to implement evidence-supported practices lead to greater stress in organizations and stress in organizations impedes further implementation of new practices, then it would be especially important to explicitly promote favorable organizational climates before and during implementation efforts (Courtney, Joe, Rowan-Szal, & Simpson, 2007). Fortunately, some evidence suggests that staff morale and effectiveness can be maintained even in stressful organizational climates if staff members view their organization as proficient rather than tied to rigid rules and regulations (Glisson, 2007).…”

Increasing program capability to provide treatment for co-occurring substance use and mental disorders: Organizational characteristics

“…For example, Glisson, Dukes, and Green (2006) and Glisson and Schoenwald (2005) developed an organizational intervention model called ARC (availability, responsiveness, continuity), which uses change strategies at the organization level to assist in implementing EBPs and has been shown to positively affect staff turnover and organizational climate. ORC assessment results can be used as an organizational intervention, such as in a workshop format that encourages agencies to examine their results in the context of national norms and plan for a change process (Courtney, Joe, Rowan-Szal, & Simpson, 2007). In our own work with the COSIG Phase II pilot study, we conducted an agency readiness assessment, during which we surveyed organizational readiness for change, staff attitudes toward EBPs, leadership factors, and staff practices related to the specific EBPs themselves.…”