Search

Authors propose a systems model for foster care cost accountability and management that monitors inputs, work processes, and outputs on a continuous basis. Six months of cost performance data for five separate foster care units are presented and analyzed using activitybased costing techniques. Resource consumption patterns, service and activity cost behavior, and repeated measures of unit of service costs are presented and compared. Variances in service costs over time are analyzed at multiple levels and used to understand variances in output costs. Activity-based costing tools, statistical quality control techniques, and total quality management form the basis of the cost accountability and management model. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors present a field study of activity-based management (ABM) applied to a foster care intake unit in a public social services agency. Data were collected on resources, activities, and outputs, yielding an empirical model that has the potential for explaining variances in outcomes produced by service technologies (direct practice and administration), thus informing the question of how effective they are in achieving intended outcomes. This information enables the unit continuously to improve service effectiveness and sharpens its competitive edge in the volatile human service marketplace. The authors review contextual challenges that can impede effective implementation of ABM in social services and offer strategies for meeting these challenges. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The study compares the perceived influences of several factors, each representing a popular perspective, on priority setting in hospital social work departments: (1) leader characteristics of the director; (2) organizational characteristics of the department and hospital; and (3) the preferences of constituency groups. The authors surveyed the views of directors to ascertain influences on their allocation of resources. We find that organizational factors and the preferences of constituents are the strongest determinants of departmental priorities, with leader attributes playing a less influential role. An interesting discovery is that each factor's influence varies depending on the nature of the priority area. We conclude that all three explanations for how performance priorities are shaped --a political model, a leader influence model and an institutional model--find support, The authors interpret and assess the significance of these findings to the practice of social work administration in hospitals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a replication study, fifty-four social work managers from a local metropolitan department of social services respond to the 'Survey of Social Workers in Management Roles' describing how often they perform activities related to twelve dimensions of management. Their responses are compared to those obtained from an earlier national sample of 184 social work managers. A multivariate analysis of variance, controlling for management level, experience, and the interaction of level and sample, finds no significant difference between samples with respect to the frequency with which managers perform activities related to eleven of the twelve management dimensions. On a practical level, there appear to be no real differences between the two groups on any management dimension. These results provide greater confidence in the stability of the measure and in its findings but much work still needs to be done to establish the validity of the instrument. Further research directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rapid and unprecedented changes in our modern society have created extremely turbulent environments for nonprofit human service organizations. These changes threaten to transform the very nature of our business in ways difficult to predict and prepare for. The author examines the collective views of 21 purposely sampled executive directors in the city of Baltimore, Maryland on the future of the nonprofit human services sector. In 1 hour face-to-face interviews, subjects were asked to respond to three questions. What major trends will impact the nonprofit sector in the near future? What potential impact do you see these trends having on the nonprofit sector? What strategies would you recommend that executive directors take today to ensure success of their organization in the future? Narrative responses to each question were aggregated, organized into dominant views, and summarized. Subjects identified a host of social, political, economic, and technological trends that will have major effects on the future of the nonprofit sector. Subjects recommend a variety of tactics for helping an agency respond successfully to these forces. These tactics emphasize three critical areas of administration: planning management and leadership. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]