Search

This invited set of reflections upon the research carried out under the auspices of a school of social work is part of a series featuring research centers. It reflects 25 years of scholarly work related to both public and nonprofit human service organizations at the only university-based research center in the United States devoted to research on the management of human service organizations. Organized in the predefined categories of center history, structure, past projects, and current projects, it features current and past research in the areas of welfare services, child welfare services, adult and aging services, organizational support for evidence-informed practice, sustainability of nonprofits, international human services, and practice research methodology. Dedicated to the principles of team science by including graduate students, postdoctorate fellows, and consulting researchers, the Mack Center features the processes of practice research in which practitioners play a major role in the research process.

The integration of research and practice in social work education and agency practice is both complex and challenging. The analysis presented here builds upon the classic social work generalist framework (engagement, assessment, service planning and implementation, service evaluation, and termination) by developing a three-part framework to capture practice, research, and service user involvement. The article also includes a case vignette to illustrate the application of the framework. The evolution of practice-based research provides a venue for these integration issues, with special attention to the role played by service users. The analysis concludes with a series of questions to guide evolving practice and future research.

Using teaching cases in professional education programs has gained increased attention in the past several decades. While the use of teaching cases has been an important part of social work education, the majority of current casebooks focus on micro or direct practice issues and settings. Over the past forty years only four major casebooks have focused exclusively on the macro practice of social work. This analysis of case-based learning is divided into the following components: 1) the search for practice wisdom emerging from analyzing cases within the context of management knowledge and skills, 2) case discussion in the classroom, including student and instructor preparation, case selection and integration into the course, case debriefing, student-designed cases, and conceptual frameworks for teaching management, 3) a conclusion that identifies the benefits and limitations of case-based learning. (Contains 7 tables.)

Discusses the effect of recent changes in federal and state social policies, and reductions in funding which provide new challenges for agency administrators and practitioners. Discusses the lessons learned from the cutbacks, the recent findings on cutback management, and the implications for the future survival of social service agencies. (JAC)

Emphasis on evidence-informed practice (EIP) in human service organizations aimed at improving service quality and client outcomes has increased in recent decades. Research has suggested that the organizational context shapes EIP, yet few studies have explored the agency-based activities that constitute this form of practice. This survey of 473 managers and frontline practitioners in 11 county human service organizations examines EIP activities in agency settings. Analysis of responses to open-ended questions identifies the specific cognitive, interactive, action, and compliance dimensions of EIP, including challenges. EIP emerges as complex and nonlinear, shaped by organizational environment, practitioner perspectives, and client needs.

Objective: Agencies that provide welfare-to-work services often struggle with achieving successful outcomes, particularly for clients experiencing multiple complex barriers to work. California's Family Stabilization program provides whole-family, intensive case management and services to address destabilizing crises among families. This study explores client and worker perspectives on Family Stabilization services to understand the helping relationship at the core of the program and identify key characteristics of positive client–worker relationships within the context of welfare-to-work services. Method: Data were collected via in-depth interviews with 51 Family Stabilization clients and focus groups with Family Stabilization workers at six Northern California county human service agencies. Findings: We identify shared and complementary views among clients and workers regarding positive client–worker relationships. Clients emphasized mutuality and authenticity, responsiveness, resourcefulness, and flexibility as key factors promoting a positive helping relationship. Case workers described the relationship dynamics involved in skillful assessment and team-based services and highlighted the importance of both relational and analytical skills. Conclusion: Policy and practice implications include strategies to support clients and workers and strengthen the client–worker relationship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Government contracts and grants constitute the largest funding source for the majority of nonprofit organizations. Contracts for complex services, such as those involved in delivering human services, pose substantial challenges for public and nonprofit managers. In this context, concerns have been raised about contract management capacity, including challenges related to proposal and contract development, implementation, and performance reporting, as well as the impact of contract monitoring tools on contractor performance. Relatively few studies have provided a cross-sectoral perspective on the concrete managerial skill sets needed to engage in the interpersonal and technical processes involved in effective contract management. This study reports qualitative findings from a survey of county and nonprofit human service managers regarding approaches to managing challenges that arise in contractual relationships. The results identify the important role played by communication in the relationships between contract managers, illustrate the content of formal and informal exchanges, and identify common perspectives on the characteristics of effective communications, including transparency, a balance of flexibility and consistency, and timeliness. Practice implications for contract management relate to enhancing communication strategies in order to promote stronger contract relationships. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The integration of research and practice in social work education and agency practice is both complex and challenging. The analysis presented here builds upon the classic social work generalist framework (engagement, assessment, service planning and implementation, service evaluation, and termination) by developing a three-part framework to capture practice, research, and service user involvement. The article also includes a case vignette to illustrate the application of the framework. The evolution of practice-based research provides a venue for these integration issues, with special attention to the role played by service users. The analysis concludes with a series of questions to guide evolving practice and future research. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This cross-case analysis explores the relationships among the historical evolution, management structures, program focus, and fund-raising strategies of fifteen case studies of pioneering human service nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) operating in developing countries. The historical evolution of NGOs has a significant influence on their program focus and management structures over time. Those NGOs focusing on relief activities reflect centralized management structures, whereas NGOs that combine relief, development, and advocacy programs tend to operate with decentralized management structures. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence-based practice integrates individual practitioner expertise with the best available evidence while also considering the values and expectations of clients. Research can be categorized into two broad areas: primary (experiments, clinical trials, and surveys) and secondary research (overviews of major studies, practice guidelines, and decision and economic analyses). One of the major challenges to incorporating research evidence into organizational life is the absence of an evidence-based organizational culture within human service agencies. This article identifies multiple strategies and case examples for creating such an organizational culture. Three major implications emerge from this analysis: (a) agency-university partnerships to identify the data to support evidence-based practice, (b) staff training (in the agencies and on campuses) that features problem-based learning approaches to support the introduction and utilization of evidence-based practice, and (c) the modification of agency cultures to support and sustain evidence-based practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence-based practice (EBP) seeks to integrate the expertise of individual practitioners with the best available evidence within the context of the values and expectations of clients. Prior to implementing EBP, it is important to understand the significance that organizational change and organizational culture play. This article seeks to explore the literature associated with both organizational change and organizational culture. The analysis of organizational culture and change draw upon findings from both the private, for-profit sector, and the public, non-profit field. It is divided into four sections: organizational change and innovation, organizational culture, managing organizational culture and change, and finally, applying the findings to the implementation of EBP. While the audience for this analysis is managers in public and nonprofit human service organizations who are considering implementing EBP into their work environment, it is not intended to provide a "how to" guide, but rather a framework for critical thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Social service practitioners and researchers have long been aware of the gap between research and practice. The evidence-based practice movement has brought increasing attention to the role of empirically based interventions within social service practice, however, effective methods of research dissemination and utilization have received relatively little attention. This article describes factors related to dissemination and utilization of research within human service agency settings, including those factors related to: (1) individual practitioners, (2) the organization, (3) the nature of research, and (4) how research is communicated. The implications of these factors for dissemination and utilization of research are also identified. Ultimately, effective dissemination and utilization of research will involve considerable collaboration between researchers and practitioners. If they are to reach the shared goal of improved interventions and client outcomes, effective collaboration will require both practitioners and researchers to make changes to their practice and to their research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence-based practice (EBP) involves the integration of the expertise of individual practitioners with the best available evidence within the context of values and expectations of clients. Little is known about the implementation of evidence-based practice in the human services. This article is based on a comprehensive search of the literature related to the organizational factors needed to introduce EBP into a human service agency, tools for assessing organizational readiness for EBP, and lessons learned from the current implementation efforts. Three approaches to implementing EBP are investigated: the micro (increasing worker skills), macro (strengthening systems and structures), and the combination (focusing on both aspects). Conclusions and recommendations are drawn from the literature review and framed in the form of a tool for assessing organizational readiness for EBP implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Knowledge management has recently taken a more prominent role in the management of organizations as worker knowledge and intellectual capital are recognized as critical to organizational success. This analysis explores the literature of knowledge management including the individual level of tacit and explicit knowledge, the networks and social interactions utilized by workers to create and share new knowledge, and the multiple organizational and managerial factors associated with effective knowledge management systems. Based on the role of organizational culture, structure, leadership, and reward systems, six strategies are identified to assist human service organizations with implementing new knowledge management systems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Evidence-based practice integrates individual practitioner expertise with the best available evidence while also considering the values and expectations of clients. Research can be categorized into two broad areas: primary (experinients, clinical trials, and surveys) and secondary research (overviews of major studies, practice guidelines, and decision and economic analyses). One of the major challenges to incorporating research evidence into organizational life is the absence of an evidence-based organizational culture within human service agencies. This article identifies multiple strategies and case examples for creating such an organizational culture. Three major implications emerge from this analysis: (a) agency-university partnerships to identify the data to support evidence-based practice, (b) staff training (in the agencies and on campuses) that features problem-based learning approaches to support the introduction and utilization of evidence-based practice, and (c) the modification of agency cultures to support and sustain evidence-based practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

There has been a longstanding tension between the domains of micro and macro practice in social work practice and academic programs. A set of structural and interpersonal tensions can be identified as interfering with accurate perceptions of the underlying continuity of social work practice that is reflected in the mission of the profession. This analysis addresses this tension by defining the elements needed for the integration of micro and macro practice in the form of community-centered clinical practice. A set of cross-over skills are identified along with recommendations for improved agency operations and professional education related to the integration of micro and macro social work practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents information on a case study of the development of a faith-based human service organization, the Community Ministries of Rockville, Maryland (CMR). Sectarian social welfare agencies have been actively involved in serving the needy in the U.S. The 2000 election of President George W. Bush and the establishment of a White House Office for Religious-based and Community Groups gave prominence to the provision of Charitable Choice. These organizations are perceived as more effective in changing the human behavior of individuals than traditional nonprofit agencies. CMR's budget in 1979 was $3,200, which only covered a very part time secretary and office supplies. Its office was in a Victorian home, adjacent to and owned by Rockville United Methodist Church. CMR was committed to advocating for a wide variety of human needs. The study features the unusual characteristics of a truly collaborative arrangement among local congregations. It is distinctly different from the traditional program approach of congregations as well as from those traditional sectarian organizations that have been serving American communities for decades.

With the advent of welfare reform and managed care, the nature of managerial practice has increasingly shifted from a primary focus on internal operations to a more external, community focus which involves actively monitoring and managing the boundary between the external environment and internal organizational arrangements. This article explores the boundary spanning aspects of community practice, the related theories of inter-organizational relations, and the process of "managing out" by those in top management and middle management positions in human service organizations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

It is rare that a group of community-based non-profit social service providers can successfully develop a coalition that includes not only a range of providers, but the County Health and Human Service Agency as well. This is a case study of a coalition of non-profit agencies that has come together in an attempt to plan and implement a comprehensive service delivery system to address the human service needs of residents in Napa County, California. With the goal of developing a comprehensive and seamless system of care for all residents of Napa, this non-profit coalition has begun to transform: (a) the way that services are designed and delivered, (b) the way that non-profits work together, and (c) the role of the county health and human services agency. The case study includes a set of obstacles encountered and lessons learned. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents a case study on the application of organizational development (OD) in the San Mateo County Human Services Agency, California. OD is a long-range effort to improve an organization's effectiveness. When a problem is discovered the change agent identifies problematic issues, gathers information and provides feedback about the problem. An action plan is developed and implemented and its progress is evaluated. Once the change is accepted and carried throughout the organization, the general staff assume the job to continue improvements. This entire activity requires a specialist, either an internal staff or an external agency or both, who will bring about the change. It is important for the internal OD specialist to invest the necessary time and energy in developing a close working relationship between staff and management. Information to all levels of staff has to be provided preferably at the same time. It is crucial to monitor the changing and multiple staff perceptions of the OD function. Moving from project learning to individualized learning requires tune and patience. Communication and collaboration with staff development is essential for the future viability of OD.

Following welfare reform implementation, human service agencies are transforming themselves as they change their function from determining eligibility to enhancing employability. Most new programs are removing barriers to work force participation and facilitating self-sufficiency, while most community partnerships are providing a variety of support services. Administratively, human service agencies are incorporating private-sector organizational development functions,merging with other agencies, blending funding streams, and linking adult and child welfare services. This paper highlights innovative programs and practices emerging from welfare reform implementation, examines cross-cutting themes within a social development framework, and concludes with a discussion of challenges and lessons learned in the change process. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

This case study documents the innovative efforts of a county social service agency in California to address its capacity to gather and disseminate information relevant to its mission and the needs of the community. Based on in-depth interviews and focus groups with representatives of model public information (PI) programs and local community-based organizations, senior county staff, and local opinion leaders, five key elements of an effective PI program were identified and include: (1) establishing a formal PI function, (2) strengthening internal communication, (3) developing external communications infrastructure and strategy, (4) expanding community relationships, and (5) implementing multiple communication strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article traces the history and impact of federal support for social work education, through section 707 of the 1967 amendments for the Social Security Act in the United States. Section 707 is best understood within the context of social work's long- standing interest in creating a rational, federally guided, professional public social service to provide benefits to individuals, children, and families. One of the historical roots to the evolution of section 707 can be traced to the 1962 amendments to the Social Security Act, which focused attention on the severity of the cases managed in state and local social service programs. Slowly, a momentum began building up for federal support of services to welfare recipients. A remarkable boost was given by a report in 1961, that promoted the usefulness of social services in reducing public welfare roles. The 1962 amendments required state social service agencies to strengthen staff competence by developing in-service and pre-service programs.

This article focuses on the process of the U.S. government's management of cutbacks of federal, state and local funds for human services and programs in the 1980s. The cutback of federal, state, and local funds for human service agencies and programs have caused confusion, anxiety, and frustration both for those staff who remain employed and staff who are terminated. As reality takes hold, many staff begin to wonder why they are affected to such an extent by the cutback process; and although the policies of the current administration are one reason for cutbacks, there are many, and more important, others. The second set of causes of organizational decline are internal to human service agencies and include the continuous political vulnerability of human service agencies as well as their organizational climate. An organization's climate also affects its capacity to function effectively and includes issues such as poor communication between management and staff, role confusion, obsolescence, suspicion of outsiders, and the absence of an internal system with self-evaluating and self-correcting capacity.

The article describes the factors contributing to the declassification of social work positions and offers a set of strategies for future action. The phenomenon of declassification is complex and relates to the larger area of personnel planning and utilization. In addition to social work education and professional standards. declassification Is affected by federal legislation, In-service training. continuing education, career mobility, program planning and organizational politics. By identifying the issues that affect declassification of social service positions, the authors have put together a series of strategies to help combat this trend. The strategies include communicating with significant action, lobbying, arousing public awareness, disseminating Information of Innovative social work. Interventions, promoting continuing education and validating social service positions. Hesitation will compound a situation that seems to be escalating, and declassification will become more widespread.

The article sets forth detailed guidelines for mergers of human service agencies deduced from the literature and the findings of a survey of 16 large and small mergers. A merger of organizations into a new corporate unit can be one of the more drastic alterations that occur in the workplace. Employees perceive these changes as a threat to personal job security and job satisfaction. A survey was conducted in 1987, in which a 20-page questionnaire was sent to 32 human service agencies in the U.S. that were partners in a merger during the years 1973 to 1986. The survey focused on how a merger is implemented relative to finance, governance, organizational structure, public relations, management systems, and service delivery.

This section introduces a series of articles on the integration of human services.

Cited is evidence that most public child welfare agencies operate as monolithic bureaucracies with rigid lines of authority and top-down decision making that often is uninformed by worker experience. Lacking structures for modification, these agencies are characterized by slow change and by frustration and resistance within the staff The authors illustrate how organizational change can take place in human service organizations through staff empowerment and collaborative action research. The change strategy in the case study centered around the creating of ‘learning laboratories’ where new approaches were identified and tested, leading to spin-offs of innovation and experimentation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article presents an overview of various articles that are published in the January 2004 issue of the journal "Administration of Social Work." This issue grew out of an innovative approach to taking stock of the educational issues facing Master of Social Work (MSW) students who specialize in administration, their faculty, and, to some degree, the social work profession. The special issue on Educating Future Social Work Administrators begins and ends with curriculum issues. The first article by Tom Packard describes efforts of one program to develop an administration curriculum that is responsive and relevant to needs of the local practice community. Next set of articles explore the climate of the academic community in which future social work administrators are educated. Authors look closely at intensions surrounding the preparation of administrators in an educational environment primarily concerned with the preparation of clinicians. This special issue only scratches the surface of issues facing the education of future administrators.