Organizational change for the human services

Organizational Change for the Human Services is designed for managers and other leaders in human service organizations (HSOs) and students in graduate programs in social work, nonprofit management, public administration, and human resource management. It covers evidence-based principles for planning and implementing organizational change initiatives in areas such as implementing evidence-based practices; new or improved information systems; diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives; and organizational restructuring. Details are provided on many change methods from team building, employee surveys, use of consultants, intrapraneurship, and continuous quality improvement to change processes specifically for HSOs such as capacity building, implementation science, staff-initiated organizational change, and cutback management.

"Human service organizations are faced with environments of volatility, uncertainty, complexity, and ambiguity. The COVID-19 pandemic, other healthcare challenges, expectations for evidence-based practice usage, and racial justice are vivid examples. Clients and communities deserve effective services delivered by competent, compassionate, and committed staff members. Taxpayers, donors, philanthropists, policy makers, and board members deserve to have their contributions used to deliver programs that are effective and efficient. All these forces create demands and opportunities for organizational change. Planned organizational change can happen at the level of a program, division, or an entire organization. Administrators and other staff will need complementary skills in leading and managing organizational change. Staff deserve opportunities to have their unique competencies used to achieve organizational goals. Organizational change involves leading and mobilizing staff to address problems, needs, or opportunities facing the organization by using change processes which involve both human and technical aspects of the organization"--