The Parallel Process of Organizational Change Lessons from the Field

1
The Parallel Process of Organizational Change
Lessons from the Field

• Presenters
• Suzanne Arntson
• Karen Kandik
• Scott County Social Services

2
What difference has it made for families? For
the system?

• Supervisors are working to be clear on
  expectations but approach this by soliciting
  staff involvement
• Families are clearer on what is expected
• Increased attention to childrens voices
• Increased collaboration
• Significant decrease in court referrals
  placements

3
NUMBERS!!

• Court Referrals
• 2006-approximately 50 referrals to juvenile court
• 2007-25 referrals to juvenile court
• 2008-9 court referrals
• 2009-9 court referrals
• Child Protection Placements
• 2006- approximately 65 children in placement in a
  given month
• 2010-currently 18 children placed due to safety
  issues

4
Transparency in a change process

• Why is it important?
• Promotes a parallel process
• Uses the wisdom and input from all staff
• More clearly defines potential barriers or
  worries
• Helps create energy

5
Transparency in a change process

• What did we do to increase the culture of
• transparency?
• Team meetings to gather staff ideas for
  reorganization.
• Unit mapping to allow staffs worries and
  excitement to be heard.
• Mapping with Mental Health Center
• Development of SofS Core Team
• Supervisors learning alongside staff

6
How has mapping been helpful?

• Creates opportunity for all voices to be heard
• Supports the importance of transparency
• Helps to clearly identify what is going well and
  what the concerns are
• Helps to clearly define next steps

7
UNIT MAP

• Best Hopes -
• Whats going well?
• Increased cohesiveness with all CP workers
• Spreads out the work
• Increased continuity for families
• Excitement about new roles
• Nice diversity of work

• Next Steps-
• Develop rotation schedule
• Develop training plan
• Follow up mapping to evaluate status

• Worst Fears
• What are we worried about?
• Different expectations from different supervisors
• How will I learn the new roles?
• Having to do stuff we dont want to
• Feeling incompetent
• What if it doesnt work?

8
Supervisors role in modeling a parallel process

• Ask questions in a new way
• How did you get there with the family?
• What made you think of that?
• Opportunities to highlight the good work
• When you think of your work with the family,
  what are you most proud of? (Appreciative
  Inquiry)
• Acceptance of not needing to always know the
  answer-

9
Lessons Learned

• What went well in our implementation process?
• Observed Olmsted County
• Development of SofS Core Team
• Solicited Agency Administrations support and
  investment in the process-
• - Identified different resources for CP workers
• SofS Training for CJI/Stakeholders
• Consultation with Connected Families, which
  allowed for and encouraged exposing practice
• Utilized different methods of supervision
  (individual, small group and combined unit)

10
Lessons Learned

• What would we do differently?
• Engage with our Mental Health Center from the
  start
• Better integrate FGDM into the SofS process
• Open up the Core Team meeting to broader staff
  representation sooner
• Implement changes more slowly over longer period
  of time.
• Focus more on how SofS will enhance practice
  rather than a complete change in practice
• Place more emphasis on highlighting and
  validating the good work already happening