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Find out in this Q&A with the authors of A Leadership Guide for Today's Disabilities Organizations: Overcoming Challenges and Making Change Happen |
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About the authors
Robert L. Schalock, Ph.D., is professor emeritus at Hastings College in Nebraska and adjunct research professor at the University of Kansas (Beach Center on Disabilities), the University of Salamanca in Spain, the Ghent University in Belgium, and Chongqing University in China. His national and international work has focused on the conceptualization, measurement, and application of the concept of quality of life and the supports paradigm. Dr. Schalock has worked with organizations, systems, and national governments in the development and evaluation of community-based programs for people with intellectual and closely related developmental disabilities. He has published widely in the areas of program development and evaluation, quality of life, systems of supports, and evidence-based practices.
Miguel Ángel Verdugo, Ph.D., is a professor of psychology of disability, the director of the Institute on Community Integration (INICO) at the University of Salamanca in Spain, and the director of the Information Service on Disability of the Ministry of Health, Social Services, and Equality in Spain. Dr. Verdugo has served as director of the Master's in Integration of People with Disabilities: Quality-of-Life program and the Master's in Integration of People with Disabilities: LatinoAmerican program at the University of Salamanca. He is editor of the journal Siglo Cero.
Questions? Customer Service:
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Q: Organizations that provide services and supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) are under enormous pressure. What are some of the key forces impacting these organizations today? A: The major challenges relate to increased demand for services and tight budgets; a shift from general services to individualized supports; a focus on personal outcomes, an emphasis on best practices; and increased calls from all stakeholders for increased effectiveness and efficiency. Q: Describe how a typical IDD organization operates today. A: Current organizations are operating today with good intentions but having to confront major challenges related to
Q: Describe a well-functioning organization that has overcome some of the typical challenges facing many IDD organizations. A: A well-functioning organization is characterized by the 6 qualities we identify and discuss throughout the text. These organizations are
Q: In your book you identify 8 change strategies organizations can follow to develop those characteristics. What are those strategies? A: In the text we provide guidance on how leaders of organizations can
Q: Many organizations resist change, or else their leaders are so overwhelmed that they don't have time to plan for change. Yet, change is going to come. What are some crucial first steps organizations can take to move toward change? A: The first step is to have a clear vision of where they want to go. Then it's important to communicate that vision in simple and easy-to-understand language, being sure to involve all stakeholders in the process and empower direct support staff to help bring change about. Tying change to self-interest (illustrating the benefit to each of the stakeholders) and ensuring early successes enable organization personnel to both celebrate success and see that change is possible. Q: What role do personal outcomes and organization outputs play in making strides toward the goal of continuous quality improvement? A: Measuring and monitoring individual outcomes and organization outputs provide feedback as to the results of current efforts (and in that sense act as a barometer). They serve as a framework for right-to-left thinking in which one begins with the end in mind and then asks the question, What needs to be in place for these outcomes to occur? The results can be used as benchmarks that reflect current status and can be used to establish future goals. Outcomes and outputs enable an inductive, empirical approach to quality improvement rather than a deductive "sit around a table and develop a quality improvement plan." Q: Taking the question of change to a personal level, how would a client's experience differ with a redefined program model? A: In observing organizations that have redefined themselves (along the above 8 change strategies and demonstrating the characteristics mentioned above), clients within these organizations
Their "smile index" typically increases as well. Q: Could these change strategies be applied to other human services organizations? A: Yes. In Chapter 10, we present a matrix of how special education and human services organizations can use the 8 change strategies to improve outcomes and outputs. Q: What is the most dramatic difference you expect to see in services and supports to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the next 10 years or so? A: The differences will depend on a number of factors including
Bottom line: Those organizations that survive during the next 10 years will be very different from those that one sees today. From all we know, in 10 years those organizations providing effective and efficient services and supports to persons with IDD will reflect the 6 characteristics listed above.
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