Organizational Climate Factors of Successful and Not Successful Implementations of Workforce Innovations in Voluntary Child Welfare Agencies

Abstract

This study advances research on implementing innovations in child welfare organizations, confirming the association between a positive organizational climate and successful change initiative implementation. Administrators and child welfare workers from six agencies were surveyed using independent samples t-and OLS regressions. The organizational climate dimensions found significant were organization, job and role, indicating the three agencies that fully implemented a change initiative enjoyed a more positive organizational climate. The organization dimension was also significant for administrators, indicating a more positive climate perception than workers. Supervisor dimension was not significant, indicating no association whether or not the change initiative was implemented.

Keywords:

• child welfare
• organizational climate
• workforce change initiative

Additional information

Funding

This study was made possible through a cooperative agreement between the (author’s affiliation) and the U.S. DHHS/ACF Children’s Bureau (www.acf.hhs.gov/programs/cb/) Grant Number 90CT0149. Its contents are solely the responsibility of the authors and do not necessarily represent the official views of the Children’s Bureau.