Measuring Organizational Change Tactics to Improve Child Welfare Programs: Experiences in 13 Counties

Abstract

This study introduces a new measure that assesses the extent of organizational change tactics usage within a human service organization. The Organizational Change Tactics Questionnaire (OCTQ) was developed based on a comprehensive review of effective organizational change tactics and adapted to the unique needs of human service organizations. This study presents the psychometric properties of the OCTQ using the tool with 13 large child welfare organizations experiencing organizational change. Respondents who saw a greater use of change tactics and those who were more involved with the change process were significantly more likely to perceive the change process as successful.

Keywords:

• change tactics
• child welfare practice model
• continuous quality improvement
• leadership
• management
• organizational change