To increase contributions from the field of human service management practice, the editors of HSO invite leaders, managers, and scholars of human service organizations to develop teaching/learning cases that can inform practice and provide learning tools for staff in-service training and student preservice education. We seek to expand the instructional resources needed to teach future administrators, using the case method for problem-centered learning.
We are soliciting manuscripts focused on the two types of case studies detailed in the following sections.
Case studies describing managerial efforts to resolve organizational challenges
We are interested in case vignettes focused on managers and management strategies. These would be 10–20 double-spaced-page descriptions of a particularly challenging aspect of management practice and its successful resolution or unsuccessful outcome (there is plenty of learning from efforts that do not succeed). The case vignettes should describe (a) the managerial and/or organizational issue or challenge being addressed, (b) the organizational (i.e., fiscal, policy) and interorganizational context, (c) the central actor(s) involved, (d) actions to address the issue/challenge and rationale for those actions, and (e) perceptions of the impact of these managerial actions.
Cases should be written so that readers can engage in problem analysis grounded in a comprehensive assessment of the situation and the problem-solving process, which includes the opportunity to recommend strategic options and action steps.
Cases could be developed in any of the following topical areas (not an exhaustive list):
Human resource management (staff supervision, performance systems, staff development, organizational development, etc.)
Financial management (budget development, resource development, grants management, etc.)
Information systems management (data management, measuring outcomes, data-based decision making, etc.)
Governance (executive-board relationships, chain of command) and communications involving key leaders
Managing organizational change (downsizing, merging, expanding, etc.)
Managing interorganizational relations (e.g., service integration/collaboration)
Managing the policy practice dimensions of management (e.g., lobbying and coalition-building)
Case studies describing promising organizational practices
There is growing interest in all human service fields to identify and share promising organizational practices. These case vignettes of 10–20 double-spaced pages should describe (a) the organizational issue being addressed, (b) past efforts, if any, to address the issue, (c) use of promising practices, which include rationale, components, and implementation timeline, and (d) the role of management and perceptions of its impact on the organization.
We encourage the submission of case vignettes focusing on organizational initiatives that might reflect one or more of the following issues:
Transforming an agency from a traditionally bureaucratic organizational structure to a matrix model of management
Leading an agency through merger or acquisition
Designing an effective performance management system that links service goals to measurable outcomes
Creating a truly culturally responsive organization
Restructuring an agency board for increased involvement and effectiveness
Addressing inequities within the organization related to gender, sexual orientation, and disability
We look forward to reviewing manuscripts focused on the two domains we’ve identified. We encourage authors who would like to propose a teaching/learning case to contact us to discuss strategies for developing the case. The first set of teaching cases to be published is based on edited transcripts of interviews with agency directors, and this opportunity exists for future cases as well.
Sarah Carnochan, HSO Editorial Board Member and Coordinator, Teaching/Learning Case Initiative E-mail: [email protected]