P&P August 2015

Human services is experiencing many of the same challenges

capacity within and throughout public, nonprofit, and private human services to move up the Value Curve—using a business model that highlights the capacity and competencies that are needed to generate practical, yet innovative, solutions. The model is designed to provide a roadmap for improving human service outcomes, value, and legitimacy through the lens of four progressive stages of value to individuals, families, and com- munities: regulative, collaborative, integrative, and generative. As public agencies and nonprofit multi-service organizations (MSOs) focus their organizations on this stage progression, they invariably recognize the need to partner together, while they also see the tremendous benefit of doing so: l When public agencies advance to a stage where they are advocating for culture change within their commu- nities, to reduce overall community risk factors and increase opportu- nities (generative), they must join forces with MSOs. l When public agencies improve their organizations’ functioning in order to better manage and sustain innovations, they are more capable and motivated to align clear vision, strategy, management practices, cultural patterns, and quality staff— all of which increase readiness and ability to partner strategically. l And when strategic partnerships and financial dynamics between the public and MSO sectors in a given community improve, this results in more transformative approaches to practice and service, and mutual acceleration through the Value Curve stages. Our Partnership with the Kresge Foundation APHSA was awarded a two-year grant, beginning July 1, 2013, to support a range of work that would advance the transformation of human services in the 21st century, including the testing, development, and initial

implementation of a change manage- ment toolkit for agencies determined to make this journey. We had two critical assets ready to bring to this challenge: n The Health and Human Services Value Curve and APHSA Maturity Model, used to assess one’s desired and current stage of progress along a broad range of related factors. APHSA’s National Collaborative for Integration of Health and Human Services continues to develop guidance for systems planning their related strategies. n The APHSA Organizational Effectiveness (OE) practice and Handbook, developed since 2004 and evaluated in 2012, with very promising findings that connected the using OE practice, making desired changes, improving services, and improving impact. To date, OE has been employed through 80 projects in 30 states. Two primary types of input were used to inform the design and content of this toolkit, one that combines the core methods and tools from the Value Curve and for OE: n Field testing and implementing tools and methods with three agencies actively and explicitly advancing through Value Curve stages. These agencies are located in Hampton, Va., Olmsted, Minn., and Sonoma, Calif. n Patterns and themes generated from documenting a broad range of agency and community innovations gathered as another part of our work under the Kresge grant The Toolkit’s Specific Purpose and Design The change management toolkit is designed for agency or association directors and their leadership teams, helping them to understand the “moving parts” involved in such a transformative change effort: n Gauging their readiness for complex change, n Assessing themselves compared to a desired future state, and

that all modern systems face, including rapidly changing economic forces, social structure, demographics, com- munications, and technology. Leaders from all sectors of our field must be able to adapt to this changing environ- ment, and lead a culture change within their organization that supports a more collaborative, creative, and innovative way to deliver services in communities across the nation. Indeed, it is impossible to deliver a truly holistic platform of solutions and supports to people, families, and communities in need of them, without a highly collaborative partnership approach. This approach results in more efficient and effective intake and eligibility platforms; more effective casework and engagement practices that respond well to any and all root causes for the challenges faced by the people we serve; and more powerful, far-reaching advocacy and capacity- building efforts that are much larger than the needs of any individual or family case. An Emerging Framework for Field Transformation Developing stronger cultures and strategic partnerships is also how APHSA is approaching its internal operations and partnerships. One such strategy is APHSA’s partnership with Harvard and Accenture since 2010, to jointly sponsor Harvard’s Human Services Summit. This annual series has provided an opportunity for par- ticipants to learn from and network with the world’s foremost human service practitioners—public and private, domestic and global, along with Harvard faculty and researchers and industry experts on ways to col- lectively address our most challenging issues. A key framework developed for the summit by the Technology and Entrepreneurship Center’s Leadership for a Networked World, and used to advance critical issues during this event, is the Human Services Value Curve. APHSA’s objective is to build

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August 2015   Policy&Practice