Management Practice

Executive entry: Multiple perspectives on the process of muddling through.

Austin, M.J.
2008

No abstract available for this article.

Executive exit: Multiple perspectives on managing the leadership transition.

Austin, M.J.
Gilmore, T.N.
2008

No abstract available for this article.

Developing a public information and community relations strategy in a county social service agency.

Goldberg, S.
Cullen, J.
Austin, M.J.
2008

This case study documents the innovative efforts of a county social service agency in California to address its capacity to gather and disseminate information relevant to its mission and the needs of the community. Based on in-depth interviews and focus groups with representatives of model public information (PI) programs and local community-based organizations, senior county staff, and local opinion leaders, five key elements of an effective PI program were identified and include: (1) establishing a formal PI function, (2) strengthening internal communication, (3) developing external...

Building managerial and organizational capacity in nonprofit human service organizations through a leadership development program.

Austin, M.J.
Regan, K.
Samples, M.
Schwartz, S.L.
Carnochan, S.
2011

Highly skilled managers are needed to lead organizations and enable them to survive in changing times, especially in this era when members of the baby boom generation are retiring from senior positions. Most short-term in-service management training programs for practicing managers reflect the abbreviated versions of content found in either undergraduate or graduate degree programs in nonprofit management. Recognizing the limitations of these traditional approaches to training future senior managers, a group of directors of nonprofit human service agencies serving children and families...

Assessing Recent Textbooks and Casebooks in Human Service Administration

Austin, M.J.
Kruzich, J.M.
2008

Little attention has been given to assessing texts currentlyavailable to students of social work administration. This article evaluatestwelve books in the field including descriptive findings related to audi-ence, structure, definitions, managerial practice, and knowledge acquisi-tion and skill development. The analysis utilizes an eleven-roleframeworkto assess the relationship between the contents of the books and an em-pirical description of managerial work in the human services. The articleconcludes with a set of interpretations related to the balance betweenknowledge and skills, the...

The Organizational Context of Research-Minded Practitioners: Challenges and Opportunities

McBeath, B.
Austin, M.J.
2014

If some practitioners are more research minded than others, then promising approaches for bridging the research to practice gap may be developed by describing research-minded practitioners and examining how to locate and support them. This article follows this basic logic in providing an overview of organizational development and practitioner support models for increasing knowledge use in human service organizations. The article begins with a conceptual profile of research-minded practitioners—individuals with an affinity for empirical inquiry, critical thinking, and reflection allied with...

Boundary-Crossing Careers of Senior Human Service Administrators: A Cross-Case Analysis

Austin, M.J.
DalSanto, T.
Lewis, D.
2011

Little attention has been given to the boundary-spanning capabilities of human service managers seeking to effectively manage the relationship between public and nonprofit sector programs. This exploratory study begins to identify those capabilities by documenting the boundary- crossing career trajectories of senior human service managers and directors in the US and UK. The purpose of the study is to identify the lessons learned by senior managers as they reflected, in retrospect, on their careers in both sectors.

The Impact of the Great Recession on County Human-Service Organizations: A Cross-Case Analysis

Graaf, G.
Carnochan, S.
Radu, P.
Austin, M.J.
2015

This exploratory qualitative study examines the experiences of eleven county human-service agencies as they worked through the budget reduction process during the Great Recession (2008–2013). The principles and values that guided decisions are identified retrospectively through an analysis of 46 individual interviews with members of the senior management in each organization. The findings include decision-making strategies that include the engagement of stakeholders as well as the tactics employed for balancing the budget. The study informants reflect upon the success of their actions and...

Obstacles to Social Service Collaboration in Response to the Great Recession: The Case of the Contra Costa County Safety Net Initiative

Radu, P.
Carnochan, S.
Austin, M.J.
2015

This case study examines the experiences and dynamics of the Safety Net Initiative, a multisector collaboration in Contra Costa County, California. The Great Recession hit social services in Contra Costa County especially hard, and local stakeholders launched the Safety Net Initiative in an effort to repair and reimagine the county’s understaffed and underfunded safety net. The case study is based on 14 stakeholder interviews and extensive document review to address 2 questions: (a) What are the challenges to social services collaboration that are unique to suburban jurisdictions...

Performance Measurement Challenges in Nonprofit Human Service Organizations

Carnochan, S.
Samples, M.
Myers, M.
Austin, M.J.
2013

This qualitative study examines the experiences of four nonprofit human service organizations engaging in performance measurement processes to satisfy accountability requirements and increase organizational and program effectiveness. Nonprofits are increasingly required to respond to performance measurement mandates issuing from multiple sources. However, many of the recommended strategies have been developed in the for-profit and public sectors, and are less appropriate or feasible for nonprofit organizations. Three central findings emerged from interviews, focus groups, and review of...