P&P June 2016

It must also be noted that many

of the regulatory requirements that

agencies confront are externally

applied and beyond the control of

agency leaders and staff. They must

meet funder requirements. They must

trying new approaches, and efficacy

in helping clients builds; attention to

effectiveness for clients increases along

with proficiency. Front-line staff must

also be able to work closely together

within its own teams, and the teams

must have the skills and tools neces-

sary to effectively interact and problem

solve with other programs and depart-

ments, and with external organizations

and stakeholders.

Such work increases the probability

that programs and organizations will

reach out and work with others in the

community. As with individuals, a

sense of efficacy increases confidence

and openness to relating to others.

Effective teams with a clear sense of

purpose, organizational support, and

a sense of their competence to improve

their clients’ well-being provide plat-

forms for broadening the network of

relationships required to reach higher

levels of the Value Curve.

However, collaboration has its own

traps. Similar to the regulative level,

an overemphasis on process can undo

proficiency. For example, spending

considerable time and effort negoti-

ating collaborations across programs

Ef ciency in

Achieving Outcomes

Effectiveness

in Achieving

Outcomes

Regulative Business Model:

The focus is

on serving constituents who are eligible for

particular services while complying with

categorical policy and program regulations.

Collaborative Business Model:

The focus

is on supporting constituents in receiving all

services for which they’re eligible by working

across agency and programmatic borders.

Integrative Business Model:

The focus

is on addressing the root causes of client

needs and problems by coordinating and

integrating services at an optimum level.

Generative Business Model:

The focus

is on generating healthy communities by

co-creating solutions for multi-dimensional

family and socioeconomic challenges and

opportunities.

Generative

Business Model

Integrative

Business Model

Outcome Frontiers

Collaborative

Business

Model

Regulative

Business

Model

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The Human Services Value Curve

comply with legal mandates. While

uniformly well intended, such external

pressures often result in barriers to

increasing proficiency. This is particu-

larly true when compliance is enforced

negatively or in a punitive fashion.

The Collaborative Level

and Proficiency

At this level, organizations are

concerned with connecting across

programs and agencies to improve

efficiency and effectiveness. More pro-

ficient organizations are likely to work

toward meaningful client outcomes

that cut across internal silos. They

are more likely to involve teams and

personnel at all levels in improvement-

driven activities such as Continuous

Quality Improvement. There is more

emphasis on the efficacy of front-line

staff as well as support for the front-

line staff to learn from their errors,

mistakes, and problems.

At the most important end of human

service organizations—the front

line—staff must feel safe and confi-

dent in its ability to achieve outcomes

centered on client well-being. As skills

develop internally, safety increases for

Policy&Practice

June 2016

Phil Basso

is the

deputy director of

the American Public

Human Services

Association.

Anthony

Hemmelgarn

an industrial and

organizational

psychologist, is a

research scientist

at the University of

Tennessee’s Center

for Behavioral Health

Research.