Human Service Programs as Work Organizations: Using Organizational Design to Improve Staff Motivation and Effectiveness

TL;DR: In this article, the authors present a model suggesting how organizational design of a human service program affects service delivery through its impact on staff motivation and the underlying norms and values concerning staff, clients, and program philosophy.

Abstract: Publisher Summary The purpose of this chapter is to present a model suggesting h ow the organizational design of a human service program affects service delivery through its impact on staff motivation. Organizational design refers to the allocation of tasks and authority in a program and the underlying norms and values concerning staff, clients, and program philosophy. The framework is based on the assumption that human service programs are work organizations in which the organizational design greatly affects program outcomes. The model is intended as a guide for evaluation and action in programs. Before proceeding, it is necessary to define more precisely the type of setting that is the focus of this chapter. Hasenfeld and English (1974) define human service organizations as, “the set of organizations whose primary function is to define or alter the person's behavior, attributes, and social status in order to maintain or enhance his well-being [p. 1]. ” They go on to distinguish two general types of human service organizations: people-changing organizations that attempt to alter their clients; and people-processing organizations that confer public status or change the social circumstances of their clients. This chapter is primarily concerned with people-changing organizations. These include mental health, educational, vocational rehabilitation, and correctional programs. Although some of the ideas may also be applicable to people-processing organizations, the primary task will be to define aspects of a people-changing organization that affect the rehabilitation or learning process.