Collaboration is so important, especially in a community based organization. When I was a part of the administrative team at the county behavioral health agency, I knew that decisions we made did not just impact our operations, but impacted the lives of residents, their families and key county government agencies such as law enforcement, crisis stabilization units, Department of Children and Families and local schools, just to name a few. Each year, the agency is required to do a review and then develop initiatives for improvement for the upcoming year. During this annual review process, internal quality measures are analyzed. However, those measures are very micro-level compared to the large scale nature behavioral health has on the community.
To ensure we were getting accurate information, I requested we make a change to our information gathering process. Rather than mail out hard copy letters to each stakeholder (i.e. Sheriff, County Health Department, School District, etc), I requested that we come up with an electronic confidential system in which we could obtain the information and then run analytics on the information in a systematic method across multiple years to see improvement at a glance. Initially I was met with opposition. There were those that thought the previous method of data collection was more reliable and useful for audits. They stated that it would be nearly impossible to ensure the person filling out the survey electronically was in fact the individual intended for the survey. I reminded them that the surveys are confidential even when mailed out and that the Sheriff may not have been the individual that physically filled in the hard copy form previously. More than likely, it was someone in his office that worked specifically with community relations or partnerships.
I did not try to become an expert, nor did I dismiss the logic behind the desire to remain with the historical method of data collection. By maintaining an open mind and listening to the other stories. I then outlined how we could use the information to make more educated decisions for the community. While we discussed more than the following 5 ways stakeholder involvement led to improved decision making, these are the key reasons we chose to broaden our scope of data gathering.
1. County-funded agencies share a common funding source and it is important to agree on how those funds can be used to achieve the greatest results for the county.
2. Allowing fellow county officials to understand the policies and processes in place at the agency will give them a greater level of comfort with business operations
3. Obtaining buy-in and feedback prior to arriving at conflict can help de-escalate potential conflict in the future
4. By understanding the stakeholder's role in the decision, additional measures can be taken to ensure policies and procedures align with their vision- creating a unified vision for the county.
5. Contract negotiations are common between community agencies. Obtaining involvement throughout decision making can help create positive relationships for future negotiations.
The great news is that we were able to implement the electronically delivered community stakeholder questionnaire and we received more quality feedback in a timely manner than in years previous. Moreover, we were able to run analytics on the data in an effective and accurate method which was then utilized in presentation to the county for additional funding. In the future I would have made some changes to this process.
1. Setup a long-term method of data gathering.
While I was in the position, I setup a survey tool, but after obtaining a new position at another organization, I am not sure the survey was still delivered electronically. Looking back, it would have been good process to setup a long term method for data gathering.
2. Obtain information quarterly
Rather than wait until the end of the year, it would be more advantageous to obtain data throughout the year to track progress and make desired changes during the year.
3. Utilize a method for both electronic delivery and hard copy delivery
I completely removed the hard copy method of survey delivery. By doing so, I left out those that were accustomed to pen and paper response. In the future, I would have sent out the survey and those respondents that did not respond, I would have mailed a hard copy survey. This would allow for the maximum involvement of all stakeholders.
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