Creating Momentum for Service Coordination Strategies for starting or jump-starting your Linkages program September 16, 2009 Leslie Ann Hay, MSW Hay Consulting

Learning objectives Learn strategies for how to: Maintain interest and commitment Take action to reach full integration Sustain momentum while facing competing priorities & demands Build leadership support

Creating momentum for Linkages What are the challenges in advancing & sustaining Linkages?

Factors to consider in sustaining Linkages… Stage of development of your Linkages program Leadership support & attention Visibility of Linkages beyond staff who are directly connected to the program Other factors that compete or conflict with the philosophy & goals of Linkages

Organizational Lifecycle

Organizational Lifecycle: Stage 1 Stage 1 thinking: Entrepreneurial Personal responsibility Stakeholder-driven Take risks Do what it takes Find the pattern

Organizational Lifecycle: Stage 2 Stage 2 thinking: Repeat the pattern Put in rules, regulations Internal focus Movement is hindered

Organizational Lifecycle: Stage 3 Stage 3 thinking: Find new pattern Take risks, be fluid Responsive to service demands & client focused Personal responsibility Opportunity focused Accept change as continual

Where is your agency?

Addressing 3 key barriers Institutionalizing Linkages as a way of doing business Making sure decision-makers know it works and is here to stay Going beyond the tip of the iceberg. Sustaining momentum while facing competing priorities & demands Maintaining interest & commitment Taking action to reach full integration

Sustaining momentum Reinforce the integrative power of Linkages Connect milestones and successes of Linkages to goals of other priorities Stay focused on what matters most Let go of what doesn’t matter Form alliances across organizational boundaries

Maintaining interest and commitment Communicate successes Increase the “emotional quotient” Advocate, inquire and repeat as needed Build trust across functions Set the bar high in public view

Taking action to reach full integration Appreciate the “implementation dip” Utilize informal networks Pace the process for faster results Coping with the challenge of diffusion Build coaching capacity Promote permeable boundaries Information infrastructure Establish a learning culture

Building leadership support Gaining the attention of leadership to become Linkages champions Make a connection between Linkages and goals of other county initiatives How does Linkages solve an existing problem in your county? Make the collaboration visible Focus on outcomes to “make the case” Show cost savings

Closing Thought “We must not, in trying to think about how we can make a big difference, ignore the small daily differences we can make which, over time, add up to big differences that we often cannot foresee.” Marian Wright Edelman