Date of Submission

8-29-2019

Document Type

DiP

Degree

Doctor of Education

Department

Education

Keywords

intellectual and developmental disability, organizational culture, evidence-based practice, distributed leadership, transformational leadership, non-profit agency

Abstract

Families of children with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) need clinical behavioural services. A lack of capacity within non-profit agencies results in children and families often waiting for long periods of time to receive services. This Organizational Improvement Plan (OIP) aims to address a Problem of Practice (POP), namely, a lack of capacity within a clinical service agency to provide sufficient behavioural support to the number of children with IDD in its service area. The OIP includes an examination of the organizational context, factors influencing wait times for service, and the organization’s ability to implement change. Multiple solutions to address the POP are considered, highlighting the need to address organizational culture and ensure that evidence-based services are being utilized. The use of transformational and distributed leadership, supported by the concurrent implementation of Kotter’s (1996) and Lewin’s (1947) change path models provides leaders of this service agency with a framework to enact change. This OIP recognizes that political ideologies are subject to change, and will have a strong influence on an agency’s capacity to provide service. Through this OIP, a process will be developed to build capacity from within an organization with limited resources in order to provide more families and children with needed behavioural service, and respond to environmental change.

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