Management of Innovation and Change in Mental Health Services
Howard R. Davis Ph.D.1
1 Mental Health Services Development Branch Division of Mental Health Service Programs National Institute of Mental Health Rockville, Maryland
In recent years the mental health field has been characterized by innovation and change. All changes are not sound or necessary, and the most common approach to implementing change, that of power, can have unfortunate consequences. However, the incidence of innovation and change and the growing technology on planning for the adoption of innovations indicates that change can be managed more effectively. One approach to managing change is the decision determinants analysis model, a group of eight factors that influence whether a change will be successfully adopted; they are ability, values, information, circumstances, timing, obligation, resistance, and yield. The author discusses the factors and gives suggestions related to each for increasing the probability of successful adoption of a change.
