The Child Welfare Workforce Crisis – What We’Re Hearing From The Field, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

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The Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (QIC-WD) and the National Child Welfare Workforce Institute (NCWWI) in collaboration with the Capacity Building Centers for States, Tribes, and Courts, recently worked with representatives of the Children’s Bureau to listen to concerns of state child welfare and human resources (HR) leaders about the child welfare workforce. This blog post highlights what leaders (representing 29 states) described as their biggest concerns and what strategies agencies have put in place to reduce turnover and improve the applicant pool. We have also included links to information about evidence-informed efforts that could help jurisdictions address some …

The Relationship Between Work-Life Balance, Job Satisfaction, Age, And Gender, Diana Fernandez, Suzanne Lebin

The Journal of Advancing Education Practice

This paper explored the relationship between job satisfaction and the perception of work-life balance using a dataset (n = 856) from The Workplace Equity Survey (Spilka, et al., 2020). We also investigated the perceptions of work-life balance between age groups and gender groups. Chi-square tests revealed significant correlations in perceptions of work-life balance based on sentiments of job satisfaction. ANOVAs were conducted to investigate the perceptions of work-life balance between different age groups and gender groups. Significant differences were observed between different age groups, but not between the different gender groups. Results of the study support the notion that perceptions …

Competency-Based Personnel Selection Oklahoma - Intervention Background, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

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What is competency-based personnel selection and why was this intervention selected?

Competency-based personnel selection refers to a hiring process that is rooted in assessment of the required job-related competencies or knowledge, skills, abilities, or other characteristics (KSAOs). Competencies can be evaluated to make hiring decisions using a variety of different methods, including interviews, paper-and-pencil or computer-administered tests, work samples, or situational judgment tests, to name a few. In Oklahoma, a structured interview, typing test, and writing assessment were implemented and pre-employment tests assessing personality, cognitive skills, and attitudes were administered to staff to inform decisions about future …

Supportive Supervision And Resiliency Ohio - Needs Assessment Summary, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

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Exploration of Needs The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) partnered with the Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (QIC-WD) to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment in nine participating counties, to identify potential issues related to staff retention within the child welfare workforce. A number of data sources were used to inform the process, including: 1) administrative data and metrics provided by the Human Resources representatives in each of the nine agencies, 2) formal surveys of child welfare staff and supervisors in the nine participating counties, and 3) the subjective perceptions and expertise from the QIC-WD and Ohio …

Staff Matters: More Tips For Hiring And Developing A Great Staff, Jodi Schafer Sphr, Shrm-Scp

The Journal of the Michigan Dental Association

Addressing the challenge of hiring staff in the current job market, this Staff Matters column provides insights for dental practices. With a focus on creating an attractive work culture, the article suggests developing partnerships with educational institutions and emphasizes the importance of continuous learning opportunities. The author encourages practices to define key skills, establish clear expectations, and implement training processes for effective communication, conflict resolution, and teamwork. Emphasizing the role of ongoing coaching and mentoring, the column outlines the necessity of investing in training and development to build a skilled and cohesive dental team.

Onboarding Program Eastern Band Of Cherokee Indians - Implementation Overview, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

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The Implementation Team

The Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (QIC-WD) worked with EBCI Family Safety Program (FSP) to establish an implementation team to lead the development and implementation of their intervention. The implementation team included the FSP Manager, the individual unit supervisors, and the Site Implementation Manager (SIM)/Data Coordinator (the same person fulfilled the role of SIM and Data Coordinator), leadership from throughout the Public Health and Human Services Division, and three members of the QIC-WD (representing expertise in workforce, implementation, and evaluation). The SIM and Data Coordinator positions were partially funded by the QIC-WD and all other …

Where The Rainbow Ends: The Hidden Humanitarian Crisis For Members Of The Lgbtqia+ Community In International Business, John R. Krendel

Senior Honors Projects, 2020-current

Before pursuing an international career, members of the LGBTQIA+ community must be aware of the hardship that may be exacerbated by living and working abroad. This study addresses the trends in laws, including employment and anti-discrimination laws, that provide and restrict certain rights of members of the LGBTQIA+ community in eight countries. These nations, both progressive and discriminatory, include the United States, England, Switzerland, Germany, Taiwan, China, the Philippines and Kazakhstan. Eight LGBTQIA+ business professionals spoke on their experiences living and working in each of these countries and provided advice to members of the community wishing to pursue an international …

Leading Learning & Development (L&D): Ele Leader Members Test-Drive Josh Bersin Academy, Richard D. Busby, Josh Bersin Academy, Nomadic Learning

Publications & Research

ELE would like to recruit members to create a 5-week cohort to experience semi-synchronous collaborative learning. As learning professionals, we’re faced with a largely new landscape and increasing demand for our work, as organizations begin to see why learning is now a business imperative. The Leading L&D Program by Nomadic Learning explores these changes and offers tools for developing new strategies that align with what both employees and organizations need to thrive. In the Leading L&D program, learners will get hands-on, practical guidance and time-tested wisdom from peers, and will explore together:

1. What is the benefit of learning in cohorts …

Can Technology Reduce The Stress Of The Child Welfare Practitioner?, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

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Information and communication technology (ICT) “has the potential to dramatically shift and enhance social work practice,” according to Berzin, Singer, & Chan (2015). ICT includes tools that allow users to both communicate with colleagues and clients and access, store, transmit, and manipulate information (Perron et al., 2010). Such technology integration can create practices that are more flexible, on-demand, and individualized not only to the families served, but also to the practitioner. Mobile technology, as well as other technologies (e.g., gaming, social media, robotics, wearable technologies) will enhance practice gains and result in more timely, accurate, and targeted services (Berzin, Singer, …

Assessing Your Workforce Needs, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

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You know you have a workforce challenge… but do you know what is causing it? Many child welfare agencies have expanded recruitment efforts through social media, started using telework and flexible work schedules, and even increased wages and provided hazard pay to build and strengthen their child welfare workforce. But sometimes even the best strategies don’t fix the problem because they aren’t aligned with the underlying cause of the problem. When your child welfare workforce is understaffed or overwhelmed it is tempting to want to find an immediate fix because the need to expand the workforce is urgent. However, it …

Organizational Change Process Milwaukee - Needs Assessment Summary, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

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Exploration of Needs

The Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (QIC-WD) worked with the Division of Milwaukee Child Protective Services (DMCPS) to conduct a needs assessment. A variety of information was explored to learn about the current workforce and the agency’s workforce practices, including 1) recruitment, hiring, and retention metrics and processes, 2) organizational culture and climate, and 3) other workforce processes and initiatives, such as onboarding, mentoring, supervision, performance management, and employee recognition. More specifically, four major types of information were considered: 1) objective data from various agency databases and reports; 2) subjective perceptions of staff and supervisors, …

Onboarding Program Eastern Band Of Cherokee Indians - Needs Assessment Summary, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

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Exploration of Needs

The Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (QIC-WD) worked with the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians Family Safety Program (FSP) to conduct a needs assessment. A variety of information was explored to learn about the current workforce and the agency’s child welfare workforce practices, including 1) recruitment, hiring, and retention metrics and processes, 2) organizational culture and climate, and 3) other workforce processes and initiatives, such as onboarding, mentoring, supervision, performance management, and employee recognition. More specifically, four major types of information were considered: 1) objective administrative data; 2) subjective perceptions of staff and supervisors, gathered …

Addressing Mental Health Of Hospitality Employees: An Exploratory Study, Chase Izell

Management Undergraduate Honors Theses

Exacerbated by a global pandemic, mental health challenges within hospitality professionals are an area of growing prevalence and concern for the industry. Historically unaddressed, these issues are continuing to impact the morale of essential talent which is promoting a culture of turnover that defines the industry today. Aside from the direct costs incurred by voluntary employee termination, the indirect costs to workplace culture and guest satisfaction have furthered the overall financial impact of a largely untreated problem. The objective of this research is to provide evidence of declining mental health in the hospitality industry while illuminating the key contributors to …

Competency-Based Personnel Selection Oklahoma - Needs Assessment Summary, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

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Exploration of Needs

The Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (QIC-WD) worked with the Oklahoma Department of Human Services (DHS) to conduct a needs assessment. A variety of information was explored to learn about the current workforce and the agency’s child welfare workforce practices, including:

1. recruitment, hiring, and retention metrics and processes,
2. organizational culture and climate, and
3. other workforce processes and initiatives, such as onboarding, mentoring, supervision, performance management, training, and employee recognition.

More specifically, four major types of information were considered: 1) objective data from various agency databases and reports; 2) subjective perceptions of staff and supervisors, gathered …

Innovative Behavior; Raising Awareness For Creative Behavior In Education To Cultivate An Innovative Approach In Vocational Education., Jeanette Janine Matser

Creativity and Change Leadership Graduate Student Master's Projects

_{Innovative Behavior; Raising Awareness for Creative Behavior in Education to Cultivate an Innovative Approach in Vocational Education.}

The development of a rubric for innovative behavior in teachers is related to encouraging the status of creativity in the innovation process. It is powerful to use feedback to create a more creative approach in schools, it helps teachers to think creatively and how to cultivate a more innovative approach in the classroom. It creates and structures conversations among teachers interested in teaching and assessing creativity.

This project presents a background and the development of a rubric and a complimentary booklet to self-test …

Project Foresight Annual Report, 2020-2021, Paul J. Speaker

Faculty & Staff Scholarship

Project FORESIGHT is a business-guided self-evaluation of forensic science laboratories across the globe. The participating laboratories represent local, regional, state, and national agencies. Economics, accounting, finance, and forensic faculty provide assistance, guidance, and analysis. Laboratories participating in Project FORESIGHT have developed standardized definitions for metrics to evaluate work processes, linking financial information to work tasks, and functions. Laboratory managers can then assess resource allocations, efficiencies, and value of services—the mission of Project FORESIGHT is to measure, preserve what works, and change what does not.

The benchmark data for the 2020-2021 performance period includes laboratory submissions for a variety of fiscal …

Addressing Work-Related Traumatic Stress Nebraska - Needs Assessment Summary, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

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Exploration of Needs

The Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (QIC-WD) worked with the Nebraska Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) to conduct a needs assessment. The team leveraged: (1) administrative data, primarily from the Nebraska Department of Children and Family Services’ Human Resource department (DCFS-HR); (2) formal surveys of child welfare staff and supervisors; (3) QIC-WD team expertise; and (4) subjective perceptions and expertise from the Nebraska Workforce Project Team members.

DCFS-HR data included metrics and processes related to recruitment, hiring, and retention; culture and climate; and other workforce processes and initiatives, such as onboarding, mentoring, supervision, …

Examining Factors Related To Employees' Perceived Value Congruence In A Newcomer Training Program, William Joseph Mattera Jr

LSU Doctoral Dissertations

The first 90 days of employment have received more and more attention concerning how an individual employee (“individual”) can succeed within the work environment. Watkins (2013) centers the responsibility on the individual to engage in understanding, embracing, and shifting toward buying into an organizational culture. However, what role does an organization play in successfully transitioning an individual into their culture? The primary purpose of this study is to investigate the effect of a new employee training program on perceptions of role clarity, organizational culture, organizational goals and values, and perceived value congruence.

A quantitative approach was utilized to analyze responses …

The Effects Of Team Potency, Leader Communication Frequency, And Goal Clarity On The Relationship Between Servant Leadership And Team Performance: A Focus On The Fundraising Profession, Jill R. Carroll

Servant Leadership: Theory & Practice

Previous research has shown that the practice of servant leadership improves team performance in organizations; however, the specific reasons for this positive influence are still being investigated. This paper puts forth a conceptual model that considers the mediating effect of team potency and the moderating influences of leader communication frequency and clarity of team goals on the servant leadership-team performance relationship. Based on a review of the literature, four propositions regarding the positive influence of these variables on the servant leadership-team performance relationship are put forth. The importance of the servant leader-team performance relationship and the effects of the moderating …

Addressing The Disconnects Between Hr And Child Welfare, Michelle Graef, Maggie Thompson

QIC-Takes

When it comes to efforts to improve workforce outcomes, how would you describe the relationship between human resources (HR) and child welfare leadership in your agency? Is the working relationship collaborative or are the divisions siloed? Do child welfare and HR departments routinely share information, needs, data, and expertise? Is HR involved in child welfare workforce planning and decision making? These are just a few of the questions we have explored with child welfare agencies as part of our work at the QIC-WD. Overall, agency representatives have indicated that opportunities for increased collaboration exist between these departments and that closer …

Supportive Supervision And Resiliency Ohio - Theory Of Change, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

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The Quality Improvement Center for Workforce Development (QIC-WD) developed a theory of change for the primary area of need identified in partnership with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services and the nine participating counties. Through a series of steps and causal links, a theory of change provides a roadmap to address the root causes of an identified workforce problem and describes how and why changes are expected to lead to the desired outcomes. In Ohio, the theory was informed by various aspects of the needs assessment process (e.g., survey data, implementation team input, and focus groups with supervisors) …

Frontline Job Redesign Louisiana - Theory Of Change, Quality Improvement Center For Workforce Development

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During the needs assessment process, the QIC-WD developed a theory of change in collaboration with the Louisiana Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS). Through a series of steps and causal links, a theory of change provides a roadmap to address the root causes of an identified workforce problem and describes how and why changes are expected to lead to the desired outcomes. The needs assessment identified high worker turnover as a key challenge for DCFS, with the following key root causes:

• the workload was unmanageable and there were too many tasks to be performed
• supervisors and managers were …

Improving Employee Performance And Job Satisfaction Using Comprehensive Job Descriptions And Performance Evaluations, Jeffrey A. Bishop

IPS/BAS 495 Undergraduate Capstone Projects

Employees who are provided clear expectations—including goals and objectives—with ongoing performance feedback, can realize improved performance and job satisfaction. Performance feedback should be specific and include actions the employee excels at, in addition to areas he or she needs to improve on (United States Office of Personnel Management, 2022). Research has shown that regular feedback can help provide direction, motivate, encourage engagement, and improve the performance of employees. Research has also shown that the absence of job descriptions can lead to employee dissatisfaction and an inability of management to adequately appraise the performance of their employees (Raju & Banerjee, 2017).

Political Skill, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What is political skill?

Political skill refers to “the ability to effectively understand others at work, and to use such knowledge to influence others to act in ways that enhance one’s personal and/or organizational objectives” (Ahearn et al., 2004, p. 311). Unlike organizational politics, which involve selfserving and detrimental behavior, political skill involves positive, sincere, and effective influence (Ferris et al., 2005). The primary measure of political skill is the 18-item Political Skill Inventory, which assesses political skill through four factors: social astuteness, interpersonal influence, networking ability, and apparent sincerity. Example items from each factor, respectively, include “I always seem …

Organizational Silofication: Implications In Grouping Experts For Organizational Performance, Dave Silberman, Rob E. Carpenter, Elena Cabrera, Jasmine Kernaleguen

Human Resource Development Faculty Publications and Presentations

This paper offers that organizational underachievement sourced to workplace expertise is a product of bounded perspective constructed by the agency of expertise. Embedded in any bounded perspective is limitations to what can be seen. Organizations that seek to leverage expertise solely on their agency risk organizational silofication. We conclude that recognizing organizational silofication is an opportunity for organizations to address organizational underachievement by addressing the perspectives that create the hidden impediments limiting their overall potential.

Learning Styles, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What are learning styles?

The concept of learning styles is the idea that people differ in the way that they learn best, and instructors should determine each trainee’s optimal style and then use training methods that match the trainee’s style (Pashler, 2009). There are dozens of different learning style classifications, including such styles or dimensions as visual, auditory, kinesthetic, and tactile modality preferences (Dunn & Greggs, 2003, cited in Coffield et al., 2004); concrete vs. abstract and sequential vs. random (Gregorc, 1982a, cited in Coffield et al., 2004); holistic vs. analytic and verbalizer vs. imager (Riding & Raynor, 1998, cited …

Analysis Of Task Performance During Radiological Surveillance By Means Of Discrete Event Simulation, Michael H. Ames

Theses and Dissertations

The surveillance and detection of radioactive contamination on surfaces and in the environment are commonly investigated by surveyors utilizing portable detection equipment. The availability of Discrete Event Simulation (DES) and Human Performance Modeling (HPM) allows for the analysis of physical and cognitive processes associated with these operations, as well as the effect that external environmental factors have on surveyor performance. This research uses the Improved Performance Research Integration Tool (IMPRINT) to approximate the performance of a radiological detection task informed by the observation of six surveyors. The effects of chemical Individual Protective Equipment (IPE) use is evaluated along with the …

An Analysis Of Telework Performance During The Covid-19 Pandemic, Patrick J. Lopez

Theses and Dissertations

The COVID-19 pandemic forced many individuals to shift from an atmosphere of face-to-face work to the digital work environment known as telework. Telework is an effective mitigation tool that ensures the continuity of operations. However, maximized telework may not be effective for all individuals. Many individual, organizational, and group level factors influence one’s telework performance and this study examines four of the most influential antecedents. Using linear regression analysis, conscientiousness, overload, communication, and non-distractibility were found to be significant predictors that account for over half the variance explained in telework performance. Supported by self-regulation theories, both conscientiousness and non-distractibility contained …

Perceptions Of Employability Skills Of Undergraduate Business Students In A Developing Country: An Exploratory Study, Wise Mainga, Reuben M. Daniel, Luis Alamil

Higher Learning Research Communications

Objective: The purpose of this study was to determine the relative importance of different employability skills for business graduates seeking initial employment.

Method: Semi-structured survey questionnaires were administered to human resources representatives from industry, business lecturers, and graduating business students to determine gaps in perceptions between the three stakeholder groups.

Results: There was some alignment and moderate discrepancies in perceptions of the relative importance of different employability skills between the three stakeholder groups. There were statistically significant differences in perceived importance of communication, teamwork, and interpersonal skills between graduating students and employers. There is evidence that employers were satisfied with …

Trainee Reactions, Megan Paul

Umbrella Summaries

What are trainee reactions?

Trainee reactions refer to “subjective evaluations learners make about their training experiences” (Sitzmann et al., 2008, p. 280). Commonly referred to as “level 1” evaluations (e.g., Kirkpatrick, 1998), reactions are the most commonly used type of training evaluation and are measured with post-training surveys. Though measures are occasionally included in published research, there are no universal or even widely used measures. Instead, questions are developed by each organization or trainer based on their particular goals and interests. As a result, there is significant variation in what is measured. Originally, reactions referred only to how well a …