{"id":310,"date":"2025-03-04T14:36:43","date_gmt":"2025-03-04T22:36:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0280\/?p=310"},"modified":"2025-03-31T17:15:15","modified_gmt":"2025-04-01T00:15:15","slug":"managing-change-a-paradigm-shift","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/malat-webspace.royalroads.ca\/rru0280\/managing-change-a-paradigm-shift\/","title":{"rendered":"Managing Change – a paradigm shift"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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The paradigm shift<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The issue at hand was a theoretical paradigm shift, changing the narrative from what\u2019s wrong with you, to what happened to you?  It was necessary because the science behind the effects of trauma in childhood was clear \u2013 what happens to us in our first 18 years of life positively or negatively affects the trajectory of our lives.  The Adverse Childhood Experiences is a pivotal longitudinal study linking childhood trauma to negative health outcomes in adulthood \u2013 such as cancer, heart disease, COPD, diabetes, mental health disorders, and addictions.  If you haven\u2019t already, take a moment to review the Alberta Family Wellness Initiative<\/a> resources and consider the impact. It\u2019s powerful.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The sector<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The entire vulnerable serving sector needed to shift. It meant looking upstream to the root causes of poverty and trauma. We advocated for policy changes at various levels of government, along with identifying formal and informal community partners to create a connected network of information sharing and referrals. The changes at all levels were costly, and impossible without government, corporate and individual donors. And, of course, all changes were happening with a focus on creating better outcomes for those suffering from the effects of poverty and trauma.\u00a0 Needless to say, our external stakeholders were extensive and diverse. This work is ongoing, and Alberta is at the forefront of innovation, making system changes to accommodate innovation.\u00a0 The article by Conway et al. (2017) describes the need for both design and systems thinking to find innovative ways to solve our wicked problems, such as the intergenerational transition of trauma and poverty (p.1).\u00a0 Calgary is championing design and data-driven thinking, evidenced by its participation in projects, such of the Data for Good \u2013 National Datathon<\/a>, working to transform mental health care through data-driven insight.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The organization<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Within our organization, we moved from one-off \u2018band aide\u2019 short-term solutions to a holistic intake assessment and care planning process that included integrating health, housing, education, community and family connections, spirituality, and basic needs. We moved from eleven different access points into programs and services to two \u2013 health and non-health (everything else).  We shifted from a service and support focus to a person-centered approach in partnership with clients.  This transition took both systems and design thinking.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Our executive director was a value driven leader that could deliver a compelling vision. The entire organization was able to \u2018buy in\u2019 and there was a clear business case for it. Getting to the root problem does save lives and reduce costs.  The organization took time to prepare for the change in many ways, and provided opportunities for staff training, collaboration and input \u2013 this list is not exhaustive:<\/p>\n\n\n\n