The Transformation Trail: Mapping Your Progress Along the Way

Transformation is a journey — a winding path with many forks in the road. Whatever route chosen, with focused commitment, the journey will lead to enduring culture change.

​The Transformation Trail depicts the often-circuitous nature of navigating transformation – a journey that by its nature includes stops, starts, challenges, and, eventually, the attainment of identified goals.  Consider the markers on the trail as individual signposts in the transformation journey that may or may not proceed in the particular order portrayed.
Click on the underlined links below to use the resources as you plot the course of your transformation journey.
Landmark #1: Understanding Transformation and Culture Change
Transformation of an organization usually begins with developing a comprehensive understanding of the agency’s culture and considering ways it may need to change. Use the Resources below to learn more about the process of Culture Change and/or visit the Culture Change tab.
  • Trusting the Process 
    Trusting the Process is a presentation that examines the ways that change impacts individuals and organizations and provides important insights into both managing the challenges of change while reaping its benefits.
  • A Transtheoretical Approach to Changing Organizations
    Prochaska, Janice M, Prochaska, James O., Levesque, Deborah A.
    Organizations often experience change as a process that is similar to the Stages of Change model commonly used in supporting individuals to change personal behavior or manage individual challenges. This insightful article examines how organizations respond to change within the construct of the stage-wise process. 
  • Workshop Transformation: A Plan, A Process, & Communication
    In this video, Ability Beyond in Bethel, Connecticut successfully transformed its work center into integrated community-based opportunities. Shaileen Brighton-Ortiz and Carrie O'Connell discuss the plan and the process that made the transformation a success.
  • The Interviewer
    ​The Interviewer is a little film with a big message. Invite all stakeholders and members of your organization to view this film and discuss how its message can be used to transform the ways they think about employment opportunities.
      
    The Interviewer is used with the permission of Bus Stop Films, an organization that offers weekly film-making workshops for people with intellectual disabilities. This film has found its way onto screens across the globe and recently “went viral” in Europeafter being shown on Arte TV, winning over 30 awards, and being screened at over 40 film festivals including Short Shorts Film Festival & Asia, Cleveland, Flickerfest. Learn more about Bus Stop films by visiting their website at busstopfilms.com.au and their Facebook  page at facebook.com/busstopfilms.
  • The Costly Price of Benefits: Moving Toward Economic Self-Sufficiency
    In this thoughtful article, Len Statham, CRC examines the effects of living in poverty on both physical and mental health and draws some startling conclusions about the advantages of being employed.
the_costly_price_of_benefits_moving_toward_economic_self-sufficiency.pdf
File Size: 1500 kb
File Type: pdf
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Landmark #2: Formation of the Organization’s CQI Team 
The formation of a dedicated Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) team at the beginning of the transformation process will support the organization to build a solid foundation for the anticipated changes. Explore the resources below to learn about the role of CQI in the transformation process and how to develop an effective CQI team.

Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) will inform the process of transformation at each stage of the journey. You will be reminded to implement your organization’s CQI process at Landmarks #4, #7 and #8 as well.
  • Development of Quality Assurance/Quality Improvement Program and Process
    ​This document provides a concise overview of how to develop a quality assurance/quality improvement team and implement an ongoing process of Continuous Quality Improvement.
development_of_quality_assurance.pdf
File Size: 66 kb
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  • Using Data to Improve Services and Demonstrate Value
    ​    The presentation “Using Data to Improve Services and Demonstrate Value” was a collaborative effort by CCSI, Loeb and Troper, and the Arc of Ulster-Greene that was offered at the NYSRA Summit in September, 2016. This presentation uses actual program examples that demonstrate how meaningful measures can be used to track improvements at the individual, program, and systems levels. The potential financial benefits of effective CQI processes are also included in this presentation.
using_data_to_improve_services.pdf
File Size: 7293 kb
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  • Continuous Quality Improvement: What’s In It For You?
    This presentation by CCSI’s Center for Collaboration in Community Health focuses on the foundational elements of Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) processes and practices. Examples of effective CQI practices are included and the importance of weaving CQI into daily agency practice is emphasized. 
  • Team-Building, Willingness to Change, and Celebrating Failure – Components of Great Leadership  
    ​by Michael Seereiter
    In this article, Michael Seereiter, the CEO of the New York State Rehabilitation Association (NYSRA), shares his insights about effective leadership, with a focus on the value of change and the surprising benefits of the challenges encountered in the process.
team_building_willingness_to_change_and_celebratin.pdf
File Size: 537 kb
File Type: pdf
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Landmark #3 Explore the Employment Supports Transformation Assessment (ESTA) Tool​
The Employment Supports Transformation Assessment (ESTA) is a self-assessment tool that evaluates an organization’s transformation progress across nine domains: Leadership, Strategic Planning, Financial Sustainability, Strategic Partnerships, Corporate Structure, Continuous Quality Improvement, Strategies for Community Inclusion, Workforce Preparation and Human Resources, and Individual and Family Collaboration. Using the ESTA, organizations are able to identify those areas that present challenges and barriers in developing broader, all-inclusive initiatives for implementing employment services and supports. The ESTA is offered in 3 accessible versions: the ESTA, Mini ESTA and Electronic ESTA.
  • Group Process
    ​​The completion of the ESTA requires an organization to use a team approach. Effective group facilitation will help this team (partners and stakeholders) to collaborate to evaluate the organization’s employment supports narrative and develop a work plan to meet transformation goals.

    ​The Group Process PDF resources are provided courtesy of KSL Training and the original author, Kim Larkins.
Landmark #4: ESTA Completion Informs CQI
The results of the ESTA and scores in each domain will provide baseline information to guide your agency’s CQI process. 
​Review the resources recommended under Landmark# 2.
Landmark #5: Start With Organizational Domains To Build Foundation For Change
​The completion of the ESTA will identify the challenges your organization encounters in each of the domains. Because the organization is responsible for driving the change process, it is essential to address the Leadership, Strategic Planning, and Financial Sustainability domains first. You will find discussion questions to help you consider your progress in each of these domains under ESTA Domains.
  • Use scores from the ESTA or Mini ESTA to inform your consideration of Leadership, Strategic Planning, and Financial Sustainability.
  • Is your leadership committed to the process of transformation? Use the discussion questions under the ESTA Domains tab to assess your Leadership process and identify next steps.
  • Has your organization developed a Strategic Plan? Use the discussion questions under ESTA Domains tab to assess your Strategic Planning process and identify next steps.
  • Has your organization clarified its corporate structure and fiscal modeling? Click on the ESTA Domains tab and use the discussion questions under Financial Sustainability to assess your progress and identify next steps.
  • Click on the Domain Resources under the Resources tab.
Landmark #6: Create Workplan 
Build the workplan through the collaborative efforts of the Transformation Teams you established as part of the ESTA process. You can navigate to a Sample Workplan by clicking here. (You will also find a link to the Sample Workplan under the Resources tab.)
  • Your organization’s workplan provides a template for identifying action steps, targeting completion dates, and monitoring progress. Because it becomes a living document that guides your process, you may need to re-visit it multiple times to revise the goals and timelines initially targeted as new challenges and opportunities are identified.​
  • ​​Prioritize the major objectives from the Organizational Domains (Leadership, Strategic Planning, and Financial Sustainability) to build the foundation for the workplan. 
  • Use the workplan you have created as a tool to communicate the structure for change to all stakeholders.
Landmark #7: CQI Process Driven By Workplan
The workplan provides a central place where the agency’s transformation efforts are documented. The essential tasks, responsible people, and timelines are tracked to manage progress, promote change, and course-correct as needed.

The Workplan also defines the Continuous Quality Improvement process. By clearly identifying the area of focus, objectives, staff responsible, and targeted dates for completion, the workplan can help assure that the CQI process stays on track. 

​Review the resources recommended under Landmark# 2. 
Landmark #8: Transformation Via CQI Process Continues
Continuous Quality Improvement continues to facilitate the transformation process by evaluating the impact of transformation on all areas of the organization.
  • Remember that changes in one area of your organization will impact the other areas of your organization
  • Keep the conversations flowing with your Transformation Teams. Illustrate the potential changes for each aspect of your organization.​
 Review the resources recommended under Landmark# 2. 
Landmark #9: Communicate Progress Along the Way
Knowledge and awareness are key to the continuous engagement of all stakeholders. During times of change, providing people with information keeps them involved and engaged in the process and helps them feel more confident that leadership is guiding the process.
  • Create a team that is responsible for communication and establish a protocol for sharing information among the teams.
  • Develop consistent communication methods with all partners using a variety of accessible formats. Meetings, mailings, illustrations, and informal gatherings are part of any process. 
  • Assure that communication efforts effectively convey the spirit and goals of the mission. The words we use are a reflection of our culture and can define the ways we understand and approach people and situations. In her article, The Power of Language, Patricia Dowse, COO of the New York State Rehabilitation Association (NYSRA), examines how the words we use can become tools for transformation.
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