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Institutionalization of mental health programs in organizational contexts: The case of elementary schools
Author(s) -
Commins William W.,
Elias Maurice J.
Publication year - 1991
Publication title -
journal of community psychology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.585
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1520-6629
pISSN - 0090-4392
DOI - 10.1002/1520-6629(199107)19:3<207::aid-jcop2290190302>3.0.co;2-3
Subject(s) - institutionalisation , curriculum , process (computing) , mental health , matching (statistics) , psychology , phase (matter) , public relations , pedagogy , sociology , political science , medicine , psychiatry , computer science , chemistry , organic chemistry , pathology , operating system
Bringing a mental health program into a setting can be conceptualized as an example of attempting an organizational innovation. The study of innovation has generated substantial information in recent years, most often concerning the adoption and implementation phases of the innovation process. This article describes a two‐part study of the institutionalization phase, in which an innovation becomes established as a routine practice within an organization. In Phase 1, a review of recent literature was conducted to accumulate empirical data on institutionalization. In Phase 2, the predicted institutionalization was tested through four case studies in which a particular innovation (a curriculum to teach critical thinking and problem‐solving skills to elementary school students) was in the process of implementation in a particular type of organization (public elementary schools). The pattern observed in the case studies was compared to the predicted pattern by means of a pattern‐matching mode of analysis. The results suggest that the 10 conditions identified are meaningfully associated with institutionalization. The findings are discussed, and suggestions are made for further research.