PROVIDING SUCCESSFUL
EMPLOYMENT SUPPORTS IN A
CHANGING ENVIRONMENT:
ALL CHANGE IS DIFFICULT
NO MATTER HOW LONG
YOU PUT IT OFF
“ A MAN’S WOMENFOLK,
WHATEVER THEIR OUTWARD
SHOW OF RESPECT FOR HIS
MERIT & AUTHORITY, ALWAYS
REGARD HIM SECRETLY AS AN
ASS, AND WITH SOMETHING
AKIN TO PITY.”
H. L. MENCKEN
“I feel so miserable
without you,
it's almost like
having you here."
Stephen Bishop
JOE MARRONE
INSTITUTE FOR COMMUNITY INCLUSION
MAIN OFFICE: BOSTON, MA
NW OFFICE:
4517 NE CESAR CHAVEZ BLVD
PORTLAND, OR 97211-8124
TEL: 503-331-0687
CELL: 503-490-2072
FAX: 503-961-7714
EMAIL: joseph.marrone@gmail.com
WEB: WWW.COMMUNITYINCLUSION.ORG
“ I CAN’T UNDERSTAND
WHY PEOPLE
ARE FRIGHTENED OF
NEW IDEAS;
I’M FRIGHTENED OF THE
OLD ONES.”
JOHN CAGE, COMPOSER
“LIFE LIVED WITHIN THE
CONFINES OF THE HUMAN
SERVICE & REHABILITATION
LANDSCAPE IS A LIFE IN
WHICH THE FREEDOM TO
BECOME & MAKE YOUR OWN
FUTURE IS DIMINISHED”
PATRICIA DEEGAN
20th World Congress Rehab International: Oslo, Norway
– JUNE 2004
ROLE/ LIMITS OF TRAINING AS A
CHANGE STRATEGY?
REMEMBER THE TURKEY AND
THE SQUIRREL ANALOGY
Henry Rosovsky
Economic Historian
“Never
underestimate the
difficulty of
changing false
beliefs by facts.”
IF PEOPLE
CAN
WORK
PEOPLE
SHOULD WORK
HOW PATIENT SHOULD WE BE?
“TIME IS JUST AS IMPORTANT TO
PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES AS IT IS
TO THE REST OF US”GERALD PROVENCAL
“ A JOURNEY OF 1000 MILES
BEGINS WITH THE FIRST STEP–
UNFORTUNATELY A JOURNEY OF
3 STEPS BEGINS THE SAME WAY”MARRONE APHORISM
A ship in harbor is safe -but that is not what ships
are built for.
John A. Shedd
Salt from My Attic, 1928
WHY ARE HIGHER
OUTCOMES/
EXPECTATIONS NOT
ENDORSED BY ADVOCATES
RATHER THAN FEARED AS
“CREAMING”?
DON’T THERE NEED TO BE
WINNERS AND LOSERS
OR ELSE
HAS ANYTHING
CHANGED?
“The nature of passive
resistance within a
nonprofit setting is at
levels that could teach
Gandhi lessons.”
Reynold Levy
President of Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, and
former president of International Rescue Committee
Thom Hartman
“ADD, An Alternate View”
“I am not
inattentive,
you are just
boring.“
GOETHE
“Knowing is not
enough;
we must apply.
Willing is not
enough;
we must do.”
HASN’T THERE BEEN MORE
CHANGE IN
WELFARE REFORM IN LESS
THAN A DECADE THAN IN
SUPPORTED EMPLOYMENT
IN 20+ YEARS?
AMBROSE BIERCE
“ PATIENCE:
A MINOR FORM OF
DESPAIR --DISGUISED AS A VIRTUE.”
HELPING PEOPLE
(AND SYSTEMS)
CHANGE:
HOPE,
HELP,
AND
HASSLING
COLLABORATION
DON’T ASK BEFORE YOU
GIVE SOMETHING FIRST
 ALWAYS SAY YES TO FIRST
 LEVELS OF CHANGE:

• YOURSELF
• YOUR ORGANIZATION
• OTHER SYSTEMS
EDWARD ABBEY
One man alone can be
pretty dumb sometimes,
but for real bona fide
stupidity,
there ain't nothin' can
beat teamwork.
SHOOK, J. (2010) HOW TO
CHANGE A CULTURE.
MIT SLOAN MGMT REVIEW,
51 (2), 62-68
WHAT PEOPLE DO
VALUES- ATTITUDES
CULTURE
SHOOK, J. (2010) HOW TO
CHANGE A CULTURE.
MIT SLOAN MGMT REVIEW,
51 (2), 62-68
WHAT PEOPLE DO
VALUES- ATTITUDES
CULTURE
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE
INTERNAL

WANT TO CHANGE
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE
EXTERNAL

NEED TO CHANGE

CRISIS OR PRESSURE
ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGE
VISION and VALUES

KNOW WHAT TO CHANGE TO
5 SIGNS TO RECOGNIZE
SYSTEM CHANGE:
Grieff, D., Proscio, T., &
Wilkins, C. (2003). Laying
a new foundation: Changing
the systems that create and
sustain supportive housing.
Oakland, CA: Corporation
for Supportive Housing
5 SIGNS TO RECOGNIZE
SYSTEM CHANGE:
CHANGE IN POWER:
Designated positions—
people with formal
authority—responsible
for the new activity
(not just individuals
who care about it).

5 SIGNS TO RECOGNIZE
SYSTEM CHANGE:

CHANGE IN MONEY:
Routine funding is
earmarked for the new
activity in a new
[new money, shift in
existing funding, or new
priorities & criteria for
accessing money].
5 SIGNS TO RECOGNIZE
SYSTEM CHANGE:

CHANGE IN HABITS:
Participants in a system
interact with each other to
carry out the new activity as
part of their normal routine
not just respond to special
initiatives, demonstrations, or
projects.
5 SIGNS TO RECOGNIZE
SYSTEM CHANGE:

CHANGE IN TECHNOLOGY
OR SKILLS:
Growing cadre of skilled practitioners
at most levels in the delivery chain,
practicing methods not previously
common or considered desirable.
Practitioners are now expert in skills
that new system demands & have set
a standard for effective delivery of
results.
5 SIGNS TO RECOGNIZE
SYSTEM CHANGE:

CHANGE IN IDEAS
OR VALUES:
New definition of performance or
success, & often a new
understanding of the people to be
served & the problem to be solved
[i.e., new goals]. The new definition &
understanding are commonly held
among most actors in the system, &
are no longer in great dispute
“ YOU NEED A LITTLE LOVE IN
YOUR LIFE & FOOD IN YOUR
STOMACH BEFORE YOU CAN
HOLD STILL FOR SOME DAMN
FOOL’S LECTURE ABOUT
HOW TO BEHAVE.”
BILLIE HOLIDAY
John P. Kotter (1998).
Leading change: why
transformation efforts fail.
In: Harvard Business Review
on Change. Cambridge:
Harvard Business School
Press.
Error #1: Not establishing a great
enough sense of urgency.
In the eyes of stakeholders, how important
and urgent is the adoption of a community
employment model?
 Are people so comfortable with the status
quo that they will not want to take the effort
and risks associated with change?
 Are a significant portion of the key
“stakeholders” (i.e., people with authority or
influence or ideally both) honestly convinced
that “business as usual” is totally
unacceptable?

Bottom line: Is there a system-wide perception
of urgency?
Error #2: Not creating a powerful enough
guiding coalition.
Which stakeholders are driving the system
redesign? Which stakeholder groups are
indifferent? Which are opposed?
 Do the people “pushing the change” have
the means to create incentives and modify
the organizational infrastructure to support
the system redesign?
 Who are the strong, credible, and assertive
leaders who will communicate the need for
change to all in the system?

Bottom line: Do the people driving change
have the means to make it happen?
Error #3: Lacking a vision
Is there a clearly articulated vision of what
we are doing and why?
 Does the vision easily translate into actions?
 Is the vision concise and easily
understandable (The “rule”: If you can’t
explain it easily within 3 – 5 minutes, you
don’t really know it)?
 Is there a clear link between the vision and
each specific system redesign activity?

Bottom line: Is there a clear theme and
blueprint showing how the various system
redesign initiatives relate to a vision, or is
system redesign perceived as a collection of
disparate activities with no central theme?
Error #4: Undercommunicating vision by a factor of ten.
How has the vision been communicated?
Do people “get it”?
 Are day-to-day actions of the system’s leadership &
the guiding coalition consistent with the vision?
Are we practicing what we preach?
 Are we using every possible communication channel
to communicate the vision?
 Are we willing & able to displace nonessential,
generic training programs & devote resources to
training specific to community employment for
people with significant disabilities?

Bottom line: How effectively have we communicated
the vision?
Error #5: Not removing obstacles to new vision.
Have we identified the obstacles?
 Are we willing to make changes in the existing
organizational structures if those structures do not support
system redesign?
 How will the system handle administrators, supervisors,
and/or managers that do not support change and make
demands on their employees that undermine system
redesign?

Bottom line: Are we willing and able to take the actions
necessary to manage organizational and personnel
obstacles?
Error #6: Not systematically planning for and
creating short-term wins.
 What
are some potential short-term wins that
would get system redesign off to a positive start?
 Do we have the commitment to devote
resources to creating short-term wins?
Bottom line: Are we willing and able to do what it
takes to create short-term wins?
Error #7: Declaring victory too soon.
Does
the system have the long-term
perspective to maintain the system
redesign initiative over time?
Do the stakeholders recognize that
change requires years, not months?
Bottom line: Is there a plan to orchestrate a series
of short-term wins so that momentum is
sustained?
Error #8: Not anchoring changes in the
organization’s culture.
 How
can we create an employment “culture”
within the local system?
 How can we develop a broad base of support
so that community employment efforts are not
restricted to a small circle of advocates?
Bottom line: How do we make community
employment such an integral part of the
development disabilities system so that
it is self-sustaining?
“ ANY TIME YOU THINK
YOU HAVE INFLUENCE,
TRY ORDERING AROUND
SOMEONE ELSE’S DOG”
OLD YIDDISH PROVERB
If 1 person calls you a jackass,
ignore him;
If a second person calls you a
jackass, think about it;
If a third person calls you a
jackass- get a saddle.