Page 167 - In Pursuit of the Sunbeam.indd

152 In Pursuit of the Sunbeam: A Practical Guide to Transformation from Institution to Household
ENVIRONMENTAL
The Debate Begins
Alignment of Vision Engage Partners in Design Move In
Home
HOME OR HALLWAY – THE DEBATE BEGINS
Institutional Design Is Challenged
By the time your organization is ready to determine how to approach designing the physical environment, the Steering and Action Teams should be well along the road of spreading and deepening the transformational journey.
This chapter assumes organizational and leadership changes are already happening and new ways of thinking are taking root. Individuals throughout the organization are taking responsibility for self-transformation, and stories of personal growth and epiphanies are circulating. At this juncture, your journey has moved well beyond the passion of a single leader or a small group of change agents to become an organization-wide conversation and creation process. Internal and external stakeholders are showing strong signs of integrated alignment around the vision of resident-directed service within the Household Model.
While some are still unsure of how it really will be and feel, staff is generally rallied around the concept of creating home, decentralized, self-led teams, pleasant work environments and increased meaning and purpose for those who live and work there.
By now, the collective organization clearly realizes residents have basic rights it must address (the normalcy of daily life in a household community, choice and the opportunity to pursue individual interests and direct their own lives). The organization has adopted strong values emphasizing the sanctity of each resident’s home – values its caregivers strive to ensure are lived out.
You have challenged yourselves to let go of the institutional design. Your organization is attracted to the Household Model, and your frequent high involvement conversations have shifted the organizational mindset from institution to home. The remaining questions are: Can we afford to do it? Will we have hallway, or will we have home?
Discordance Between Household and Traditional Operating Model Design
It is very important to take stock of your progress with organizational change. There is an obvious and close partnership between the physical environment and the services delivered. These two dimensions push and pull upon each other constantly. Changing the environment is the easy part. It may take considerable time and money, but it’s fun and there’s immediate gratification. Positive outcomes become verifiably visible on