Organizational Network Analysis as a Technique for Local Agency and System Wide Performance Evaluation

Jacqueline Merrill¹, Kristine Gebbie², Kathleen Carley3

Columbia University, Department of Biomedical Informatics,¹ School of Nursing², Carnegie Mellon University3

TAKE AWAY IDEAS

DATA COLLECTION

IMPLICATIONS

BACKGROUND

Public health organizational performance can be assessed using network analysis, a technique for managing complex systems

ONGOING STUDY

This research is funded by a 2006 Pfizer Public Health Scholar Award and a Robert Wood Johnson Public Health Systems Research Award

Organizational network analysis•a tool for understanding complexity •based on social network and graph theory •used to support management decisions•network = how work is done

•network ≠ administrative hierarchy

In 2005 a feasibility study demonstrated utility for public health management

Current research is refining the method for public health to compare performance and network structure

•Pilot in two NY State LHDs

•NOW RECRUITING for comparative analyses of organizational networks w/ NPHPS performance scores in a national sample of 8 LHDs

This research will produce standard results :

•support local management decisions

•build baseline PH network measurement

•allow comparisons of LHDs

•inform system-wide planning

•infrastructure development.

•An standard employee survey to capture work performed across health departments

•Survey uses a minimum data set derived from established practice documentation and practitioner review

A set of public health tasks, resources and knowledge identified for network analysis presents a standard for documenting PH work

SAMPLE COMPARISON

Size 165 employees Density 0.35

Centralization 0.46 NPHPS Score 52.6

LHD 1 employee communication network

LHD 2 employee communication network

Size 156 employees Density 0.21

Centralization 0.26 NPHPS Score 64.1

environmental

environmental