Exploring the 'New Social Compact': Supporting the Military Family

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The Science and Practice of Community Capacity
Building
"Exploring the 'New Social Compact' Supporting
the Military Family" APA Annual Meeting in
Honolulu, Hawaii 28 July 2004
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Presenters
Gary L. Bowen, Ph.D. The University of North
Carolina at Chapel Hill James A. Martin, Ph.D.
Bryn Mawr College Jay A. Mancini, Ph.D.,
Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State
University James D. Whitworth, Major-USAF
AFMSA/SGOF Brooks City USAF, SA TX Chris Spera,
Ph.D. Caliber Associates, Fairfax, VA
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Overview

• AF Community Capacity Building Context
• AF Service Delivery Culture A Shift
• Supporting the Shift What Does it Take?
• 2003 AF Community Assessment Results
• 2003 AF Community Assessment Spin-offs
• Community Assets Inventory
• Unit Assets Inventory
• Current Status
• Questions and Comments

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The AF Context
Air Force (AF) leadership has called for the
development implementation of strategies for
strengthening families through community-based
prevention efforts. An AF Integrated Delivery
System (IDS) now supports collaboration among
base agencies and with local civilian partners
with a goal of developing local strategies to
strengthen the capacity of formal and informal
networks as mechanisms of social care. In
response, AF agencies are aligning program
standards to embrace families within the social
context in which they live and work.
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The AF Service Delivery Culture A Shift in
Approach

• Problem-Focused Approach
• People as beneficiaries/clients
• Deficiency focus (whats wrong)
• Short-term behavior
• Focus--raise bottom level of functioning
• More reactive
• Focus--providing services
• Staff as doers/providers
• Agency communication
• Focus--activities

• Community-Centered Approach
• People as assets/partners
• Opportunity focus (whats possible)
• Long-term investments
• Focus--raise all levels of functioning
• More proactive
• Focus--building connections
• Staff as enablers/partners
• Agency collaboration
• Focus--results

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The Cornerstone of a Community-Centered
ApproachConnections
Communities can become high quality places when
connections exist at multiple levels, are
frequent, and are meaningful and purposeful.
Robert Putnam
Robert Wuthnow
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The Science and Practice of Community Capacity
Building
A Theory of Change Community Capacity Model
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Assessment Data 2003 Community Assessment
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A Management Approach Results-focused Planning
What Does it Take?
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Theory of ChangeThe Community Capacity Model
Cultivating a living system of relationships that
are defined within a metaphor of the community
capacity tree.
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The Concept of Community Capacity

• Community agencies, community leaders, and
  community members
• demonstrate a sense of shared responsibility for
  the general welfare of the community and its
  members.
• evidence collective competence in taking
  advantage of opportunities that address community
  requirements and needs, meeting challenges,
  solving problems, and confronting situations that
  threaten the integrity of the community and the
  safety and well-being of its members.

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Building Sustaining a Network of Connections
Extended Family, Friends Neighbors (Informal
Networks)
Military Sector Volunteer Nonprofit
Organizations Support Groups Faith
Communities Military Unit Leaders Installation
Leaders
Civilian Sector Civic Nonprofit Organizations
Support Groups Faith Communities Employers Lo
cal Government
Family Resilience
Military Community Agencies
Public and Private Community Agencies
A QOL foundation must be provided by the
Department of Defense, Congressional, State,
and Local Leaders
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A Management ApproachResults-focused Planning

• Key Assumption
• Success is based on progress rather than
  motion.
• Peter Drucker
• Management Consultant

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Results-focused Planning

• A Seven-Step Process
• Identify and prioritize issues and challenges of
  greatest concern
• Specify desired results
• Identify key partners and allies
• Develop an action plan for each partner/ally
• Specify the role and responsibilities of the
  performance team
• Develop a monitoring and evaluation plan
• Identify and overcome implementation hurdles

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Identifying and OvercomingImplementation Hurdles
Cognitive Hurdle
Resource Hurdle
Political Hurdle
Rapid strategy reorientation
Motivational Hurdle
Rapid strategy execution
Adapted from W. Chan Kim Renee Mauborgne (2003,
April). Tipping point leadership. Harvard
Business Review, 81, 60-69.
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Functioning as Learning Organizations
Results-focused Planning
Actions Team orientation, Innovation,
Involvement, Information flow, Tolerance for
error, Results Orientation Sentiments Common
purpose, Respect, Cohesion, Trust, Compassion,
Optimism
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Assessment DataThe 2003 AF Community Assessment

• AF-Wide survey conducted every 2 - 2 1/2 years
  since 1993
• Needs assessment orientation in earlier surveys
• Significant 2003 improvements
• Measures align with Community Capacity Model
• Assets perspective
• Active/nonactive reservists were also sampled
• Web-based data collection
• Results available to IDS teams via interactive
  web-based tool

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2003 AF Community AssessmentAdministration and
Sampling

• Survey Administration (April July 2003)
• Survey to 800 AD per installation (80)
• Survey to 1000 spouses per installation
• Over 30K reservists
• Reserve spouses worldwide
• Sampling Strategy
• Random sample of approximately 67,200 Active Duty
  members, 84,000 spouses, and 30,000 reservists
• Sample stratified by rank and base Over-sampling
  of junior enlisted and spouses
• Data weighted by base, rank, and gender
• 58,169 Surveys Completed

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Data Collection

• Active Duty Web-based version (first ever
  web-based administration) of the survey was sent
  to approximately 67,200 active duty personnel
  (61 response rate)
• Spouses A hard copy of the survey, with an
  option for the Web-based survey, was sent to
  approximately 84,000 reservists (24 response
  rate)
• Reservists Web-based version of the survey was
  sent to approximately 30,000 reservists (32
  response rates)
• 64 of bases achieved higher response rates in
  2003 vs. 99/2000 (Results-focused planning)

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Sample Measures

• Community Results
• Family Adaptation
• Health Well-Being (includes psychological and
  physical well-being)
• Personnel Preparedness
• Safety
• Spiritual Well-Being
• Sense of Community
• Program Results
• Unit Leader Support
• Community Agency Support
• Informal Network Support

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Welcome To ICAART Home Page

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Community Action Planning
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ICAARTCurrent Status

• Launched in December to over 80 installations
• Available for 6 months (Until 4 June)
• Technical assistance available to base-level
  teams
• To date, 24 installations have finalized their
  Community Capacity Action Plan (CCAP) within
  ICAART

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A Few Findings from the 2003 Community Assessment

• Validity and reliability analysis supports
  strength of community capacity model measures
• Program of basic and applied research is under
  way, which supports the community capacity model

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Theory of Change Model Earlier Test
.455
.472
US1
US2
US3
US4
SC1
SC2
SC3
SC4
.452
.332
.868
.847
.781
.800
.598
.618
Sense of Community
.698
Unit Support
(.674)
.563
.269
.423
.490
.223
.441
Family Adaptation
.438
.095
Community Support
.740
(.121)
(.179)
.761
.778
.858
.869
.015
.070
-.017
-.116
CS1
CS2
CS3
-.018
.129
-.031
.073
Figure. Standardized parameter estimates for
complete sample ( N 17,161)
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Demographic Profile Active Duty2003 AF
Community Assessment
Profile Characteristic Percent (34,381
Respondents)
Gender - Male 75 - Female 25 Rank - E1 - E4 31 -
E5 - E6 36 - E7 - E9 13 - O1 - O3 12 - 04
09 Family Status - Single without Children 28 -
Single with Children 07 - Married without
Children 17 - Married with Children 48

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Community Result Indicators2003 AF Community
Assessment
DIMENSION INDICATORS Percent
Agree/ Strongly Agree
AF Quality of Life SATISFACTION Active duty
members are satisfied with the AF as a way of
life. 68 Unit Readiness DEPLOYMENT Active duty
members report that the members of their
squadron would perform well in a deployment or
crisis situation. 66 Community Readiness
PURPOSE Active duty members report that members
and families assigned to this base feel a sense
of common mission and purpose. 49

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Assets Unit Leaders Effectiveness2003 AF
Community Assessment
PERCENT AGREE/ STRONGLY AGREE
Unit Leaders
Arrange for classes and programs to address the
needs of members and families. Sponsor social
events and informal activities for members and
families. Help new members and families get
settled in the community and connected with other
members and families. Work together as a
team to support members and their families. Work
with AF support agencies, like the Family Support
Center, to address the needs of members and
families.
48 54 51 54 57

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Assets Support Agency Performance2003 AF
Community Assessment
PERCENT AGREE/ STRONGLY AGREE
Staff from Agencies
Know what other agencies have to offer and can
make referrals to another agency without
creating a run around for active duty
members. 61 Know and understand the needs of
active duty personnel. 64 Are regularly seen in
the units of active duty members. 34 Are
regularly seen at community functions. 47 Are
effective in addressing the needs of members and
families. 55

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Assets Neighbor Support2003 AF Community
Assessment
PERCENT AGREE/ STRONGLY AGREE
Neighbors
Know the names of their neighbors. 43 Sponsor
events and celebrations where residents come
together. 25 Reach out and welcome new
residents and families. 29 Look out for one
another. 43 Offer help or assistance to one
another in times of need. 45

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Community Assets InventoryDescription

• Asset indictors for active duty members and
  civilian spouses identified from the 2003 AF
  Community Assessment
• A framework for informing and monitoring the
  effects of community readiness efforts
• Core performance standards for AF communities to
  achieve

Community Assets Inventory
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Community Assets InventoryThe Framework

• The CAI AD Members
• 13 Profile characteristics
• 4 QOL outcomes
• 61 Community result assets
• Five domains
• 27 dimensions
• 48 Program result assets
• Three domains
• 13 dimensions

• The CAI Civilian Spouses
• 11 Profile characteristics
• 4 QOL outcomes
• 50 Community result assets
• Four domains
• 22 dimensions
• 45 Program result assets
• Three domains
• 12 dimensions

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Unit Assets Inventory (UAI)

• New assessment tool for use with active duty
  members
• Used to inform and monitor unit-based FSC
  initiatives
• Comparability to 2003 Community Assessment
• Same format as CAI but shorter and focused on
  social support systems
• Ease of use, scoring and interpretation
• Community building resources

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Unit Assets Inventory (UAI)The Framework

• Web based administration and scoring
• 10-15 minutes to complete
• On-line registration
• 9 Profile dimensions of cohesion and support
• 27 asset indicators
• Outstanding reliability and discriminate validity
• 7 profile characteristics
• Individual profile
• Summary group profile
• Query system

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Community Capacity BuildingCurrent Status
In life, as in the dance, grace glides on
blistered feet
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Diffusion of InnovationsStages in Adoption

• Knowledge--Become aware
• Persuasion--Purposively acquire more information
• Decision--Reach a decision about the value of the
  innovation (Go/No Go)
• Implementation--Put innovation into practice
• Adoption--Continue or not continue

Source Everett M. Rogers (1995). Diffusion of
innovations (4th ed). New York Free Press.
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Questions Comments
For additional information related to this
presentation please contact Gary Bowen at
glbowen_at_email.unc.edu