Abstract
BackgroundEmployees’ perceptions of organizational climate for implementation of new methods are important in assessing and planning for implementation efforts. More specifically, feedback from employees’ points to which implementation strategies to select, adopt, and tailor in building positive climate for implementation of new evidence-based practices within the organization. Implementation climate can be measured with the Implementation Climate Scale (ICS). The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of the Norwegian version of the ICS in outpatient mental health clinics.MethodsThe ICS was administered to 383 clinicians within 47 different child and adult mental health clinics across the country. We conducted confirmatory factor analysis to assess the psychometric functioning of the ICS. Cronbach’s alpha was examined to assess internal consistency. We also examined criterion related validity of the scale by comparing it with an alternative measure of implementation climate (concurrent validity) and by examining correlations with clinicians’ intentions to use evidence-based practices.ResultsResults supported the 6-factor structure and the internal consistency reliability of the ICS. One exception was poor functioning of the Reward scale. Concurrent validity was stronger at the group than at the individual level, and assessment of associations with clinicians’ intentions to use evidence- based practices showed positive correlations.ConclusionsThe Norwegian version of the ICS is a promising tool for assessing implementation climate which can provide organizations with specific feedback concerning which aspects of the implementation climate to attend to. Due to poor functioning of the Reward scale, adaptations and further testing of this is recommended.
Highlights
Employees’ perceptions of organizational climate for implementation of new methods are important in assessing and planning for implementation efforts
We examined criterion related validity of the scale by comparing it with an alternative measure of implementation climate and by examining correlations with clinicians’ intentions to use evidence-based practices
Concurrent validity was stronger at the group than at the individual level, and assess‐ ment of associations with clinicians’ intentions to use evidence- based practices showed positive correlations
Summary
Employees’ perceptions of organizational climate for implementation of new methods are important in assessing and planning for implementation efforts. Building on the original definition of implementation climate [8], Ehrhart, Aarons [9] sought to further break down climate dimensions They defined EBP implementation climate as “employees’ shared perceptions of the importance of EBP implementation within the organization”. As research shows that leaders play an important role in creating a strategic implementation climate [4, 10, 11] They sought to capture how employees perceive what leaders communicate as valued within the organization through their actions, policies, practices and processes [12]. Aarons [9] developed the Implementation Climate Scale (ICS) to better understand and make use of feedback about specific behaviors and strategies within an organization, setting the stage for implementation efforts in mental health services. The ICS covers six dimensions: 1) how teams/organizations focus on EBPs, 2) whether organizations provide educational support for EBPs, 3) if employees receive recognition for using EBPs, 4) are the employees rewarded for using EBPs, 5) is the staff selected based on experience with EBPs, and 6) is the selection of staff based on their general openness to adopt new EBPs
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