
Introduction
Research Questions
- Are there TANF offices that have made conscious attempts at organizational culture change and how have they approached that process? How have agencies and offices evaluated the effects of these changes?
- What are exemplars of productive client-oriented office settings and organizational processes and culture?
- What is the day-to-day influence of the various agencies’ organizational culture on clients and frontline workers?
Established in 1996 by the passage of the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity Reconciliation Act (PRWORA), the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) program is designed to help needy families achieve self-sufficiency by providing cash assistance and by promoting job preparation, work, marriage, and the formation and maintenance of two-parent families. States, territories, and tribes receive block grants from the federal government to design and operate TANF cash assistance programs in addition to funding other services that promote these goals. Given TANF’s flexibility, states, territories, and tribes vary in how they implement their TANF cash assistance programs locally. In addition to local policies and procedures, the organizational culture of local TANF offices might also affect how TANF policies are implemented and how staff and clients experience the program.
Aside from some studies immediately following the passage of PRWORA, little research has focused on how TANF and other human services agencies promote or change their organizational cultures to support positive experiences for clients and staff. This study defines organizational culture based on concepts from the literature as a durable set of behavioral expectations or norms that guides individuals’ actions within an organization and affects how individuals outside the organization interact with the organization.
To address this gap, the Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation in the Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services contracted MEF Associates to examine the organizational culture of TANF offices. Summarizing findings from the Promoting a Positive Organizational Culture in TANF Offices: Final Report (PDF), this brief highlights how six TANF programs around the country pursued organizational change and sought to promote and sustain a positive organizational culture.
Purpose
This brief highlights key findings from the TANF Office Culture Study’s Promoting a Positive Organizational Culture in TANF Offices: Final Report (PDF). The findings in this brief provide concrete examples for human services practitioners and policymakers interested in improving service delivery.
Key Findings and Highlights
We examined how six TANF programs approached organizational change as well as the ways they sought to promote and sustain a positive organizational culture. This brief documents examples from across the six programs of organizational culture change initiative strategies; practices to promote and sustain a positive organizational culture; and challenges that staff and clients experienced. Overall, we identified several approaches for TANF programs interested in promoting a positive organizational culture to consider:
- Set and Communicate Goals Effectively
- Design Client-Oriented Spaces
- Center the Client in Procedures, Processes, and Services
- Invest in Professional Development
- Prioritize Staff Voice and Wellbeing
- Monitor Organizational Change
Methods
We began the project by conducting a foundational literature review and holding discussions with experts in the fields of organizational culture change and TANF program innovation. This approach informed the selection of six TANF programs for inclusion in the study that made conscious attempts at organizational change and sought to promote and sustain a positive organizational culture. Fieldwork with those programs included interviews with program staff and leadership, client focus groups, observation of client and staff activities, and observations of the physical space. The sites for the six TANF programs included in the study are:
- Fairfax County’s Department of Family Services (Virginia),
- Mesa County’s Workforce Center (Colorado),
- New York City’s Human Resources Administration (New York),
- Owens Valley Career Development Center’s Tribal TANF Program (California),
- Santa Cruz County’s Human Services Department (California), and
- Utah Department of Workforce Services.
Citation
Webster, Riley. 2022. Approaches for Promoting a Positive Organizational Culture in TANF Offices. OPRE Report 2022-125, Washington, DC: Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.