Leadership Qualities in Successful Systems of Care

Effective leadership is critical to the success of any organization. It sets the tone for the organization and often drives the definition of priorities and goal setting. A system of care, recognized as a collaborative of organizations, creates a complex network of structures, processes, and relationships in which leaders must operate. The concept of systems of care was originally defined as “a comprehensive spectrum of mental health and other necessary services which are organized into a coordinated network to meet the multiple and changing needs of severely emotionally disturbed [SED] children and adolescents” (Stroul & Friedman, 1986, p. 3). These systems contain, as an essential component, a coordinated network that necessitates the collaboration of various child serving agencies including child welfare, mental health, juvenile justice, and education. Although these agencies often serve the same population of children and families, traditionally they develop independently of one another and offer their own unique leadership structures. The involvement of multiple agencies, often with conflicting mandates, creates a particular leadership challenge in efforts to guide the system toward common goals. Within a traditional organization, leadership is defined by rank and power (Drucker, 1995), and leaders have the arduous task of guiding the organization toward the accomplishment of common goals. More contemporary conceptualizations define leadership as “the process of inspiring, influencing, and guiding others to participate in a common effort” (Kreitner, 2007, p. 444). This definition does not place emphasis on leading by power or coercion, but on guiding people down a path toward a common goal. Well-functioning service systems for children and families have been found to have leaders that show inspiration and direction (Hodges, Hernandez, Nesman, & Lipien, 2002). Agency staff and stakeholders within these systems often characterize leadership as strong and empowering. Although authority is clearly defined, leaders within these systems often encourage staff at all levels to solve problems and make decisions. These characteristics are reflective of a “transformational leader,” described as one who communicates a vision, has respect and trust within the organization, is inspirational, and encourages others’ personal growth and problem solving abilities (Bass, 1990; Kreitner, 2007). This issue brief will present system of care leadership as defined by stakeholders in four established systems. When asked to identify factors critical to system of care implementation, leadership was included by all systems that have participated in Case Studies of System Implementation. Findings from this study indicate that leaders in successful systems of care have many of the characteristics of transformational leaders. The brief will describe lessons learned about leadership from these communities, and will provide strategies for successful leadership within a system of care. Communities participating in Case Studies of System Implementation include the following systems of care: Placer County, CA (PC); Region 3 Behavioral Health Services, NE (R3); the State of Hawaii (HI); and Santa Cruz County, CA (SC).