Ray Dart Peterborough Apr 3, 2006 19:28 pm

I am looking for both ideas and references in the area of logic models and/or change models, particularly as they apply to sustainability initiatives. I have been exploring the area of effectiveness, but less from the perspective of the multiple dimensions by which we decide something is more or less effective and more from a broader conceptual sense of how human service organizations structure effective work. Mostly, from both my experience and research, I would say that the actual model of engagement or action used in environmental nonprofits is a habitual one, based on institutional norms (coercive or mimetic) in their field of activity. Few explicitly consider how their programs or activities or strategies are actually intended to accomplish change, and fewer do this in a thorough and/or research based manner. At this stage, I am attempting to rough out this broad field, and am looking for things such as case studies (of orgs which use or consider explicit change models, or have an explicit logic for how their offerings are intended to work), typologies (eg what are the kinds of engagements or interventions in use in human service organizations awareness, education, skill training, social influence, attitudinal change, positive or negative inducements, social marketing, legal coercion etc etc.) which consider the relationships between the means used and the ends desired. Do we have a painters palette of program approaches or strategic possibilities to consider and to understand particular activities as examples of?

If you feel your contribution to this query would be of interest to this list, by all means share your thoughts. Otherwise, if you could email me specifically, I would appreciate it.

Many thanks.
Ray

Dr. Raymond Dart
Associate Professor, Business Administration
Trent University Peterborough, CANADA
on Sabbatical at Waikato Management School University of Waikato
Hamilton, New Zealand
ext. 6409