A review of Organizational Behavior Management Approaches for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities

Luiselli, J. K., Gardner, R. M., Bird, F. L., & Maguire, H. (2022). Organizational Behavior Management Approaches for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. Routledge

Reviewed by Kristin Foley, MEd, BCBA and Videsha Marya, PhD, BCBA-D

Endicott College

A review of the book Organizational Behavior Management Approaches for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Organizational Behavior Management (OBM) is a subfield of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) focused on improving employee outcomes within occupational settings. One area that can greatly benefit from current and effective OBM practices is service delivery for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). It is with this in mind that James Luiselli, Rita Gardner, Frank Bird, and Helena Maguire authored Organizational Behavior Management Approaches for Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities. This book is a valuable resource for practitioners and organizational leaders that can help improve services for individuals with IDD. The breadth and depth of the content in this book have been carefully and thoughtfully curated by the editors to provide a summary of the extant literature, offer research-based recommendations, and cover operational strategies required for building successful service contexts. Although it is beyond the scope of this review to summarize the entire book, we provide a brief overview of its content.

The book features five sections, spread across a total of 15 chapters, that have been authored by expert practitioners, academicians, and researchers. Part I introduces the framework for OBM in the context of services for individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities. This framework consists of the elements of assessment and evaluation, training, supervision and performance improvement, systems interventions, and organizational management. Woven throughout this introductory chapter, the authors discuss the importance of diversity and multiculturalism as well as ethical practices as the foundation of this framework.

Part II reviews the assessment and evaluation of performance within service organizations in detail across three key measures: utilizing Performance Diagnostic Assessments (PDA), employee preferences for incentives, and social validity assessments. Creating successful service delivery settings requires a thorough assessment of obstacles and barriers to – as well as the identification of critical skills and competencies required for – the delivery of quality interventions. One assessment tool shared in this section is the Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Human Services (Wilder et al., 2020). Overall, this section lays the groundwork for a behavioral framework applied to employees and staff and integrates the information into performance management applications. The authors of these three chapters answer the call for behavior analysts to apply the science across contexts, starting with the people responsible for the intervention, while considering and including social validity, along with data on staff performance and preferences.

In Part III, the authors delve into important considerations surrounding training and supervision and provide useful strategies for improving performance. The four chapters in this section range from specific interventions (e.g., Behavior Skills Training) to many performance management approaches. These include both antecedent and consequence interventions that have meaningful applications to both practice and research contexts. Among the many useful suggestions within this book, the recommended steps to implement self-monitoring as a performance management tool are very practical and relevant. Regarding supervision and training, the authors offer nine practice guidelines covering topics including skill maintenance and generalization, assessment tools, and ways to identify effective training methods.

Part IV introduces the topic of large-scale systems interventions, including the analysis of both the utility and limitations of these systems. The strength of employee incentive-based systems is dependent on the quality, schedule, delay, and magnitude of the incentives, and the authors’ practice recommendations highlight how to develop these systems in meaningful ways. Safety and injury prevention strategies include both antecedent and consequence interventions to ensure safety concerns are discussed as well as what to do when an injury occurs. A behavioral framework is suggested for addressing the common problem of employee turnover. This chapter focuses on why turnover rates may be high and how to tailor interventions to those precise reasons, and the authors provide practical tips for implementing those interventions. The final chapter in this section focuses on challenges associated with the implementation of restrictive procedures to ensure the safety of persons with IDD and employees. It includes recommendations for human service organizations about establishing systems to create and support safe practices.

The final section of the text focuses on organizational development across stakeholders including the direct care recipients. In this section, the authors focus on building a culturally and diversity-sensitive workforce, touching on important topics such as ethnic inequality and microaggressions and then highlighting the importance of a diversity-sensitive workplace. Again, the authors provide a behavioral framework to create this workplace, including methods for organizational assessment, goal setting, and training. The next chapter focuses on organizational ethics and includes meaningful strategies to promote an ethical climate in the workplace. The book concludes with a chapter on advancing OBM in both practice and research. Some of the suggestions to assist organizations in expanding the systems and processes in their settings include developing writing groups, forming internal and external peer review boards, and engaging in strategic planning. In this way, the authors offer a road map for organizations wishing to move into these areas and provide specific recommendations for ways to move individuals and organizations toward these outcomes.

Overall, this book brings the reader in contact with useful strategies that align with the core features of applied behavior analysis, applying them to organizational planning and operations. There is an emphasis throughout the book on the importance of socially valid interventions and the inclusion of cultural diversity and multiculturalism across all of what we do. Additionally, there is a consistent focus on the ethical considerations involved in service provision, training and supervision, and organizational management. Our core principles call for behavior analysts to (a) benefit others, (b) treat others with compassion, dignity, and respect, (c) behave with integrity, and (d) ensure competence. This book demonstrates how these values can be enacted into every aspect of organizational structure and practice. This continuous thread on humane and compassionate care, along with the focus on the use of effective and evidence-based strategies across all layers of the organization, makes for a highly important and relevant clinical guide. It also serves as a model for how behavior analysts can fulfill these obligations, not just as individual practitioners, but as members of teams, as supervisors and trainers, and as administrative leaders.

References:

Wilder, D. A., Cymbal, D., & Villacorta, J. (2020). The Performance Diagnostic Checklist-Human Services: A brief review. Journal of Applied Behavior Science, 53(2), 1170-1176. https://doi.org/10.1002/jaba.676

Citation for this article:

Foley, K., & Marya, V. (2024). Book Review: Organizational Behavior Management approaches for intellectual and developmental disabilities. Science in Autism Treatment, 21(6).

Select Reviews

Related Clinical Corner Articles:

Other Related Articles:

#BehaviorAnalysts #EarlyCareerAndStudents #Faculty #TrainingAndSupervision