NIATx Change Leader Academy Teaches Tools For Change

Jason Varga, Projects Coordinator at Human Services Federation in Nebraska, attended a NIATx Change Leader Academy in April 2013.

“What impressed me most about the two-day session in Madison was that I could use what I learned as soon as I got back to the office,” says Varga. “A lot of training sessions deliver great information but not the practical steps you need to take to actually make change happen.”

One tool that the two-day session teaches is the Nominal Group Technique (NGT): a team-based decision-making process that can be used to identify problems in a process, clarify a change project aim, or brainstorm and prioritize potential solutions to test.

“The two-day workshop really gave me clarity on how to use the NGT with my team,” says Jason. “It made selecting an aim for our change project a very well-defined and easy process.”

HSF provides education and networking to 130 non-profit agency members that offer community services in Lincoln, Nebraska. The agency member services range from delivering basic needs such as food and shelter to protective and supportive services to recreation, the environment, arts, lifelong learning, and caring and spiritual needs.

The success of earlier projects has led to additional funding for HSF to expand the NIATx model throughout the community. “By the end of this year, we will offer mentoring on how to conduct NIATx change projects to HSF members,” says Varga. “I’m very excited about testing the model in the many human services areas they represent.”  Varga will work with two other NIATx-certified change leaders and NIATx coach David Prescott to launch this service.

Interested in learning how you can implement NIATx in your human services agency? NIATx is offering another Change Leader Academy in Madison, WI, November 5-6.  Register today!