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Building Organizational Knowledge and Value: Informed Decision Making in Kansas Children’s Community-Based Mental Health Services

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Abstract

Knowledge is managers’ principal asset and knowledge building is managers’ primary work. This qualitative study explores knowledge building by directors of children’s community-based mental health services in Kansas. Of the state’s 27 directors, 25 completed a survey about knowledge building, in their preference of online or telephone format. Fourteen participants took part either in preliminary interviews for study development, or in follow-up interviews for further detail and member checking. Study findings indicate that with requisite resources, directors inform their decision making with streams of information, which they manage and generate to build organizational knowledge and value for local practice effectiveness.

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Acknowledgments

This study was funded through a contract with the Kansas Department of Social and Rehabilitation Services and prepared under grant No. 0704-HCP-0605-030. The authors appreciate the participation of Kansas CBS directors whose responses made this project possible. A related poster was presented at the February 2009 Conference of the Research and Training Center for Children’s Mental Health, Tampa, Florida. Approval for implementation of this project was granted by the Human Subject’s Committee Lawrence Campus, University of Kansas Institutional Review Board.

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Correspondence to Karen Flint Stipp.

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Stipp, K.F., Kapp, S.A. Building Organizational Knowledge and Value: Informed Decision Making in Kansas Children’s Community-Based Mental Health Services. Community Ment Health J 48, 1–11 (2012). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-010-9334-0

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-010-9334-0

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