Indicators of success: academic research partnerships to implement performance indicator systems in Clubhouses

This article describes a collaboration between academic researchers and Clubhouses to develop and implement a statewide Clubhouse performance indicator system.

Given the challenging funding climate, it is important that Clubhouses are able to gather service provision and performance data. However, establishing the necessary data structures can be a daunting task, and partnerships with academic researchers can aid in this process. We detail one such collaboration, utilizing a participatory research public-academic liaison framework, between researchers and Hawai'i's Clubhouses.

Sources used include published literature, personal communication, and personal observation.

Lessons learned during the collaboration include the importance of face-to-face contact, technology training, duplicated and unduplicated variables, and tailoring data structures to the culture and work-ordered day of each Clubhouse. Experiences in this collaboration confirm that with support Clubhouse members are capable of fulfilling the rigorous responsibilities of contributing to a performance indicator system.