Are All Consumer-Operated Programs Empowering Self-Help Agencies?

Area of Science:

• Social Psychology
• Organizational Behavior
• Community Health

Background:

• Consumer-operated service programs (COSPs) exhibit diverse organizational structures and leadership styles.
• Two primary models identified are self-help agency (SHA)-participant democracy and board-staff-run COSPs.
• Understanding the impact of leadership on member empowerment is crucial for program effectiveness.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate whether members recognize the distinct leadership characteristics of SHA-participant democracy and board-staff-run COSPs.
• To determine the association between these leadership styles and the degree of member empowerment.
• To compare the effectiveness of different COSP leadership models in fostering member empowerment.

Main Methods:

• A quantitative study involving 250 new entrants across five COSP drop-in centers.
• Participants rated program leadership style using the COPES System Maintenance Scale.
• Member empowerment was assessed using four distinct empowerment measures.
• Statistical analyses included ANOVA with Bonferroni post-hoc tests and MANCOVA.

Main Results:

• Significant differences in COSP system maintenance were found between the two organizational types (p < .000).
• Members in SHA-participant democracy programs reported significantly higher empowerment on three of four measures compared to board-staff-run programs.
• SHA-participant democracies, characterized by less system maintenance focus and more power sharing, demonstrated superior member empowerment.

Conclusions:

• SHA-participant democracy leadership models are more effective in empowering members within COSPs.
• Emphasis on power sharing and reduced focus on system maintenance are key factors in enhancing member empowerment.
• Organizational decision-making processes in SHA-participant democracies are better utilized for member empowerment.