Assessing the potential of change in institutions

The present article discusses the importance of evaluating the strengths and weaknesses of key institutional personnel prior to attempting program innovations. The importance of such individuals in "making" or "breaking" effective programs is emphasized, and various key hospital staff members are described. A simple evaluation process is discussed with the purpose of better anticipating problem areas in program development. It was concluded that in some cases, project implementations should not be attempted when assessed personnel problems appear capable of seriously limiting the effectiveness of a program.