Building trusting relationships in teams to support evidence use and implementation in human services: feasibility and acceptability of a training and coaching approach

BackgroundProfessionals who provide implementation support in human service systems describe relationships as being critical to support evidence use; however, developing trusting relationships are not strongly featured in implementation science literature. The aims of this study were to (a) assess t...

Full description

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Allison Metz, Todd M. Jensen, Lacy Dicharry, Amanda B. Farley
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Frontiers Media S.A. 2024-12-01
Series:Frontiers in Health Services
Subjects:
Online Access:https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frhs.2024.1353741/full
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1850246542781317120
author Allison Metz
Todd M. Jensen
Lacy Dicharry
Amanda B. Farley
author_facet Allison Metz
Todd M. Jensen
Lacy Dicharry
Amanda B. Farley
author_sort Allison Metz
collection DOAJ
description BackgroundProfessionals who provide implementation support in human service systems describe relationships as being critical to support evidence use; however, developing trusting relationships are not strongly featured in implementation science literature. The aims of this study were to (a) assess the feasibility and acceptability of a theory-driven training and coaching approach for building trusting relationships among members of an implementation team who were supporting the implementation of an evidence-informed program in a public child welfare system in the United States and (b) gauge the initial efficacy of the approach in terms of the development of trusting relationships and subsequent implementation outcomes.MethodsConsistent with a convergent mixed-methods approach, we collected both quantitative and qualitative data to address our research questions. Quantitative methods included an adapted version of the Trusting Relationship Questionnaire, a seven-item measure of psychological safety, and items designed to measure acceptability of the training. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with participants.ResultsSixteen individuals participated in the program, consisting of a kick-off training event, five monthly training modules, and five monthly coaching sessions with implementation team leads. Session attendance rates and self-reported satisfaction highlight the general feasibility and acceptability of the training and coaching approach. On average, participants also reported significant increases over time in their perceptions that they were trusted by their team. Results from in-depth interviews further indicated the efficacy of the program in terms of cultivating trust among team members and promoting several elements that were theorized to link trusting relationships to implementation outcomes.DiscussionFindings suggest the training and coaching approach for trust building was acceptable and feasible. Additionally, results indicate the value of the approach in building trust among implementation partners to increase commitment to implementation efforts, promote a culture of learning and psychological safety, and increase participants' sense of capability and motivation for supporting implementation.
format Article
id doaj-art-d547dae7d4bd43c283ac5e97767ce025
institution OA Journals
issn 2813-0146
language English
publishDate 2024-12-01
publisher Frontiers Media S.A.
record_format Article
series Frontiers in Health Services
spelling doaj-art-d547dae7d4bd43c283ac5e97767ce0252025-08-20T01:59:09ZengFrontiers Media S.A.Frontiers in Health Services2813-01462024-12-01410.3389/frhs.2024.13537411353741Building trusting relationships in teams to support evidence use and implementation in human services: feasibility and acceptability of a training and coaching approachAllison Metz0Todd M. Jensen1Lacy Dicharry2Amanda B. Farley3School of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesSchool of Education, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesCollege of Human Sciences and Education, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA, United StatesSchool of Social Work, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, United StatesBackgroundProfessionals who provide implementation support in human service systems describe relationships as being critical to support evidence use; however, developing trusting relationships are not strongly featured in implementation science literature. The aims of this study were to (a) assess the feasibility and acceptability of a theory-driven training and coaching approach for building trusting relationships among members of an implementation team who were supporting the implementation of an evidence-informed program in a public child welfare system in the United States and (b) gauge the initial efficacy of the approach in terms of the development of trusting relationships and subsequent implementation outcomes.MethodsConsistent with a convergent mixed-methods approach, we collected both quantitative and qualitative data to address our research questions. Quantitative methods included an adapted version of the Trusting Relationship Questionnaire, a seven-item measure of psychological safety, and items designed to measure acceptability of the training. Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews with participants.ResultsSixteen individuals participated in the program, consisting of a kick-off training event, five monthly training modules, and five monthly coaching sessions with implementation team leads. Session attendance rates and self-reported satisfaction highlight the general feasibility and acceptability of the training and coaching approach. On average, participants also reported significant increases over time in their perceptions that they were trusted by their team. Results from in-depth interviews further indicated the efficacy of the program in terms of cultivating trust among team members and promoting several elements that were theorized to link trusting relationships to implementation outcomes.DiscussionFindings suggest the training and coaching approach for trust building was acceptable and feasible. Additionally, results indicate the value of the approach in building trust among implementation partners to increase commitment to implementation efforts, promote a culture of learning and psychological safety, and increase participants' sense of capability and motivation for supporting implementation.https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frhs.2024.1353741/fullevidence useimplementation practiceimplementation scienceimplementation supporttrusting relationships
spellingShingle Allison Metz
Todd M. Jensen
Lacy Dicharry
Amanda B. Farley
Building trusting relationships in teams to support evidence use and implementation in human services: feasibility and acceptability of a training and coaching approach
Frontiers in Health Services
evidence use
implementation practice
implementation science
implementation support
trusting relationships
title Building trusting relationships in teams to support evidence use and implementation in human services: feasibility and acceptability of a training and coaching approach
title_full Building trusting relationships in teams to support evidence use and implementation in human services: feasibility and acceptability of a training and coaching approach
title_fullStr Building trusting relationships in teams to support evidence use and implementation in human services: feasibility and acceptability of a training and coaching approach
title_full_unstemmed Building trusting relationships in teams to support evidence use and implementation in human services: feasibility and acceptability of a training and coaching approach
title_short Building trusting relationships in teams to support evidence use and implementation in human services: feasibility and acceptability of a training and coaching approach
title_sort building trusting relationships in teams to support evidence use and implementation in human services feasibility and acceptability of a training and coaching approach
topic evidence use
implementation practice
implementation science
implementation support
trusting relationships
url https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/frhs.2024.1353741/full
work_keys_str_mv AT allisonmetz buildingtrustingrelationshipsinteamstosupportevidenceuseandimplementationinhumanservicesfeasibilityandacceptabilityofatrainingandcoachingapproach
AT toddmjensen buildingtrustingrelationshipsinteamstosupportevidenceuseandimplementationinhumanservicesfeasibilityandacceptabilityofatrainingandcoachingapproach
AT lacydicharry buildingtrustingrelationshipsinteamstosupportevidenceuseandimplementationinhumanservicesfeasibilityandacceptabilityofatrainingandcoachingapproach
AT amandabfarley buildingtrustingrelationshipsinteamstosupportevidenceuseandimplementationinhumanservicesfeasibilityandacceptabilityofatrainingandcoachingapproach