A Naturalistic Study of MST Dissemination in 13 Ohio Communities

The diffusion of evidence-based practices (EBPs) to child-serving human service organizations often occurs within the context of a comprehensive system-of-care in which a coordinated network of service providers collaborate to meet the needs of children and adolescents with serious behavioral and emotional disturbances. To the extent that inter-organizational networks influence the choices of organizational decision makers, it is necessary to understand interactions among participating organizations within the system when studying diffusion processes associated with EBP adoption and implementation. The present study analyzes decision making about the adoption and implementation of an EBP within the ecological context of system-of-care collaboration. Findings suggest that several factors impact the adoption decision, including system-of-care infrastructure planning and development activities before the decision process, the perception of adequate start-up and ongoing implementation resources among key players in the system-of-care, the range of motivations to participate in collaborative decision making, and the presence of entrepreneurial leadership.