Building a systems framework to facilitate adaptive organizational change in state fish and wildlife agencies

Item Metadata

Dublin Core

Title

Building a systems framework to facilitate adaptive organizational change in state fish and wildlife agencies

Description

State fish and wildlife agencies in the United States are confronted with the realities of a rapidly changing society. With declines in historical sources of revenue and the growth of diverse voices with values that differ from those emphasized by traditional policies and user groups, agencies are faced with diminishing relevancy and are encountering institutional challenges that inhibit their ability to serve the broader public. Here, in collaboration with a group of fish and wildlife agency leaders from 11 states, conservation professionals, and academics, we employ qualitative methods and concepts from systems theory to develop an integrative model of a state wildlife agency. We use this model to identify leverage points to induce transformational change toward an ideal future state: one driven by a system of shared values toward wildlife and a mission to improve quality of life for all people. Our findings point to the importance of developing interventions that will lead to changes in agency culture, systems of governance, and policy and action, and enhance the accessibility of natural resources and opportunities for diverse publics to engage with and benefit from fish and wildlife. We offer recommendations for state wildlife agencies to engage in adaptive organizational change and for university programs to support agency needs.

Bibliographic Citation

Creator

Berl, Richard E. W.
Manfredo, Michael J.
Gasta, Mark
Smith, Dean
Sullivan, Leeann
Jacobson, Cynthia A.
Bishop, Chad
Camuso, Judy
Eason, Thomas
Hayes, John P.
Jacobson, Rick
Melcher, Curt
Newmark, Jennifer
Novotny, Pete
Parker Pauley, Sara
Smith, Carter
Sparks, Catherine
Stoner, Kathryn
Strong, J.D.
Ver Steeg, Jeff

Subject

Cultural change
Human dimensions
Natural resource management
Organizational change
Organizational culture
Social change
State fish and wildlife agencies
Systems change
Systems theory

Extent

15 pages

Date Created

2021-12-03

Type

Article

Format

application/pdf

Language

English

Is Part Of

Conservation Science and Practice

Collection

Citation

Berl, Richard E. W. et al., “Building a systems framework to facilitate adaptive organizational change in state fish and wildlife agencies,” CPW Digital Collections, accessed April 24, 2024, https://cpw.cvlcollections.org/items/show/323.