Staff as Change Agents : Mental Health Reform Strategy in South Australia

Over the past two decades there has been significant review and reform of mental health services in Australia. The state of South Australia had struggled to reform its mental health services and in 2000 substantial recommendations were made to transform the services. As part of this reform process a strategy was developed to utilise staff as change agents in the mental mental health system in South Australia. The aim of ths strategy was to utilise staff from across the system to lead and galvanise change and reform at all levels in the system. This book explores the literature regarding change in organisations and analyses this change strategy of using staff as change agents in the context of the literature. A model for utilising stff to influence and effect change in a significant way is proposed.