Myth busters #5, Part 2: There's no right way to make promotion decisions

April 25, 2017

Thomas F. Hilton, PhD

In Myth busters #5, Part 1, guest blogger Tom Hilton talked about the importance of leadership competencies in improving organizational performance. Part 2 continues the discussion: 

Why do leadership competencies matter? 

Researcher and Harvard psychology professor David McClelland found that as you move to higher and higher levels of responsibility, leadership ability begins to overshadow technical skill. Of course, in the health field, many supervisory positions in clinics require educational credentials, licensure, and technical skills. However, if people cannot also lead, they will make ineffective bosses regardless of their professional accomplishments. Bill Gates might be a technological wizard, but Microsoft would never have become the corporate giant it is today without his ability to energize, inspire, and animate a rapidly growing workforce. 

How do you stop the downward spiral due to bad leadership? The answer depends. Surely replacing the person in charge can be a solution—when it is feasible. That is not always the case. Another strategy is for directors to diffuse leadership responsibilities by creating self-managed teams (SMTs) where workgroups report to the boss as a group—no supervisor. SMTs usually reinfuse empowerment among team members and begin to turn things around. Creating SMTs usually requires an outside consultant to coach the change. 

Alcohol in the Dairy State: Can Wisconsin Change its Drinking Culture?

April 10, 2017

Maureen Fitzgerald
Communications Coordinator, ATTC Network Coordinating Office
Editor, NIATx

Wisconsin gets a lot of attention for its alcohol culture. And during April, Alcohol Awareness Month, it’s hard not to be reminded of the news and statistics about alcohol use in the Dairy State—especially if it’s your home state.  (The NIATx main office and the ATTC Network Coordinating Office are both located at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.)

For example, last year, Wisconsin made national headlines as the location of 12 (yes, 12!) of the “drunkest” cities in the United States. The online news outlet 24/7 Wall St. published the report, which was based on a review of self-reported data on heavy and binge drinking rates across the country.

Julia Sherman, Coordinator of the Wisconsin Alcohol Policy Project  (WAPP) at the University of Wisconsin Law School, says the report is misleading, but acknowledges Wisconsin has a serious alcohol problem. “The writers at 24/7 Wall Street used aggregated county-wide data and made a judgement about individual municipalities. Interesting story but flawed analysis,”  says Sherman.

Still, there’s no doubt that Wisconsin has a serious problem with over consumption of alcohol:

• A 2012 National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) report estimated Wisconsin’s rate of impaired driving at 24 percent—almost twice the national average of 13 percent. [1]
• In 2014, Wisconsin had the nation’s third-highest rate of adult binge drinking.[2] (That’s an improvement from previous years when the state ranked highest in that category.)
• Each year, Wisconsin residents (age 18 or older) consume 143 more servings of alcohol than the average American. [3]

Myth buster #5, Part 1: There's no right way to make promotion decisions

March 21, 2017

Thomas F. Hilton, Ph.D.

Although this topic might seem to be aimed at clinic directors and their oversight boards, there is also useful information for counselors and other clinic staff members. The more you understand about leadership, the more everybody in the organization can contribute to a better workplace climate and a more therapeutically effective enterprise. 

Promoting the wrong person can have dire consequences for both staff members and clients. There is a mountain of research showing that poor leadership leads to staff turnover, lowers morale, and erodes job performance. As each staff member quits in order to escape a negative work climate, the remaining workforce is increasingly drained of experience and corporate knowledge (how we do things around here). Because remaining staff need to orient, train, and supervise new hires, they are distracted from their primary roles as therapists, receptionists, etc. The increased patient load on remaining staff can eventually lead them to burn out and leave the clinic as well. Role overload coupled with a decline in staff experience will eventually impact treatment effectiveness and recovery rates. Unless the downward spiral is reversed, the very survival of the clinic is threatened. 

Introducing The BASIS: Your Portal to Addiction Science and Resources

March 14, 2017

Heather Gray, Ph.D.
Senior Editor, The BASISAssociate Director of Academic Affairs, Division on Addiction

Do you struggle to keep up with the latest addiction research? Do you spend too much time search for trusted, evidence-based addiction resources? If so, The BASIS (Brief Addiction Science Information Source) is for you!

The BASIS is a product of the Division on Addiction at Cambridge Health Alliance, a Harvard Medical School teaching hospital. Each week, Division on Addiction faculty members select a recent scientific article related to drinking, smoking, other drug use, or gambling, and summarize its key details: What was the purpose? What did the authors do, and what did they find? What are the implications for treatment and public health? Our science reviews are brief, engaging, and designed to appeal to a general audience. Subscribe to our mailing list to get each science review delivered straight to your inbox. It's a quick and easy way to keep on top of emerging scientific literature.

Take the quiz: How much do you know about problem gambling?

March 1, 2017
Maureen Fitzgerald
Communications Coordinator, ATTC Network Coordinating Office
Editor, NIATx

The National Council on Problem Gambling (NCPG) sponsors Problem Gambling Awareness Month each March to increase awareness of problem gambling and of the availability of prevention, treatment and recovery services.

What kind of people become problem gamblers? 

According to the NCPG FAQ page, "Anyone who gambles can develop problems if they are not aware of the risks and do not gamble responsibly. When gambling behavior interferes with finances, relationships, and the workplace, a serious problem already exists. "