Findings from a Comparative Study of Local Public Health Organizational Networks

The study is a comparative organizational network analysis (ONA) using data collected from a national sample of 10 local public health organizations. ONA empirically models local public health agencies as interlocking networks of people, tasks, knowledge and resources. The goal of this research is to answer the question: Are there common organizational network characteristics occurring in a range of local public health agencies? We expect to differentiate generalizable network structures from the sample through network measurement and non-parametric statistical techniques for exploring differences between groups. Network measures including density, complexity, centralization, clustering, critical path length show the degree of integration within each sample site. Block models, which compare the communication density of a health organization's divisions, will gauge the presence of informational silos and the degree of silo-ed communication across the sample sites. Data stratified by employee age, experience, or title will show the effect of staff turnover or retirement. This study will determine if patterns in network structure occur across health departments regardless of the unique local decisions. This research sheds light on factors that give rise to variation in local public health. Although each agency may have a unique configuration they share core programs and have similar needs for interaction within units. This research establishes baseline network parameters to allow a comparative basis for local management decisions on communication, integration and resource allocation. Identification of consistent organizational network features has the potential to allow local health agencies to optimize common elements across systems and support national standardization efforts.