A survey of employee perceptions of the District of Columbia's Department of Human Services (DHS), Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Administration's (MRDDA) organizational effectiveness

This research explored employee perceptions of characteristics of organizational effectiveness at the District of Columbia Department of Human Services. Mental Retardation and Developmental Disabilities Administration (MRDDA). Hal Rainey and Paul Steinbauer's theory of effective government organizations guided this research The theory identifies 11 characteristics of effective government organizations. A questionnaire was administered to MRDDA employees to obtain their perceptions of the organization reflecting the Rainey and Steinbauer effectiveness index.; A total of 172 employees were invited to complete questionnaires. One-hundred fifteen employees completed the questionnaire. This represented an overall response rate of 67% among those surveyed. The findings indicated that 52% of those surveyed had a clear understanding of MRDDA's mission and its impact on them. Thirty-six percent of the respondents acknowledged having an accurate and current copy of their job description. Just under half the employees surveyed (43%) have policies and procedures to guide their work. This was the first survey administered to capture employee perceptions.; Employee responses were examined and then empirically derived and compared with Rainey and Steinbauer's effectiveness index. The data revealed low threshholds of leadership, mission valence, utilization of technology, professionalism, task motivation and a weak organizational culture. Moderate levels of task design, mission motivation, and motivation were present within the organization.; The results indicated high levels of public service motivation among employees. The results of these employee surveys suggest that MRDDA needs to reorganize it management structure, perform an internal and external analysis of its resources, and examine whether employees understand MRDDA's performance measures. This is critical in assessing the congruency between employee's perception's of their role and the organization's goals. Furthermore, this will facilitate strategic goal planning for organizational effectiveness outcomes and better monitoring and evaluation of performance by employees, MRDDA units, and programs.