Closing the Innovation Gap in Behavioral Health: Overcoming Organizational Barrier

Community Service Board of Middle Georgia

Innovation is no longer a luxury for behavioral health organizations — it is a necessity for survival and impact. In today’s fast-changing landscape of value-based care, staffing shortages, and shifting consumer expectations, providers must respond with agility and creativity. However, despite the critical need for progress, health and human service organizations have historically lagged in adopting evidence-based practices, new technologies, and improved care models.

A well-documented concern is the 17-year lag between the development of an innovation — such as a new therapy, medication, or care model — and its widespread adoption in the field (Oss, 2025). At CSBMG, our mission is rooted in responsive, recovery-oriented care, which includes adapting to proven innovations that improve outcomes for individuals and families as well as utilizing well thought-out rapid cycle change opportunities when warranted.

Why Innovation Gets Stuck

Despite the benefits of technology-enhanced treatments such as electronic cognitive behavioral therapy (eCBT), long-acting injectable medications for mental illness and substance use disorders, and measurement-based care, these advancements are often slow to gain traction (Oss, 2025). While external barriers like reimbursement policies and regulatory constraints play a role, internal organizational culture can sometimes be just as limiting.

In a recent review of common internal barriers, Oss (2025) outlined three key forces that block innovation:

1. Power dynamics — Innovations that shift decision-making or workflow responsibilities can threaten perceived status or influence. For example, technology that enables real-time data sharing may reduce centralized administrative control or alter the role of clinical staff.
2. Status quo bias — Behavioral economics research confirms that most people resist change. Only 2.5% of individuals are considered “innovators,” while the majority remain hesitant without clear, low-risk opportunities to try something new.
3. Fear of identity change — Perhaps the most powerful resistance comes from fear that innovation will fundamentally alter the role and identity of professionals. In health care, people often define themselves by their work, so changes in workflow or treatment philosophy can be deeply unsettling (Oss, 2025).

It is important to recognize these challenges and the emotional responses that come with them. And, as a provider committed to excellence in service delivery, it is also important to understand that innovation is essential to improving outcomes and reducing disparities across our communities.

Making Innovation Stick

To overcome internal hurdles, OPEN MINDS Vice President of Clinical Excellence, Dr. Stuart Buttlaire, recommends a strategic, team-centered approach. He encourages organizations to start by assessing their culture for resistance and designing pilot programs that demonstrate value early. These pilots create space for safe experimentation, providing staff with tangible evidence that change works (Oss, 2025). Some examples of this can be seen through many, our agency’s rapid cycle change implementations utilized over the years; including opportunities related to practice management/ clinical workflows, SAMHSA NOMS data collection, front-end processes, scheduling changes, and program activities/ calendars, to name a few.

Another critical component is communication. Innovation should be framed in the context of mission and purpose, not just productivity. When team members see how new tools support recovery, empower clients, or reduce burnout, buy-in becomes more likely.

Finally, Buttlaire suggests identifying and nurturing innovation champions — team members who are willing to lead by example, assist with training, and serve as role models during organizational change.

Leading the Way Forward

For CSBMG, embracing innovation is not just about new tools — it’s about cultural transformation. Whether through technology, new service models, or expanded workforce strategies, our focus remains on better meeting the needs of the individuals we serve. We are actively building a climate where measured risk-taking is encouraged, and where innovation aligns with our mission of recovery, resilience, and wellness.

.

References

Oss, M. E. (2025, July 18). Innovation not optional. OPEN MINDS. https://www.openminds.com/market-intelligence/executive-briefings/innovation-not-optional/