Behavior Analytic Concepts and Change in a Large Metropolitan Research University: The Graduation Success Initiative
Map every support you will need, build them first, then launch the big change.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Robertson et al. (2016) wrote a how-to guide for big university projects.
They said: list every support you will need, then build those supports first.
Only after the supports are ready do you launch the new program.
What they found
The paper does not give numbers.
It argues that doing supports first saves time and stress later.
Skipping this step makes fixes slower and messier.
How this fits with other research
Stephens et al. (2018) asked students what supports they still lack. Their answers match the list Robertson says to build first.
Gonzalo et al. (2024) scanned 21 studies and found most colleges talk about inclusive models but do not run them. This gap shows why Robertson’s map-first rule matters.
Mirzaian et al. (2025) surveyed 277 stakeholders and found each group names different barriers. Mapping these groups first is exactly what Robertson advises.
Why it matters
Before you roll out any campus-wide ABA project, take one week to chart the supports. List IT, registrar, disability office, peers, families, and funding lines. Fix any holes, then start the program. You will spend less time putting out fires later.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Large scale organizational change initiatives are certainly difficult endeavors. But when we implement large scale change initiatives without properly assessing the impact the changes will have throughout the organization, we make the changes harder than they need be. Organizations tend to take one of two paths when implementing large scale change initiatives. The first path is to implement the change initiative (e.g., grow your client base, hire more staff, add a new service, begin serving a new market) and then identify and implement any system changes and supports required to support that initiative. The second path begins with identifying and implementing required system changes and supports and then implementing the change initiative. While the second path requires a slower implementation of the change, change initiatives in general will become faster once system variables have been initially mapped out and the organization has gone through the process once or twice. Additionally, rather than creating the appearance of being an adaptive and proactive organization, the second path actually produces an adaptive and proactive organization. Therefore, it is the second path that will be the focus of this paper, and this path relies on behavioral systems analysis.
Journal of Organizational Behavior Management, 2016 · doi:10.1080/01608061.2016.1200513