Homelessness and the High Performance Cycle: A New Lens for Studying Exit Strategies

Keywords

homelessness, goal formation, goal setting

Abstract

Although social work scholarship has recognized the presence and utility of goals and goal setting among the homeless, the literature remains underdeveloped. This study evaluates the extent to which the work motivation literature, mostly applied in formal business settings, can improve current understandings of how persons successfully escape homelessness. Specifically, this study focuses on the high performance cycle, a model in organizational behavior research that outlines the specific processes involved in setting and achieving goals and that provides a robust framework for analyzing goal setting among homeless persons. The article compares those who have successfully exited homelessness to those who remain chronically homeless using 40 in-depth, semistructured interviews with homeless center clients in a multicity area in the Intermountain West. Interviews addressed the employment and housing histories of research participants, their views about living unhoused, and their attempts to exit homelessness. The participants' narratives matched themes described in goal-setting research, which suggests the utility of adopting processes outlined by the high performance cycle when assisting clients in exiting homelessness. Social service professionals can benefit by incorporating the goal-setting scholarship in their work with homeless populations. Future research might use quantitative surveys and experiments to determine the generalizability of this exploratory analysis.

Original Publication Citation

Lovell, Erik, Ke’ala Cabulagan, John McMullin, Brent Hutchison, and Curtis Child. 2015. “Homelessness and the High Performance Cycle: A New Lens for Studying Exit Strategies.” Journal of Social Service Research 41(4):508–529

Document Type

Peer-Reviewed Article

Publication Date

2015-07-27

Permanent URL

http://hdl.lib.byu.edu/1877/5554

Publisher

Journal of Social Service Research

Language

English

College

Family, Home, and Social Sciences

Department

Sociology

University Standing at Time of Publication

Assistant Professor

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