Changing Organizational Culture to Achieve Excellence in Research

This article describes the research capacity building efforts of the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto over the past 12 years. It identifies the role of strategic planning, the process of change, and the key practices, in terms of personnel, resources, research center development, and strategic community partnerships, which were used to enhance research capacity and productivity. Major lessons learned include the importance of continuity in leadership commitment, the need to use a strategic planning process to establish and implement achievable targets, the pivotal utility of research centers to act as catalysts and supporters of faculty research, the critical process of faculty development and recruitment, the importance of integrating the advancement agenda with institutional research objectives, and the need to systematically develop community research partnerships.