Perceptions of mission-critical organizational resources: A survey of substance prevention and treatment agencies in the southwest

This article explores administrator and staff perceptions of mission-critical agency capacity in a predominantly Hispanic region that has a high degree of acculturation and elevated use of alcohol, tobacco, and other drugs. The domains explored are financial resources, proposal development, agency policies, organizational structure, communication, leadership, planning, and networking capabilities. Although significant differences were found among all eight domains, both staff and administrators concurred regarding the two areas of least capacity - financial resources and proposal development - and the two areas of greatest capacity-planning and networking capabilities. The authors suggest that agreement about the ranking of the domains is the most important finding rather than the differences between administrators and staff. A discussion of the practice and educational implications concludes the article.