Recommendation for:¬¬¬¬¬¬¬ ¬________________
(Indicate for What Organization + Work Team)
________________________________________
Needs Assessment Steps
Student: ________________
Date: ______________
DIRECTIONS: replace the above visual for this title page with something you or your client might prefer.
Directions: These directions should be deleted when you submit Part 1.
Purpose
MS-HROD Scholars – Your major assignment in LEAD 662 is become versed in designing an organizational analysis (needs assessment or NA) recommendation that either investigates the root cause of an issue perplexing the company or investigates what could either hamper or support an opportunity the business is considering.
For the assignment you will need a sponsor at your organization, whom I will refer to as your client. The client is the person who would decide whether to investigate the issue first, or simply skip any investigation and just act. You may not be the client as one of the goals of this assignmnet is to learn how to interview someone about an issue they are confronting. The client must be a person, not an organizaiton.
Organizations and the people in those organizations are frequently guided by the goal of solving problems based on their hunches about why the problem exists. If it is an opportunity vs. a problem, organizational members are sometimes blinded by desire to move fast and act, so they pursue the opportunity without fully investigating. As you are becoming skilled in Organizational Development consulting, part of your job is to help organizations avoid rushing to judgment with opinions and hunches. This assignment is designed to help you build a compelling case to convince your client to allow some time to conduct a needs assessment before acting.
To demonstrate a systems approach, this assignment is divided into parts. The concept of using “parts” in our assignment will allow for collaboration, so your finished work product is a well-crafted recommendation to your client. This project addresses our course objectives to learn how to:
1. 1. Demonstrate a “systems-thinking” approach to organizational and person diagnosis.
2. 2. Develop plans to guide analysis of the needs assessment (NA).
3. 3. Choose appropriate investigative methods for conducting the NA.
4. 4. Construct data collection instruments and requests for participation in the NA.
Tasks
Each part of the assignment is outlined in the template located here. You are to use the template elements to create the recommendation. You will remove the directions in each section and insert your work. You may augment elements and I seek your creativity. But please be sure you follow the directions for each part.
Criteria for Grading
The three parts of the assignment have different values.
Part 1 is valued at 5% of your grade. This is designed to get us off to a good start. If I foresee the scope of your project is too large or too small, I will request we have a conference call and we will brainstorm. I will not offer a grade until you have mastered Part 1. So, do not worry about a grade. You will earn a stellar grade by collaboration and critical thinking in selecting an appropriate issue. The only reason you would not earn a stellar grade is to not complete the assignment by the deadline, or if you fail to respond to my feedback.
Part 2 is a Particpation Activity and is not individually graded. Rather, it is graded as part of all of your participation activities. As you will recall, Participation Activities must be completed by the due date and all elements requested must be completed. Part 2 should include corrections to Part 1 (in blue font) and have the new information requested.
Final Product (Part 3). This will include Parts 1 and 2 and then a list of three constraints you believe you will face and four Appendices. I expect your completed recommendation will likely be between 9 -10 pages and it is a business recommendation, not a research paper. This is worth 30% of your grade. The rubric is located in your syllabus.
NOTE: You will not investigate the gap in this class, except to interview your client for Part 1. You will prepare the NA recommendation to gain client approval. You will provide the two data collection tools you would use.
PART 1
Organizational Issue
Directions: You are to insert the information below, replacing the words in red.
• Identify the organization (pseudonym is fine) and department where the issue resides.
• Outline the problem or opportunity that you will analyze (pay special attention to clearly identifying scope of the issue and the purpose of this organizational analysis). Be concise — but give enough information that an external reader will understand the nature of the issue or opportunity.
• Include specific metrics, figures, or known data points to illustrate the organizational issue is worth pursuing among other organizational priorities, as well as the stated performance goal the metrics/data points (e.g., customer satisfaction is currently at 3.4 and expected is >4.2).
Client
Directions: You are to insert the information below, replacing the words in red.
• What is the client’s name (pseudonym) role and relationship to the issue? This must be a person.
• List a minimum of 5 questions you posed to your client to explore the issue to understand the gap or opportunity (note: If the client has the answers and just wants you to validate their opinion, this is not a good topic for this class – please find something else?).
• Summarize what you learned from your client interview – use bullet points and a diagram (e.g., a Fishbone; a logic model; scorecard….the visual will depend on the interview findings. Examples of these are in your readings/e-learning module or can be found online.
Current State vs. Desired State
Directions: You are to insert the information below, replacing the words in red.
• Based on your client interview, identify the “current state” and the “desired state.” Verify with your client that you have identified both correctly.
• When possible? Include metrics or data points to clearly quantify the gap or opportunity. (e.g., The desired state is to increase customer satisfaction scores from 3.5 to 5.0 on the annual customer satisfaction survey).
• Locate an interesting visual for your project and include (you can Google “current state vs. desired state” to secure ideas). Remember, But, you are only using this example to provide an idea, you MUST incorporate originality in your work by using the issue you are tackling in the visual.
Powerful Questions
Directions: You are to insert the information below, replacing the words in red.
• Identify the two to three powerful questions your investigation will address (this is the scope of your assignment. It needs to be broad enough to warrant an organizational analysis – but not so broad you could not execute). Verify these with your client and ensure you have alignment.
• Your reading is critical to be able to write powerful questions, be sure and read the examples.
Internal and External Circumstances
Directions: You are to insert the information below, replacing the words in red.
• Provide an overview of the setting within which you will conduct the assessment.
• What issues do you need to consider that may impact the investigation (e.g., new personnel; mergers, layoffs, politics, external headwinds, etc.)
PART 2
Recommended Data Collection Plan
Directions (about 1-2 pages that you will draft using bullets, and you must include a visual)
Identify and explain in bullet points all the data-gathering tools you recommend to enable you to answer ALL of the powerful questions. You can recommend as many data tools as you will need (e.g., sometimes you may need to review documents, as well as conduct surveys to supervisors and separate surveys to employees; sometimes observations are needed).
• Defend the data collection tool.
• Clearly link and describe how the data collection tool will answer one or more of your powerful questions.
• Include how the sequencing of the data collection will occur (in other words, what data do you collect first and why).
• Indicate who are the sources for each data collection tool you are recommending:
o For any document reviews, what documents.
o For surveys, how will the survey be administered (online or on paper) and what day of week. Include how many will be canvassed (this is not the same as how many you hope will respond, this is the total sample who will receive your survey). What is your sampling strategy, how will the request be made for these individuals to participate and how many reminders will you send?
o For interviews, how will these be determined (whom to interview), how many will be interviewed, how will you ask, and how long will the interview take.
o For observations, who/what will be observed, when, and for how long
• Provide an estimate of the time needed to collect all the data.
• NOTE: Collecting this type of data can be time consuming and may even cost the client money. Typically, you will find clients seeking your findings fast and at the lowest cost. Hence, you need to be able to defend your choices and the time needed.
• No matter how many data collection tools you recommend, this assignment only requires you to fully develop two:
o One qualitative instrument interview(s) or focus group(s)
o One quantitative instrument, a survey.
NOTE: Include a visual to help the client easily understand your investigation process. The visual will be in addition to the bullet points. Examples of visuals are on the next 2 pages. But you can look online for templates that may be more suited to your topic.
ALSO, for PART 2, you must include your Survey Instrument! Go to Appendix to locate.
EXAMPLES ONLY
EXAMPLES ONLY
PART 3
Watch-Outs
Directions: Identify the top three constraints (watch-outs or challenges) you expect you may face with implementing your needs assessment plan?
Constraint #1
•
Constraint #2
•
Constraint #3
•
Timeline
Directions: What is the expected timeline for conducting this organizational analysis. I recommend you outline for the client various points in time that specific portions will be completed and places where you will want to meet to discuss the project with them. Do not just give one date. Strong needs assessors want to ensure the client is brought along and often these investigations require you to pivot. Hence, it is important to build in meeting updates with the client.
Directions: Be sure each appendix below is included.
APPENDIX 1: INVITATION TO SURVEY
Source(s) of Survey Data: ___________
Directions: Below is a “poor” example of an invitation to participate in a survey. Your job is to devise a strong invitation for the survey that you will be distributing to help investigate your organizational analysis. Your invitation should clearly outline the “what’s in it for me” to the participant.
—————————————————————————————————————————————
Dear Supervisor,
I am investigating ___________. Your help is needed, please complete this survey by January 2nd.
Thank you.
Name
Title
APPENDIX B: SURVEY (NOTE: this should be submitted with Part 2)
Directions:
Your survey must include directions for the participants to complete the survey with all the relevant information they need to know or be reminded of.
Since your survey must be professional looking and have a minimum of 10 questions. Next to each question you need an appropriate “Likert” scale (unless it is an open-ended question).
At the end of each question, indicate what “powerful question” that survey question is helping you address (e.g., P1, P2 or P3). If you have some demographic questions, you do not need to list a powerful question.
APPENDIX 3: INVITATION TO PARTICIPATE IN INTERIVEW(S) OR FOCUS GROUP(S)
Participant(s) to include: ___________
Directions:
This invitation needs to be composed in a manner that the recipient will want to agree to participate and fully understand all details. You must include all the key details to coordinate the scheduling of the interview, communication to the participants, and the logistics of time/location to the participant(s).
APPENDIX 4: INTERVIEW OR FOCUS GROUP PROTOCOL
Directions:
Your interview or focus group protocol is what the moderator will use. That means an overview of how the session will be executed and any guardrails you want to establish.
It will also include a minimum of 7 questions you plan to ask. At the end of each question, indicate what “powerful question” that survey question is helping you address (e.g., P1, P2, P3).
