What We Do
Training
Of course what we usually have in mind is the training that occurs formally. When we pause to reflect on our own learning to do a job, we see that most of our learning is informal and usually comes from hints from co-workers while modeling them. Such informal training accounts anywhere from two-thirds to four-fifths of what we know and what we can do at our jobs.
So at the Brook Besor we believe effective training includes a mix of both formal and informal training. As we work with clients we try to keep foremost in our minds that training is human action and often human interaction and, thus, greatly dependent on group dynamics.
We know that formal training is most powerful when learning goals are explicit and relevant; when people are challenged to explore a new frontier or to practice new skills; when they can share with each other their expertise and experience; when there is a mixture of group and individual exercises.
We know that informal training is maximized when, among other initiatives, mentoring is encouraged; when training goals are part of job descriptions; when time is provided for on-the-job learning; when there are attractive learning spaces for people to gather; when useful networks, blogs, wikis and knowledgebases are accessible; when there are viable “communities of practice.”
Planning
Planning should precede and anticipate actions. Depending on the intent and consequences of the actions, plans may be elaborate and detailed or brief and rough outlines of what to expect. Regardless, they require thinking through to determine whether we are adequately prepared and equipped to take the step of action. Questions we may need to answer include: What preparation must occur? What resources are needed? Material? Supplies? Facilities? Training? How much is it going to cost in terms of dollars and human effort? Can we afford it? Do we need buy-in? Who has to buy-in? How do we arrange buy-in?
We work with clients as if we were planning a journey. Is it a trip just down the corner to pick up some bread and milk? Or are we going on a nation-wide tour of 15 cities in 30 days? Are we going to climb a mountain we have never climbed before? Or are we returning to a mountain we have conquered and are we leading a group of amateurs?
After we are through our clients have a map of how to get to where they are going and lists of what they need and to do to get there. Of course, if they are just going down to the corner, they don’t need a detailed list or map, but they better not fall asleep.
Implementation
We have found implementation to be one of the most neglected aspects of change efforts. We often spend 80 percent of our time in planning which leaves little time to execute. We should spend at least an equal amount of time in implementing our plans as we do in planning. By the way, we know that it is implausible mathematically to use 160 percent of your time (80% + 80%), but nobody here is saying change is easy.
Not only do we work with our clients to think through their plans thoroughly, we seek to facilitate the development of comprehensive and reasonable work/action plans and realistic timelines. Much of this work depends on intelligence. Strip away the pejorative and negative connotation of the term, “intelligence,” and what we mean is getting the “lay of the land” and the probable courses of action by the persons affected by the implementation.
Work on the action plans and timelines is done in close collaboration with the personnel “in the trenches” carrying out the plans. Their buy-in is an essential and so is their feedback all through the implementation process. We realize that fidelity is crucial to success, yet our implementations must be flexible to accommodate reality.
Assessment, Measurement, Evaluation and Monitoring
People often get these terms confused… or maybe they are confused when they use these terms. Here, we take “assessment” to mean the gathering of information on what is happening or has happened. In “measurement” we assign quantities to our perceptions determining the size, capacity, volume, or extent of something. And with “evaluation” and “monitoring” we assign worth to our measurements.
The British lump together monitoring and evaluation and call it simply, MandE, because it is hard to tell the difference sometimes. Their methodologies share the same theoretical underpinning. We view monitoring and evaluation as the mirror of planning. Careful planning anticipates and prepares for the Action to come; and careful MandE reflects and describes the Action that has occurred, or is occurring. Is it working as planned? Are its outputs as valuable as what was expected? Are the outcomes as hoped? Are we now better informed and prepared to plan and execute our next Action to come?
We at the Brook Besor help organizations provide creditable MandE documentation for use internally to assist their staffs and for use externally as accountability reports to funders.
We’ve spent a lot of our time and effort in developing measures and instruments and scale creation as well as the scoring and reporting that goes along with assessment. We’ve created statewide achievement tests in such diverse subjects as science and music and questionnaires to gauge satisfaction with workshops and conventions and what was learned from them. We’ve conducted focus groups, worked in teams to develop classroom observation measures, and produced rating scales and opinion surveys. And we’ve done the pilots and field tests and performed the requisite statistical analyses to make sure we have valid and reliable measures.
We’ve gotten a good handle, now, on what works and what doesn’t; what’s practical and what isn’t.
How can we help you?
