Summary of Client’s Challenge
A regional Girl Scout council organization had recently merged two councils into one. Each council had a very different culture, and the Executive Director over this new council structure wanted to create cultural uniformity.
Through interviews with key members of the team, Change by Design identified six agreed-upon goals for this effort:
Organization-wide understanding of cultural competency expectations.
Understanding within each department and role what the competencies (behaviors) might look like.
Appreciation for how these competencies might show up in other departments in the organization.
Performance of behaviors at a high level of consistency, especially after repeated evaluations.
Self-evaluation capability on all 12 competencies, which would, over time, enable greater self-awareness of these behaviors into their daily approach to work.
Assurance that over time through ongoing monthly evaluations, these cultural competencies would level-set the organization’s culture.
The Five-Stage Solution To This Challenge
Armed with this understanding. Change by Design recommended the following approach to resolve these issues:
Identify and clearly define all essential cultural competencies
Develop a performance evaluation tool, plus detailed instructions on how to implement this system
Design and develop 11 courses, each focused on one cultural competency (see below for competency list)
Essential Cultural Competencies Identification
We identified cultural competencies through extensive interviews with long-time Council members, handpicked by the Executive Director as best understanding these competencies. These 11 competencies included:
Business Acumen
Relational Intelligence
Leadership and Stewardship
Financial Acumen
Willingness to Learn and Innovate
Business Ethics
Critical Thinker
Communicator
Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion
Dealing with Ambiguity
Digital, Virtual and Technical Proficiency
Competency Definition Development
Through our extensive interviews, we were next able to develop detailed Girl Scout Council-specific definitions for each competency, with examples and non-examples for each, as well as identifying individual representative personas for using in the elearning modules:
Performance Evaluation Process Development
Once the 11 competencies were identified and defined, we developed a series of probing questions about each competency that served as the foundation for the performance evaluation system. We next designed and branded an Excel spreadsheet evaluation form that included detailed instructions for how and when to put this evaluation process into action. To make sure that the process was an effective 360-degree examination of each individual’s performance capabilities, the evaluation was to be conducted by three individuals: the supervisor, the employee, and a third person identified by the employee and tapped by the supervisor upon agreement.
Performance Evaluation Excel Document
Once the evaluation questions were developed for each of the eleven competencies, Change by Design then developed a formal performance evaluation document which could be completed online by the three parties involved. We developed a detailed set of recommendations on how to implement this evaluation system. To complete the form, each party (supervisor, supervisee, and 3rd party) was each asked to complete a copy of the form, providing a description of the best example of adherence to the identified competency, to their memory, and answering all questions related to each competency by providing one example. They were then asked to identify the frequency of that behavior as perceived by individual (Example: I observe this type of behavior [or I engage in this behavior] 20% of the time (or 80% of the time, 100% of the time, etc.)). Engaging in this process supported several of the overarching goals. Requiring each individual to recall the definitions of each competency and then identify a relevant example from their experience at this Girl Scout Council facilitated greater institutional understanding and memory for all engaged in the evaluation activity.
Once the supervisor received employee and 3rd party reviews, s/he saved all information in one consolidated file, merged comments in appropriate place in consolidated form, printed out versions for signature, met and reviewed the consolidated form with employee, responded to employee questions, obtained the employee’s signature, and, finally, emailed one copy to HR and retained copy for their files. Lastly, the Supervisor printed out a copy of remediation recommendations, identifying how the employee should move forward with remediation, and emailing copy to employee for use.
Cultural Competency Training System
Understanding all competencies sufficiently to be motivated to engage with them as employees required one further step: the design and development of an eLearning training system. Change by Design conducted a deeper dive with identified individuals across the organization to obtain more examples and non-examples of each competency. Using these examples and non-examples from interviews, Change by Design designed the course content and activities first in Microsoft Word, followed by development in Articulate Rise. Eleven branded eLearning modules – one per competency and each with embedded learning activities - were produced. These activities included multiple choice, true/false, and multiple select questions, with crucial feedback and information for each of them. For each activity, one choice was obviously incorrect, one was clearly correct, and a third was a more ambiguous example that required greater processing of the example against the definition. The Word document format listed the learning objectives for each activity, plus the examples and choices that the learner could make, and the feedback. We ensured that visual design motivating learning was also embedded in these eLearnings.
Sample Competency eLearning Content: Activity 11
Here is one example of a learning activity focused on Business Acumen. In the activity, the learner was exposed to the following concepts from the Business Acumen definition:
· I apply a ‘Business First’ mindset.
· I explain how various parts of Girl Scouts of Gateway Council work together.
· I understand my role’s contribution in how various parts of Girl Scouts of Gateway Council work together.
· I understand how every situation of which I am a part impacts the organization, funders, volunteers, and girls.
How the Performance Evaluation System Worked
In rolling out this system, Council leadership first asked all Council employees to work through each of the 11 training courses within the period of two months. They were also provided the performance evaluation Excel form to become familiar with the evaluation process going forward. During the subsequent four months, on a monthly basis, all employees would engage in this performance evaluation process to firmly establish the cultural norms for the entire organization. While Council leadership understood that this would slow everyone in the organization down in their regular duties, the overarching goal of high cultural competency for each employee was more important. The process, too, was time-limited and they felt that they could stretch for this period of time to accommodate this approach.
From that point forward, the performance evaluation system would be operationalized once or twice a year, depending on the Council’s needs to ensure cultural uniformity.
Contact Change by Design today if you need cultural competency evaluation and alignment, performance evaluation tool creation, or training course design and development that will deliver targeted results for your organization.