Improving performance isn’t easy, whether it’s the habits and practices of your sales teams, your leaders, or your individual contributors. It’s a serious investment of resources—not just money, but time, effort, and attention that could be spent on other priorities. As our clients take on major efforts to improve performance, it makes sense to build in methods to monitor the progress and measure the results. When the inevitable question, “Was it worth it?” comes, our clients already know that it is—and they can prove it!
Impact Evaluation will augment any effort to improve performance. It’s been used in financial services, pharmaceuticals, manufacturing, biotechnology, telecommunications, shipping, and many other industries. An Impact Evaluation shows the behaviors that changed, the performance that improved, and the results achieved, whether in sales, leadership, or individual effectiveness.
Program Outcomes
Impact Evaluation is a collaborative process that monitors effectiveness and demonstrates results. Showing results earns more support and gains wider participation in the effort to improve performance. It adds value and supports success by showing where development investment should focus for the best return on effort.
Approach
Impact Evaluation is a flexible and adaptable process. Impact Evaluation involves short surveys of participants and their managers (at least) and may also involve win/loss reviews, manager interviews, business metrics, and “best practice” sessions. Whether simpler or more customized, the outcome of the process is a clear, credible view of what changes persist and what results are attributed. At its core, the process is always the same:
As a service offering in support of other efforts, the steps are to Clarify the outcomes the client needs, Identify credible change indicators and the approach to collect them, Document the approach, variables, scope, and project plan, Evaluate and monitor with the chosen approach, and Report results, recommendations, and next steps.
Continuing Measurement
Measurements such as Impact Evaluation focus organizational attention on the good outcomes the organization needs. Organizations should exercise the option of a repeat measurement several months later to maintain that focus and continue the process.
The (optional) repeat measurement offers several predictable advantages:
- Organizational attention is kept on the desired good outcomes.
- Sustainment of the improved performance remains a priority.
- The improved performance has a better opportunity to become habit.
Continuing Improvement
The information and insight that Impact Evaluation provides is intended to both document successful change and provide a path toward continuing improvement.
Recommendations typically include a candid assessment of where implementation has missed opportunities, how follow-through and accountability might be improved, what remediation is indicated where the changed behaviors and results are not yet meeting expectations, and what next steps for the client organization will keep the improved performance at the targeted level or above.
Impact Evaluation, as an Assessment Services offering, keeps the promise:
Better Decisions Through Better Information—To provide our clients with clear decision-making information and insight in order to achieve the full potential of their human resources.
To learn more about measuring the impact of learning, visit Measurement.
