U6D2-28 - Explore, Examine and Identify Hybrid Action Learning Data Tools (Model). ***PLEASE FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS AS OUTLINED BELOW*** See Attached Documents for Reference and Readings.

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6

A Checklist for the Hybrid Framework

lthough philosophically different, needs assessment and asset/capacity building have been seen as coalescing into an emergent combined approach. This was noted in the top of the pyramid (Figure 1.2) and became the basis for the hybrid framework. A theme running throughout its eight steps is to

find out as much as possible about a community or an organization. Numerous strategies to do this have been described. Especially important are write-ups and documentation of what has been done when identifying and resolving needs, finding and cataloging resources, arraying findings, and converting the amalgam of information into plans for action that result in betterment. This is a lot to do, and it is difficult to imagine a pure version that is fully functional and being commonly used.

What is valuable here is a checklist (scorecard) to help a group evaluate other studies. It consists of what should be in a hybrid framework with a system for rating what is located. That is the purpose of this chapter with an application being to exemplars in the literature (Chapters 7 and 8). Another use of the checklist is as a quick reference when a local committee or group goes about its work.

CONCEPTUAL BASIS OF THE CHECKLIST

A way to develop the checklist is to look at the hybrid framework and list variables important for its implementation. To that end, Table 6.1 is a recasting from a checklist standpoint. Variables for each step will be specified, and ones that are particularly notable will be highlighted. This is arbitrary based on the judgment of the author, and it may differ depending on the specific characteristics of a situation and the dynamics within it.

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CONTENT OF THE CHECKLIST

Table 6.1 is converted into the checklist in Table 6.2. It’s an approximation, not a one-to-one conversion, and the items for a step are suggestive, not absolute. Other ideas could easily be injected depending on local circumstances and what the needs assessors and asset/capacity builders deem appropriate. Modifications are acceptable and expected. For each item, the rating scale goes from 0 (a very low level of the item) to 5 (high representation). The ratings will be estimates on the part of reviewers and are for guidance purposes.

HOW TO USE THE CHECKLIST

In 2000, Altschuld and Witkin proposed a checklist for evaluating the three-phase model of needs assessment and guiding its process. The premise was that not all phases would be implemented in their entirety. That would be time-consuming and taxing of fiscal and human resources. The model was a structure for guiding the needs assessment process. The authors did not expect that its various features and procedures would be part of all assessments. The checklist contained sections and elements per phase that might be used to consider what should or could be done. What parts of each phase could be implemented given the finances, time, skill base, local politics, and organizational situation? Could we start at a later point in the three phases and not do all of them? Without flexibility, it would be a straitjacket. That view was deliberate and was

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expressed by the coauthors. There were so many things to observe that if the checklist had been an unbending standard, a lot of items would not have made sense. They would not be in projects and would be rated at the bottom of whatever scale was used.

When that occurred, an incorrect conclusion would have been that a phase or even all three phases weren’t there, but the goal was not that every detail of them would be applied or adapted in a lockstep manner for all circumstances. It was an ideal that had to be tweaked in accord with the context to ascertain needs. This is analogous to the hybrid framework in this text. A structure has been proposed but not in a rigid way. So the total checklist, like the one for needs assessment, would have many empty entries.

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Also pertinent here are the history of needs assessment, the criticisms of it, the observation that the two supposedly opposite positions have been steadily blending together, and the more recent mixing of approaches in evidence from about 2000 to the present time. They represent preliminary attempts to work across what were originally dramatically different approaches and underlying philosophies.

People using asset/capacity building and needs assessment are in the process of sorting out what would be the best ways to do so, what compromises have to be made, whether they can be used without bias, how community members and organizational staff should be involved in procedures and decision making, what might be cost-efficient and effective methods to employ, and so on. Given that status, it is no surprise that many parts of the checklist will not be occurring until we have more hands-on experience with the framework. It is in more of an exploratory mode for communities and organizations as they study where they are and what could be done to improve. The checklist should be viewed as tentative. It will change as more hybrid-type implementations are done and as we learn the “dos and don’ts” from them.

FEATURES OF THE CHECKLIST

Viewing the checklist as tentative is important for examining the real-world examples in Chapters 7 and 8. There, only one particularly critical part of the checklist will be used, with the understanding that the overall

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checklist has utility for thinking about the entire hybrid framework process. Before going to the next chapters, here are details about some of the specific items in it.

Totals per Section Totals were built into the checklist in anticipation of more complete usage of the hybrid framework. Then there would be evidence of many of the steps, and it would be possible to give them scale values. (The scale provided is one option, but others may be utilized.) Sums across items for a step would be an indication of the degree to which that part of the framework was implemented. That is, does the framework have fidelity? Cutoff points could be established for no implementation and very low, medium, and high levels.

It would also be possible (and it may be desirable) to give differential weights to items so those of special importance would contribute more heavily to the totals. At some point in the future, we might go as far as to say that if there were 15 items in a section, a minimum number (12, 8, etc.) would have to be present to conclude that the step was operational. This would require consideration of what are the most important items. Only extended experience with the framework and checklist would lead to developing such numbers.

Step 1. Scoping the Context Several things stand out in this section with the first being locus of control. If the endeavor does not

include or start from a local and concerned group with visions of what might be, it seems deficient in regard to empowerment and a “can do” attitude. If that is not there, the whole process could easily slip into an externally driven model, which is antithetical to its intended purpose and usage. Observation that community members or organizational staff were involved from the beginning is important, but more critical to the process is that their voice was the impetus for improvement. If that doesn’t happen, we simply cannot say that it is the hybrid framework that is being seen. In reviewing what has been done, look closely at how it was accomplished and for the input and direction of internal individuals.

Other items come from the premises of the hybrid framework—multiple, mixed methods are notable in how data were obtained, and multiple sources (people, groups) show up in data collection. Another concept is that needs and assets and resources are equal partners—openly looked at and valuable information has been generated for new understandings and insights in regard to what is missing and the strengths that are there.

These things would be judged via work products and inspections of minutes or other records of the group. (Hopefully they have been kept to permit judgments to be made.) In assessing the scoping activity the involvement of the initiating group in decision making might receive additional weight in arriving at a final value for the category of items.

Step 2. Deciding What Actions Should Be Taken This step emerges from the prior one to guide the group into concrete, more in-depth action. An indicator

here would be summaries and arrays of findings that help the group in its discussions. These would come from reports and documentation. Notes kept from the discussions of the group, as well as what decisions the group members made, affect ratings. How well did they value the exploration of both needs and assets and the results so obtained?

Step 3. Dividing the Working Committee Into Two Subcommittees In the best of all possible worlds, the group would divide into two independent parts—one for needs and

the other for collecting expanded lists of assets and resources. The minutes, notes, or other sources should reflect that this has occurred and that the two groups were given the appropriate responsibilities and charges. This may, or more than likely will, result in additional methods being used or some previously located information being probed more deeply. As more is collected, earlier summaries and data portrayals will grow, and if the new entries are dated, this will corroborate that progress is being made.

Steps 4 and 5. Conducting the Assessment in Greater Depth and Using What Has Been Learned to Make Decisions for Possible New Programs

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This is a major nexus in the hybrid framework. Based on what is now known and understood, the group members begin major deliberations about what the information tells them and how they might think about actual programs leading to new developments. They seriously compare the needs and the assets to see if they align and, given that, what might be done next. It sort of becomes the make-or-break point in the overall framework. The process must move from fact finding to action planning. What did the group actually do; what did members see in the results; what solutions, even if in preliminary form, were talked about; what options were discussed; and are they pertinent to the key issues and opportunities in front of the community or organization?

What has arisen from the discourse? Are the group members utilizing the amalgam of data and information that has been generated? Do they see what the major needs are and what resources can be tapped into and brought to bear for improvement? Do they see ways to utilize resources in unanticipated ways? Are there unique combinations of them that they may employ to produce unforeseen yet positive outcomes? How well do the needs and assets/resources coincide, and should that be the direction to go? Again, notes, minutes, and documents would be the basis for ratings and judgments.

Step 6. Developing a Strategy for Improvement In conjunction with the above activity, the action plan is critical, for it sets the tone for the future. A lot of

the entries in this section of the checklist relate to the features of the plan. Is it in accord with what was found before, and how well is it thought through? Does it seem to be the best alternative, especially if MAUT and causal analysis were employed? Are concrete dimensions of the plan specified, such as who does what and when it will be done? What about the leadership for the new venture—is it clear, and what individual or group will be assuming these duties? Does the plan have provisions for evaluation and utilization of data? Cooperation and, in particular, collaboration will be vital for implementation. Does this come out in the plan specifications? Has consideration been given to an incremental start and then ratcheting up to more full-scale operation at a subsequent date?

Information for ratings would come from such things as the success map(s), responsibility sheets, and other planning devices. If there was any evaluation of the process at this time, the reflections of group members would prove excellent for assessing how considerations of solutions and new strategies had gone. Moreover, keep in mind that continuously updated and expanded summary tables are a key ingredient in the hybrid framework. They too constitute evidence about how the planning has proceeded.

Step 7. Implementing and Evaluating the Action Plan Indeed, the improvement strategy is only as good as its implementation and what the evaluation shows has

taken place. If the evaluation was designed appropriately and data were available, it would demonstrate how activities were carried out, their effectiveness, and if results were used. The outcomes also play a critical role in seeking support for further actions and involvement. What happened in actual use, what did the group learn, was change based on findings, and are there any outstanding events that would be helpful in more promotion of this activity or for other new ones not previously done?

Additionally, it may be reasonable and necessary to be thinking as the initial effort is under way of how to obtain more resources and ways of including others in the hybrid effort. Who might such people, groups, or organizations be? What might be the rationale for their participation? What could they bring to the table to enhance services and the numbers of those benefiting? Are there resources in terms of monetary funds, interagency collaboration, and other facets of what they do that would meaningfully contribute to the endeavor?

Step 8. Recycling Back to First Steps for Expanding the Improvement Package Surprisingly, what at quick glance appears to be a perfunctory activity might be more crucial in the

scheme of things. A way to approach new endeavors was given earlier—it was to start incrementally and then to build from a more humble beginning. The idea was that success reinforces success and morale will be more positive coming from this stance. There are other ways to think about change, but the incremental approach is recommended. It allows us to make mistakes on a small scale and to handle or avoid them when the level is increased. Based on that path for doing things, the group could consider going to a much fuller

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implementation of what was just done with modifications to avert snags and problems. This would be one facet of recycling back to the beginning.

In that vein, it would mean taking a fresh look at our summary Table 3.3 and other tables as relevant to what we are currently undertaking. Are there other features of the new program or project to which we should be attending? Are there parts to it that we did not have the funding or resources to put in place that could now be structured in fairly easily? What would the enhanced entity look like? Would it serve a larger audience in a positive manner than what has been offered before? These are logical questions, and recycling could be predicated in this way. It would be valuable, and it takes advantage of what we know a lot about.

Additionally, returning to the original work and the summaries might lead the group to now put needs and assets not focused on under a new microscope. They were important before but were not at the top of the list. Might they become more salient, if everyone agreed to deal with them in a creative light?

There is yet another way to approach the final step, although it should only be done after deliberation. The group may decide that it wants to explore other aspects of the community and/or organization. There were things group members missed or key areas that simply were not examined, and over time they became more important. What this means is that the hybrid framework should be looked at as though the group was starting over from the top. There is nothing wrong with this, but do it with open eyes. It is an expensive way to go; despite that, we know from our past work how to get and interpret data and have instruments and procedures that could be adopted. Only follow this course when the energies and morale of the group are taken into account.

Whichever of the possibilities is chosen, this activity is the last step of the framework and is similar to those conducted before. By now, documenting of activities and dating of tables and other products should be ingrained. They should be reviewed for guidance about recycling.

ONE LAST THOUGHT

With the checklist as the measuring stick, what are some examples that demonstrate hybrid work? What fields do they come from, and how well do they balance needs with assets and resources without compromising the two positions? What might they have done differently? This is the substance of Chapters 7 and 8.

The checklist is a useful tool, but there is one other source of information that offers much information and perspective about the hybrid process—it is the initiating and involved group itself. Many of its members have been a part of everything from the beginning. They have views and have seen procedures that worked and others that did not. Their opinions and views are too valuable to be overlooked.

There are several ways that they could become incorporated into the assessment. One would be via questionnaires. A version might be open-ended with five to eight questions that require written responses for valuable, personal input. Since the size of the group might be 10, pursuing the members’ opinions should not be a great burden, or use a survey that is primarily scaled. It might follow a needs assessment structure of asking about the importance of and the extent to which items have been achieved. Discrepancies would be looked at and explored for insights.

Finally, a focus group interview could be conducted, led by an external person to lessen the possibility of bias. The small group is now comfortable in voicing its thoughts, and this might be an opportunity for all participants to express their opinions in way that they did not have before. The session with permission could be taped as a way to recruit others into future endeavors.

HIGHLIGHTS OF CHAPTER 6

1. There are varying degrees of implementing hybrid ideas. A procedure is needed for judging what is in the literature or reports.

2. The hybrid framework was examined in terms of variables important for doing it and for making value judgments about them. Questions about each step were raised, and highlights of activities were suggested.

3. Based on Point 2, an extensive checklist was developed. Each item per step was to be rated on a scale from no evidence of it to a very high level of occurrence. Items could be summed to indicate the

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extent to which the overall step was there. 4. Mention was made that at present there is no exemplar that contains all parts of the framework. One

would only be able to rate selected features of what is there per step. Judgments are more preliminary. 5. Some items may be more important than others, and hence their ratings could carry more weight. 6. Items were discussed in an overview manner for more insight into how the checklist could be applied. 7. The initiating group itself was mentioned as a valuable evaluation asset. It could be surveyed via

open-ended or scaled questions, or there could be an FGI of members.

DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

1. Does the evaluation checklist make sense, should other concerns have been posed, and so forth? Think about this and add to the discussion.

2. A quantitative checklist was provided, but a qualitative approach using a descriptive narrative could be informative. How could that be done, and what should guidelines for it be? Should there have been qualitative sections built into the checklist, and what should they require of the reviewer? Should there be reflective prompts for looking at completed efforts?

3. Fidelity of implementation is a consideration in evaluating if a hybrid stance was prominent as opposed to more of a needs assessment or an asset/capacity-building endeavor. Examine the checklist. At a minimum, what do you think should be there, and what are the reasons for your choices?

4. The draft checklist has many items in it, is lengthy, and perhaps is unwieldy. What would you do to shorten it, and in doing so what would you be willing to sacrifice?

5. On the other hand, the checklist may be missing key elements for the hybrid framework. What would you add to it, and what is your rationale for doing so?