Impact plan

Applied Project Impact Plan

Redacted

College of Integrative Sciences and Arts, Arizona State University

OGL 550: Leading Organizational Change

April 23, 2023

Section 1 - The Challenge

The You are More Project aims to be developing programming that aligns with both provincial and national objectives but has yet to examine the current landscape of their industry and prepare for any changes or threats from external and internal factors. The problem needs to be solved so that You are More can adequately develop programming that not only aligns with provincial and federal objectives but to understand which projects to invest time, energy and money. This will assist You are More in their preliminary years and establish a good foundation for future projects. The consequence if not solving this is the organization itself, a horizon scan is necessary to understand the context in which they operate and having the capacity to reflect to grow a resilient organization (Squire, 2020).

Section 2 - Project Context 

The You are More Project is Not for Profit Organization in Saskatchewan, Canada that aims to provide body reclamation for sexual violence survivors through community support and movement therefore, they are trying to have an impact within their communities. The organization incorporated in June 2021 and has been operating for the past 1.5 years. The You are More team consists of the CEO, which is myself: Linzi Stoddard and 5 board directors and 2 volunteers. All of which are volunteer positions currently – I will be focusing solely on the board of directors and CEO. The industry is Not for Profit Organization within sexual violence healing and treatment options. Within the community, there is a lack of resources that promote body reclamation through movement and community support. The available services are talk therapy that is not effective for all individuals as they do not have the opportunity to feel where in the body they are holding their trauma, this can be further looked at in The Body keeps the score.

The purpose of the PESTLE analysis conducted earlier in the term was the PESTLE dimensions in terms of how it is applicable to their soon programming in schools and examining how these factors play into its’ success. You are More is developing programming for high school students to understand the vast impacts of sexual violence on self – consent, language around trauma, neurobiology of trauma and community – community support, bystander effect as there has been lack of accessible resources and education for youth and young adults. The #MeToo Movement provided momentum for survivors to speak out and use their voice, thus having a higher demand on necessary services to serve those who experience (d) sexual violence, the Canadian Government in 2017, announced a strategy to end gender-based violence by committed over $2000 million to invest in 80 projects nationwide to prevent gender-based violence and support survivors (Government of Canada, 2021). There are programs within schools currently that help to provide proactive supports to learning about consent and understanding “No is a full sentence”. The Government of Saskatchewan is investing over a 6.7% increase over 2022-2023 to schools. This is a greater investment in children’s future, and as sexual violence is still at times considered a taboo topic, having programming to provide educational services and programming can only help to support children’s future as the statistics are showing 1in4 girls and 1in6 boys experience sexual violence prior to the age of 18 years (Community approach to sexual abuse and violence, n.d.). Internal factors or trends that are relevant to the problem is that not all directors work within the field of sexual violence, justice and/or trauma-integrated movement practices. Therefore, providing an environmental scan, S.W.O.T analysis and PESTLE analysis to the You are More Project team will leave them more informed to understand the landscape they are operating within. There is low turnover and communication and feedback is multi-directional, with all manners the subjected is voted on and all board of directors have an equal voting right.

Section 3 - Proposed Research Solution

The applied research conducted will provide an in-depth search for current and upcoming context and landscape for The You are More Project. The topics of interests are as followed:

· Examples of programs that are currently available in Saskatchewan which aim to provide programming to sexual violence survivors from youth to early adulthood.

· Identifying what programs currently do well through form of delivery, treatment options, and their clients.

· Identifying gaps in the programs: treatment options that are not provided and/or target populations.

The gaps will be identified by defining the scope of the scan and identifying experts, credible sources and publicly available information to provide insight on the landscape around sexual health, mental health, and sexual assault centers, etc. in the province of Saskatchewan. While, examining the external environment that surrounds You are More, I will also examine internal factors that contribute to improving organizational performance.

The type of applied research I will be conducting is an Environmental Scan, including both SWOT and PESTLE analysis to identify the internal and external factors that contribute to the organization’s success. The You are More Project, is unaware of their environmental contexts leaving them vulnerable towards change or any threats. In order to work towards, stakeholder analysis and building cultural within the community they are in need to understand their environment. As a small non-profit organization, it is important to be proactive when investing time, money and resources into a program prior to implementation to ensure its success (Jones, n.d.).

The majority of data collected will be qualitative to inform my project design; however, some quantitative data may be used to show efficiency of other programs and/or rates for success within the organization.

The information necessary will be found by scanning other local sexual abuse services, centers and treatment options in Saskatchewan and Canada. The scan will be conducted from their public resources and online/social media presence. The scan will incorporate provincial and federal policies around sexual violence, treatment options and coverage. The scan will also include but is not limited to private practices, new treatment options, and exploration into school curriculum around sexual and mental health, understanding what is currently available to youth and young adults. Throughout data searches, the use of current websites, social media platforms, organizational records that are public (annual reports, interim reports, etc.) and archival sources.

Section 3a - Concepts and Theories:

When looking into an environmental scan, this is examining both internal and external factors that contribute understanding the current landscape. Morgan, discusses that in order to understand new factors that contribute to a specific context you must learn to scan and anticipate change in the wider environment (2006), this is the commitment to learning and developing a learning organization. To transform your coming into a learning organization, Gavin, recommends mastering five activities: solving problems systematically, experimenting with new approaches, learning from past experiences, learning for other companies/customers and transferring knowledge throughout the organization (1993). Understanding how to build a learning organization in relation to the purpose of an environmental scan, these two actions complement one another. In order to learn from others, experiment with new approaches an organization needs an environmental scan to obtain the necessary information. This builds into the 9 big cultural values discussed within Castillo’s lecture that agility, collaboration, execution, Innovation and performance are all important values to organizations (2022). In correspondence to these values it defines that employees and management can respond quickly to changes in marketplace and see new opportunities, that working together can strengthen an initiative or that the company develops new ways. These values reflect a learning organization that is “skilled at creating, acquiring and transferring knowledge, and at modifying its behavior to reflect new knowledge and insights” (Garvin, 1993, p. 3). The new knowledge and insights that is discussed to develop the learning organization will be found in part of the environmental scan.

Thompson explores the unexpected consequences that occur even when there are good intentions within their article The Unintended Consequences of “Having an Impact”, how even the best efforts have fallen short of expected impact and can leave negative consequences within the community (2003, p. 2). There is an urge for efficacy that non-profit organizations, and specifically You are More feels the need to consistently be making visible impact within their community however, without understanding the environmental landscape in their communities this could result in their best efforts and good intentions turning into negative consequences and not leaving the desired impact.

In the Insider’s Guide to Culture Change, the author explores how there are connected patterns within organizational cultures and how different roles play a part in co-creating the patterns (McHale, 2020, p. 67). McHale, sees culture as patterns of relating which involves mutualism, commensalism and parasitism. If organizations are unaware of how relationships and collaborations are affecting their organization this can create a weakness throughout the company. Understanding how company relations influence the organization gives insight to the overall outcome if specific relationships are mutualism: where all parties benefit, commensalism: only one-party benefits and the other is unaffected or parasitism: one party is harmed and the other benefits (Castillo, 2022, 5:35). The types of relationships found within an organization can help to determine their sustainability and impact within the company and surrounding communities. Moving into Teal organizations, The You are More Project aspires to work towards “self-management, wholeness and a deeper sense of purpose” (Laloux, 2015), amongst not only upper management, board of directors but also in future employees and volunteers. You are More is currently a green organization that “puts the focus on the well-being of all parties (customers, employees, communities, etc.) and seeks to empower members of the organization [and community]” (Teal Organisations, n.d.). You are more aspires to grow into an organization that emphasis self-management to allow employees to take on autonomy and ownership of their role.

Section 3b - Planned Approach:

Environmental scans “are used to provide decision makers with knowledge about current social, economic, technological and political contexts and to identify any potential short- and long-term shifts” (Graham et al., 2008, p. 1022). Understanding these contexts are key to the short and long term of organizations by comprehending how the external factors play into initiatives, employee retention and projects. Using an environmental scan and S.W.O.T analysis are used in part of the strategic planning process for organizations. By using the scan in organization this reveals factors that will affects the organization allowing, leadership to proactively respond to the upcoming impacts (What are the basics of environment scanning, n.d.).

With organizations facing unprecedented challenges, the environmental scan will serve as a baseline for the current landscape with the need to be updated as external factors change and shift to allow organizations to continue being proactive with decision making. In the article, Environmental Scanning: Radar for Success it points out 6 critical environments to include within a comprehensive environmental scanning process. The 6 environments include: industry/market, technology, regulatory, economic, social and political landscapes (Albright, 2004). The first three environments involve different impact into company structure: industry/market this involve the structure of the specific industry and key competition, technology involve the emergence of new technology and its’ impact on existing infrastructure and regulatory landscape are changes in law and guidelines that a company is required to follow. Whereas, the next three environments explored in a comprehensive scan have indirect impact on an organization: economics changes that occur that can help the organization prepare for necessary changes in operations, social landscape that includes market changes within a community or the need for specific programs/product and the political landscape and how it can indirectly influence operations from elections to changes in existing policies.

In specific to You are More, the social landscape in terms of movements and what circulates on social media can have direct influence on the company’s product and service demands. The #MeToo movement made headlines internationally and “just one example, there has been a sizeable increase in demand on Canada’s sexual violence support services; calls to the Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre increased 100% during [2017] alone” (The #MeToo Movement in Canada, 2021). When awareness is increased within communities and across social media platforms this increases the need for services across the country. Starting to see these trends in conversation early can allow You are More in the future to respond with appropriate services to the demand.

The analytical methods being used the analyze the data will be pattern identification and thematic analysis for the qualitative data. This will be done after collecting data and examining the important feature or common elements within the data.

Section 4 - Beneficiaries

There are few audiences that will benefit from the environmental scan conducted, the largest impact will be on sexual violence survivors as You are More will be able to produce and implement programs that aligns with what the community needs and is lacking in current resources. This research will also help the You are More team understand the environmental landscape and be able to proactively act on upcoming trends, program information and delivery from the insights gained. The You are More team will also have the results of S.W.O.T analysis to understand what contribute to their strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats. The other larger audience that the environmental scan will impact is the You are More stakeholder, current and future. This will provide “context to stakeholders as they consider risks” (Risk Management Essentials, 2022).

The deliverables for the audiences are as followed:

1. The You are More Project team (The Board of Directors) will receive the stakeholder handbook, and in-person presentation to examine the landscape in which they currently working through including an in-depth explanation on the PESTLE analysis, S.W.O.T analysis and overall environmental scan. The in-person presentation will occur within the board meeting with the CEO conducting the presentation (The CEO is Linzi Stoddard)

2. The Stakeholders will receive a handbook that outlines the analysis performed and the landscape with upcoming action plans.

3. The You are More Project participants will be able to access a resources page on the You are More Project that relates to current community programming and resources that is discovered through the environmental scan. The information will be provided to The You are More Project and the website specialist will format and upload the necessary information to their own independent website.

Section 5 - Envisioned Impact

The research conducted and deliverables provided will help solve the problem by:

· Outcome #1 – Comprehensive Environmental scan understanding the current context in which The You are More Project operates to implement community programming.

· Outcomes #2 – Stakeholders will understand the risks through the S.W.O.T analysis and environmental scan exploring strengths, weaknesses, opportunities and threats.

· Outcomes #3 – Programming that fills the gap within the Saskatchewan context.

· Outcome #4 – Current resources and programs in Saskatchewan listed on You are More website for those who have experienced sexual violence.

· Outcome #5 – The You are More Project will obtain an environmental scan, S.W.O.T analysis and PESTLE of their current context in a handbook.

Outcomes #1 and #3 explore a cultural, wellbeing and social impact within the community. Through the scan and analysis conducted the contribute to the values and reality of community members as well as leading to better outcomes for the health of individuals through current and new treatment options from You are More and community. Outcome #2 specifically influence the economic impact of You are More, the organization will save money on programming as they understand the impacts and upcoming trends to implementing projects and do not have to experiment to understand their environment, therefore saving them money. The profit will be higher as stakeholder money will be going to sustainable programming that has explored the internal and external impacts and not trial and error. Outcome #5 relates to the policy impact; the recipient of the scan is a non-profit organization and will help to develop necessary policies for the organization.

Section 6 - Ethical Considerations

All data collected will be from existing conceptual and empirical knowledge. Therefore, no participants will be used through the scan of analyses. After the environmental scan and analyses are completed, data is collected and analyzed then I will present to the You are More Board of Directors. As the CEO of the organization, this will be conducted in a regular board meeting and any conversation and/or concerns raised from the presentation and handbook will be addressed within the meeting which will not be used for further research purposes. The conduction of the environmental scan, S.W.O.T analysis and PESTLE analysis has been approved by the board so they are aware the external and internal factors of the organization are being scanned and analyzed.

There will be no funding sources for the conduction of this environmental scan and analyses.

There is no conflict of interest as I (Linzi Stoddard) will not be receiving pay from the You are More Project to conduct the scan, data collection or analyzes. The results of the scan will impact the You are More Project, however as the executive director, I do not have a vote in what gets passed based on the report and the board of directors vote on all manners.

All biases will be explored prior to the scan being conducted, as the CEO of the You are More Project, I will need to ensure all aspects of the scan are taken into consideration with the same severity and in-depth analysis. For the success of You are More is it critical to ensure all strengths and weakness within the internal and external factors are explored to provide adequate information to stakeholders and to provide insight for program development and implementation.

The research will not be published, it will be used internally with the You are More Project and aspects of the report will be used to inform stakeholders.

Section 7 - Develop schedule/timeline specifying main project activities and when they will occur

Timeframe	Activity/Task
April 2023	Create Impact Plan
May-July 2023	Start comprehensive S.W.O.T analysis, PESTLE analysis and Environmental Scan
June 29/2023-August 8/2023 (OGL 570)	Learn and Practice Data Collection and Analysis Complete CITI ethics training
July – August 2023	Complete Environmental Scan, S.W.O.T and PESTLE
August– October 2023	Analyze data, collate, synthesize findings
October 11/2023 – December 1/2023 (OGL 593)	Finalize findings and produce deliverables to indicated audience in section 4.

Section 8 - Reflection 

The initial assumptions I am making about my project is that the scan will reflect the need for the You are More services even though they have yet to conduct a comprehensive scan. This assumption comes from personal experience and the lack of services I had availability to within my community. The limitations of this study are that it will primarily be conducted on Saskatchewan services and not regard nationwide or other services within Canada. Therefore, the scan will only include data from a small region of Canada. You are More will need to conduct a further scan to encompass nationwide data to ensure alignment with national guidelines and trends.

The background experience that qualifies me for this experience is that I am a person with lived experience, I understand the landscape of my own experience and now can further use this knowledge to take on a larger scale scan of the current context. My personal experience occurred over 5 years ago therefore, lots has shifted since with the pandemic and over time. I am currently a research coordinator for the University of Regina for a study that examines pregnant people and intergenerational trauma, this serves as a foundation for the project in terms of data collection and analysis. I am the CEO of The You are More Project and have a lot of knowledge within the roam of trauma-integrated yoga and how to serve within the healing process of sexual violence and the importance of moving through trauma.

What excites me about this project is that it will have a direct impact on the programs we implement within our community and provide insights that we have yet to look at as an organization. It will further my expertise within environmental scans, S.W.O.T analysis and PESTLE analysis that I can bring back to my research team and non-profit for further scans in the organization and strategic planning. This scan and analyses will be a huge contribution to receiving funding for program implementation and allow You are More to further develop their impact and outreach. It connects with my professional aspirations of aiding those who have been impacted by sexual violence and providing. From this report, You are More will be able to use the data collected to provide sustainable science-based programs for survivors while understanding the factors that play into its’ implementation.

My current concerns are ethics, from my experience because I am involved in the organization and the information will be only for internal use to secure stakeholders and implement program that I do not need to apply for ethics. However, I just want to confirm this – I am using only publicly accessible data and after the deliverables are formulated I will conduct an overview of findings to the board of directors within a regular board meeting, thus has been approved by The You are More Project Board of Directors.

One idea covered in the class was PESTLE analysis, this provided initial steps a more comprehensive analysis and gave me insight into how to conduct this type of analysis and lay the foundation for the applied project. Another thing that I have learned that isn’t necessarily a part of one of the modules but the difference between basic and applied research and how that relates to the thesis route and applied project routes. This will greatly help me in my applied project as I have realistic expectations for what is an appropriate deliverable for this route. Prior to 550, as you may recall in 540 I had a concept that required observational time and in-person interviews with the combination of qualitative and quantitative data. This was not appropriate for the applied project as it was producing basic research and would have not been able to be conducted and finalized within the time period of 6-7 weeks. Further integration of concepts and theories from the class is within section 3b.

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