Build 2 logic models

Module 2 Supplemental Lecture – Logic Models

What are the things that your organization measures to determine its success?

Typically, police departments keep track of crime statistics. They also keep track

of the activities of its officers. Numbers of arrests, criminal cases cleared, traffic

citations, citizen contacts, verbal warnings, and calls for service are tracked by

most departments. Departments also track information such as response times

and patrol time versus “obligated” time to gauge their efficiency.

As we read in the Perspectives section of this Module, the statistics kept by police

departments are used to gauge the performance as a whole. We saw how

statistics can be used to justify all kinds of things. My favorite writer of all time,

Mark Twain stated in his autobiography, “There are three kinds of lies: lies,

damned lies and statistics.” As much as I hate to, I am going to have to disagree

with my favorite writer. It’s not the statistics that lie… it’s the people who use the

statistics that lie… or at least, the way that people misinterpret them.

One of the common misinterpretations of the descriptive statistics used by law

enforcement agencies is that people confuse measures of organizational

efficiency with measures of organizational effectiveness. Effectiveness has to do

with how well an organization is doing the job that it intends to do. In other

words, how well it serves its constituent community. Effectiveness is gauged in

relation to the organization’s external environment. The measure of

organizational effectiveness is called an outcome measurement.

On the other hand, efficiency has to do with how well the organization does its

activities internally. The measure of organizational efficiency is called an output

measurement.

Typically, in order for an organization to be effective in its outcomes, it should

also be efficient in its outputs… but not necessarily. Some organizations are

effective despite being inefficient. Likewise, some organizations are efficient, but

not very effective. In the case of the district with a high residential burglary rate,

the Major used the correct strategy by turning up the heat (increased the inputs

and activities… such as increased patrols and undercover surveillances) in order to

improve the outputs (more arrests of burglars). However, this improvement in

the efficiency of the district’s operation has not translated into an improvement

in its effectiveness. All the residential stakeholders can see and care about is that

there are more burglaries this month than there were last month.

Using Logic Models to Align Inputs, Activities, Outputs, and Outcomes

Government agencies use logic models to determine the equitable distribution

funding to non-governmental organizations (NGOs). Nowadays, in order to write

grant proposals to the federal government, NGOs have to prepare logic models

that demonstrate an alignment with the things they do to the things that they are

supposed to do. A well constructed logic model greatly increases the chances of

an NGO getting government funding from a grant proposal.

Likewise, logic models can also be used by organizations to clarify what it is that

they do, and how they go about in doing it. It is not a bad idea for organizations

to periodically take a look at themselves and see if their activities and outputs

align well with their outcomes. More importantly, they need to assess whether

their outcomes are really what they intend them to be in the first place. Some

organizations exist for years without anyone challenging their purpose. If an

organization exists merely to exist, then it should not exist anymore. There has to

be a greater purpose that the organization fills. Existing for the sake of existing is

not a good thing.

Outcomes versus Outputs

These two words sound a lot alike, but they are not the same thing. As

mentioned before, outcomes are used to determine the effectiveness of an

organization in relation to its external stakeholders. In law enforcement, a typical

outcome statement would be, “the violent crime rate is reduced 50% in one

year.”

By contrast, outputs are used to determine the efficiency of an organization.

Outputs measure the activities that organizations do in order to attain their

ultimate outcomes. Whereas the outcomes look at the organization’s success in

relation to its external environment, outputs look at the organization’s internal

success. Another way of looking at outputs is to consider them as the things that

organizations produce. A typical output measurement for a law enforcement

agency is “x number of arrests” or “x number of traffic citations” for example.

Typically, the better the outputs, the likelier that the organization will attain its

desired outcomes. I will give you an example from one of my favorite sports. In

baseball, there are a lot of statistics that measure outputs. There are batting

averages, RBIs (runs batted in), ERA (the pitchers’ earned run average), slugging

percentage, and many, many more statistics. Baseball is probably the most

statistical game of all. While all these numbers may be partially indicative of

success, they do not tell the ultimate story as to the success of the team. The

only numbers that really count are the final scores of individual games, and the

won-loss records of the teams in the standings. In baseball, the won-loss record

of a team is considered an outcome measurement. The batting averages, RBIs,

and ERAs are outputs that are useful for understanding the reasons why the team

is performing well or not. But these numbers alone do not indicate whether a

team is successful or not.

During the Vietnam War, the U.S. Military was criticized for using body counts as a

measure of success. By the end of the war, it has been estimated that 58,000

American soldiers were killed, whereas the North Vietnamese enemy lost an

estimated 1,100,000 lives (Answers.com, 2011). For every American soldier that

died, 19 North Vietnamese soldiers died. By this score, it would appear that the

U.S. handily won the war. However, we all know that the Vietnam War is

considered a bitter defeat for the U.S. This is an example of the output

measurements being favorable, but the outcome measurements not.

The table below provides a few examples of outputs and outcomes as they relate

to various different realms.

Realm Output Outcome

Baseball RBI, batting average, ERA Won-loss record

Law Enforcement Agency # of arrests, # of calls for service

# of violent crimes, # of property crimes

Profit-Based Corporation # of widgets produced Stock value

Non-Profit Organization

# of care packets distributed to homeless persons

# of persons without a home

Military

# of enemy soldiers killed, # of enemy soldiers injured, # of enemy soldiers captured

The enemy ceases to fight and surrenders. Peace accord is signed by combating parties.

When we do our logic models for the assignment in this Module, the first step is

to take into consideration the needs of the stakeholder constituency. In other

words, before we determine what the outcome measurements are, we need to

figure out exactly what the organization does, or is expected to do for the

community. This requires an understanding of the stakeholder environment and

the mission of the organization as part of that environment. The accompanying

PDF PowerPoint provides a step-by-step approach to building logic models.

Below is a brief summary of these steps. Make sure you take a closer look of the

PowerPoint before proceeding with your assignment.

Steps for Developing Logic Models

• Step 1: Determine stakeholder needs

• Step 2: Develop desired Outcomes

• Step 3: Determine the available Inputs

• Step 4: Determine Activities

• Step 5: Develop the Outputs

• Step 6: Develop Goals

References:

Answers.com (2011). Retrieved on July 9, 2011, from

http://wiki.answers.com/Q/How_many_people_died_in_the_Vietnam_War