Final Flashcards
What is Needs Assesment
is a systematic process for determining and addressing needs, or “gaps” between
current conditions and desired conditions or “wants”. The discrepancy between the current condition and wanted condition must be measured to appropriately identify the need. The need can be a desire to improve current performance or to correct a problem.
What are the two types of Needs Assesment
Problem and Opportunity
What is the “is”
The exisiting operation, its configuration, and its performance.
What is the should be
The planned operation, its specified configuration, and its expected performance.
What is information we need when doing a Needs Assessment
Optimals, Goals, Actuals, Feelings
What are 3 sources of information
Interviews, Focus Groups, observation and participation
Where do we get data
Experts, competitors, customers, vendors
What are barriers
you seek the cause(s) of current problems and anticipate what might become a problem.
What are the types of barriers
Skills and Knowledge, motivation, environment, Incentives and communication
What are things to watch out for
Bias, scope creep and The Fear of Failure
What are 5 characteristics of a problem solver
Logical, intuitive, common sense, focus, communication skills
What are 5 leadership principles
Disagreement can lead either to hard feelings or to innovation, depending on the discussion leadership
, The “idea-getting” process
should be separated from
the “idea-evaluation” process
Solutions suggested by the leader are improperly evaluated
, Encourage full participation.
, The starting point of a problem is the richest in solution alternatives
What is decomposition
Recursive, data, functional, conditional
What is recursive
Continuously break into subs until trivial
What is data
Similar structure (input, output, description,…)
What is functional
Related/dependent steps in a process
What is conditional
If – Then
What is Bias
prevents unprejudiced consideration of a question
What are 3 bias types
Socially correct
Wording
Interviewer
What is the objective of brainstorming
Generate ideas
Build on others’ ideas
What are 2 rules of brainstorming
NO criticism
Encourage quantity
What is the brainstorming process
Introduce rules Assign Leader & Secretary Introduce topic Get ideas Organize ideas Get more ideas Summarize and Report
What are the types of group dynamics
Individual, Team, task
What are the 3 individual dynamics
Role
Fit
Conflict
What are the 3 team dynamics
Process
Resources : Time / Talent / Treasury
Backing
What are the 2 task dynamics
Recommendation / Decision
Output
What are 3 Group Dynamics
Motivation
Conflict
Creativity
What is group norms
written or unwritten rules of conduct
What are 3 group Task needs
Initiate ideas
Clarify ideas
Request action from others
What are 3 group maintenance needs
Release tension
Support
Encourage
What is groupthink
Excessive cohesion
Situation when group is TOO cohesive
What are 2 symptoms of groupthink
Sharing stereotypes
Not expressing true feelings
What are 2 results of groupthink
Examining few alternatives
Not critically examining ideas
What are 2 solutions of groupthink
Have leaders remain impartial
Divide into sub-groups and then discuss differences
What are 2 types of group decision making
Majority vote and Consensus
Why use the majority vote process
Good when time is lacking
Most members buy-in
Why use the consensus vote process
Most effective, but takes the most time
Commitment by all members
What is a construct
Something that may not really exist in a tangible sense, but it’s useful to pretend it does.
What are 2 examples of constructs for politeness
smiling, eye contact
What is cost benefit analysis
An analysis that weighs the expected costs of persuing a project versus the benefits that the project is expected to generate
What are 3 points about cost benefit analysis
Costs are all negative cash flows and all disadvantages
Benefits are all positive cash flows and all intangible benefits
Weighted by risk and time value
What are 3 adjustment examples in a cost benefit analysis
Time value of money, What if conditions “drift”
, risk
Operational Definition
is a procedure agreed upon for translation of a concept into measurement of some kind.”
What is not an operational definition
is not an absolute truth
Why is an operational definition important
It is particularly important when a decision is being made about whether something is correct or incorrect, or when a visual check is being made where there is room for confusion.
When should an operational definition be made
before the collection of data begins.
What is the process to get an operational definition
Identify the characteristic of interest. Select the measuring instrument. Describe the test method. State the decision criteria. Document the operational definition. Test the operational definition.
What is observation
is watching “life in action”
What is a detached observer
Observed people don’t know they’re being watched
What is an active participant
Observed people don’t know why they’re being watched
What happens when we begin observing a situation
we risk changing it
What is a pro and con of Detached Observation
Easier to remain anonymous
No intimate knowledge
What is a pro and con of active observation
More complete understanding of the data
Easy to get involved
What is the observation process
Pinpointing
Counting
Charting
What us pinpointing
Constructs and Operational Definitions
What are assumptions
You can have a good idea of what you’re looking for before you start
What is counting
Going into the field
, recording
What is charting
Raw data, Standardization/normalization
What is analysis
Statistically analyzing data
What is presentation
Tables
Pie charts
Clustered bar charts
What is an interview
An interview for this course is a face-to-face interactive, primarily verbal, real-time process
What is an interactive interview
Give and take
Both of you may talk
Both of you may ask questions
What is a primarily verbal interview
Body language also conveys information
Some written information may be transferred
What is a real time interview
Exchange of information is immediate
Little time during the interview to formulate questions or answers
What are 2 pros of an interview
Direct
Quick
What are 2 cons of an interview
Tough to analyze data
Less control
What are 4 interviewee attitudes
Intent, impact, Competence, propriety
What are 3 interviewer attitudes
Seek feelings
, seek causes, Seek proof of knowledge
What is the interview process
Prepare
Conduct Interview
Follow-up
What are 3 ways that the interviewee should prepare
Does the interviewee have the information I need?
Is the interviewee available?
Tell the interviewee what you’ll be asking so they can be prepared.
What are 3 ways the interviewer should prepare with materials
Research the topic
Research the interviewee
Make up questions ahead of time
What are 3 ways the interviewer should prepare with first impressions
Be observant
Look around the office
Do you see technical things or “touchy-feely” things?
What is an unfocused interview
First interviews are often unfocused–lots of open-ended questions
What is a focused interview
Follow-up interviews are usually focused–lots of closed-ended questions
What is the Funnel-Down interview style
Establish the big picture and then fill in the details
Start with overview type questions
Work toward more specific, closed-ended questions
What is the funnel up interview style
Start with details and “flesh in”
Start with detail, list-oriented questions
Determine how the details fit together
What are the steps to start an interview
Greeting, Establish Rapport
, purpose, contract
What are the type of interview questions
Open-ended questions
, closed ended questions, Rhetorical questions
, unanswerable questions, Argumentative questions
What are 4 interview techniques
Be willing to use leading questions when necessary
, To get an exact answer, you must ask an exact question
, End with a wrap-up question, How you word your questions can influence the response:
,
What are 5 listening techniques
Active Listening
, posture, eye contact, facial expression, Verbal encouragement
What are both the pros and cons of using a tape recorder
Everything is recorded verbatim
Pay more attention to the flow of the questions
Interview goes more quickly
What is a survey
A data gathering instrument
What are 3 pros of a survey
Easy
Large audience
Common and accepted
What are 3 cons of a survey
Questions must be carefully crafted
No room for new lines of questioning
Instructions must be crystal clear
What are 3 types of a survey
Evaluations, research, Needs Assessment
What are 3 types of survey errors
Poor sampling, poor questions, Poor response rate
What is a survey sample
Sometimes it is impractical to survey an entire population, so we select a sample
What does a survey sample depend on
Population size Questions asked Confidence Level Error Population makeup Randomness
What is a survey error
This is that “plus or minus X%” that you hear about. What it means is that you feel confident that your results have an error of no more than X%.
What is survey confidence
This is how confident you feel about your error level.
What are 3 types of sampling
Systematic Sampling, Stratified Sampling
, cluster sampling
What are 4 survey format points
Keep it short
Visual Appearance
White space, Color, Font Size
Group topics together
Start with “easy” questions
What are some survey question pointers
Start with overall topic
, Break topic down into smaller questions, When using “choice” questions, be sure the listed choices are complete and consistent
, Be clear and unambiguous
Be certain the questions and the answers match
, Be careful of the order of responses
