HR departments in municipalities are working hard to use new

information management resources to increase awareness, focus on measurement and improve the

effectiveness of HR strategies and programs ...

"Drowning in data, yet starved of information"

(Ruth Stanat 'The Intelligent Organization')

“…(work) is a conversation...and ‘knowledge workers’ are simply those people whose job consists of having interesting

conversations”.

David Weinberger

…an eagerness to question why they should do it, how to apply what they’ve learnt and a desire to learn more.

Vanessa Kingsbury

Isn’t this what we want?

What? So What?

Now What?

At the end of this session, you’ll have an easy to learn, practical approach to…

1. guide reflective activities 2. develop action plans3. confidently share information 4. get agreement and meaningful action, faster

What is the model?

Describe

InterpretFeel

Take action

A Continuous Cycle

Borton 1970

Gibb 1988

We learn from experienceFirst - have an experience (see HR Metrics describing people issues and trends).

Then - spend time thinking about/reflecting on that experience, picking it apart, peeling back the layers and unearthing any nuggets of insight.

And then - decide how to incorporate what you have learned into your life, your relationships, your HR processes and strategies.

Describe

InterpretFeel

Take action

A Continuous Cycle

The very act of having incorporated these newly acquired lessons influences the next experience, bringing us full circle.

So What?Implications

and Indicated Action for You

…the overarching goal of learning from experience is to weave our lessons into the fabric of our daily moments until they become a part of us.

Amelia Maness-Gilliland

I. What (Happened)?

Sharing data implies reporting what happened objectively in details about facts and event(s) without judgment or interpretation.

• What happened? • What did you observe? • What issue is being addressed? • What population is getting served? • What were the results? • What events or “critical incidents” occurred? • What was of particular notice?

II. So What (Does it Mean to You)? Discuss feelings, ideas, and analysis of the issue.

• What impacts the way you view the situation? • What lens are you viewing it from? • What do the critical incidents mean to you? • What did you learn about our community? • What might impact their views of the data? • What are some of their pressing needs? How does

this data address those needs? • What is the least impact from this data you can

imagine?• With unlimited creativity, what is the most impact

on the community that you can imagine?

III. Now What (Are You Going to Do)? Consider broader implications and action steps

• What seems to be the root causes of the issue? • What activities are happening related to it?• What contributes to the success of projects like

this? What hinders success? • What learning occurred for you in this experience?

How can you apply this learning? What would you like to learn more about?

• What follow-up is needed? • If you were in charge of the project, what would

you do to improve it? • If you could do the project again, what would you

do differently?

What So What Now What

What is missing? Why do we need to fill the gap?

What action needs to be taken next?

What is going on? What problem are we trying to solve?

What problems or consequences do you anticipate?

What actions might solve the problem, eliminate the need or sustain the results?

What actions have we taken?

Why do you say that? What is this opinion based on?

How will you know these actions have been taken?

What is still missing? What did you learn? What is the critical path?

What did you do? Why was the action needed?

What else is needed now?

What happened? What factors affected the need?

What actions might solve the problem, eliminate the need or sustain the results?

What choices were made?

Was the action useful? Is the community different or better? Are you?

Now What Will You Do To…

Make data meaningful, immediate and compelling to your team

Make your ideas “sticky” (i.e. remembered and acted upon) Always be clear, concise and relevant Respond to challenges from stakeholders and get them on

side to implement solutions Shorten the time needed to prepare compelling reports,

presentations and recommendations

Based on what we know about adult learning, keep the following in mind with your stakeholders:

1. Adults need to know what they will be learning and WIIFM to learn it.

2. Adults want to be treated as equals and shown respect both for what they already know and how they prefer to learn.

3. Adults have a wealth of prior experienceAs well as being a source of new learning, experience can also act as a gatekeeper, reinforcing mental models and schemas. Therefore, the unlearning process is as important as the learning process

4. Adults are relevancy-oriented and want to see how the learning has immediate application, especially if it will help them with problem solving.

What? 1995

• Population shrinking • Highest youth out-migration• Highest p/c elderly population• Median home price $26,500• 50% of shoppers went outside the county

So What Could They Do to Energize Miner County?

• Why does our town look so shabby?• Why should a farmer get a subsidy when a

business owner doesn’t?• How can we keep kids in the county?• What can we do with such a low tax base?• What can we do right now, with no money?

Now What?

Wall Street Journal March 25, 2005 In 1995, students at Howard High School … calculated that if residents spent 10% more of their disposable income at local businesses, they would add more than $7 million to the local economy, assuming the money continued to circulate in the community at the normal rate. In the year after the survey, discussed widely in town, taxable sales in Miner County increased 40%.

http://minercolessons.org/press/wallstreet.htm

http://minercolessons.org

www.youtube.com/watch?v=aBdcErBXhmk&feature=related

http://www.iplayerhd.com/player/399f60cf-06ec-43f0-96e2-6b419eef7dd3.aspx#player

http://www.chapters.indigo.ca

Partial Bibliography

• Reflection in Higher Education Service-Learning, K Connor & S. Seifer,

• Essential Reflection Handbook, University of California at Berkeley

• The Modern Practice of Adult Education and The Adult Learner, Malcolm Knowles

• Switch: How to Change When Change is Hard, Chip and Dan Heath