Discussion Board
Task: Generate as many thoughts as you can about this illustration and your reactions, relative to program evaluation.
Who/what does the person in front represent?
This is the project leader, who often ends up pulling more weight and doing more legwork than offering direction. In this image the leader is barely looking beyond his/her own feet. They may not be seeing other possibilities on the horizon. There is not a lot of future-thinking because this person is arduously moving and pulling the program along just one little step at a time.
Who/what do the people in back represent?
These are the project facilitators and teammates. They, too, are working hard to get the job done. They are even working together, making sure their steps are in sync and that no one falls behind. Nevertheless, they can't see up ahead because of the size and stature of the program (the wagon) itself. In some ways, they feel like they are just following blindly and according to the directives from up ahead. There is no time or opportunity to pause, catch one's breath, reflect on the process, or change course.
What does the body of the wagon represent?
This is the program. It's a big task and a has a lot of parts! It requires a lot of coordination to implement and keep it running. Nevertheless, the project stakeholders do whatever it takes to keep it moving in the only way that they know how.
What do the square wheels represent?
This is the status quo of doing things. (It's the result of the first iteration of the program.)
What do the round wheels represent?
This is the potential for improvement. It represents the collection of opportunities and resources to create a better program. This includes designated evaluation personnel, planning time, collaborative discussions, testing measures, pre-existing data, regular review/reflection of objectives, participant feedback, etc. This potential always exists and is a part of every program. It's just that sometimes we overlook this potential or don't take the effort to tap into it to improve our program delivery.
What is the overall vision or interpretation of the illustration?
Typically we have the capacity and tools to make our programs more efficient and effective, but we aren't utilizing them. Instead, we are carrying this "potential" around and carrying on with programs that are bulky, clunky, inefficient, and barely effective. If we recognized the importance of taking stock of our team's skills and opportunities for growth we could not only reduce the "weight" of our program, but also coordinate efforts to get things moving along more efficiently and effectively. For example, instead of just sitting on data and shuffling it around year to year, we could comb through it and help it grow legs to get us from point A to B in a better way.
(Response to a peer:) I hadn't thought about the role of pride in this equation. Interesting viewpoint. In my case I haven't seen pride so much as laziness and comfort. We know how to do something, and it keeps going forward somehow or another, so why stop to see if it can "go" better? Some leaders or staff members might say if it ain't broke, why (look for reasons and ways to) fix it? If they could press the pause button on life and fast forward to a better version of their program, then they would see the rationale. But it's hard when you are in the present just pulling or pushing forward.
No comments:
Post a Comment