Case Study: Shaping a profile of organizational learning at an intermediary
organization
Initial Position
In 1997 the protestant academy, Evangelische Akademie Bad Boll, chose the motto “Courage for Tomorrow – The Perspective of Civil Society” as their main topic for some years to promote their work in public more efficiently. By the means of conferences, forums, workshops, and further initiatives this project was intended to initiate a dialogue on concepts of a civil society, offer opportunities to build networks, and foster new models for a civil society in different societal areas. Besides, the academy chose the model of an intermediary organization as a corporate identity concept to further develop its own work and profile against the background of the changing conditions in society. Therefore, a scientific and organizational consultancy was needed to evaluate their political goals, as well as future plans, in the organization development.
Methodical Approach
First, the methodical steps of scientific consulting had to be adapted to the goals of the organization. The approach of “responsive evaluation” was selected, which is not only sensitive to the interests of the involved groups, but also in developing processes in projects. Thereby the use of qualitative methods is controlled by the interests of the participants and allows for a balancing act between research and consulting. The criteria for evaluation and key questions for single surveys, as well as the need for consulting, were thereby determined by all participants taking into account differing interests in information, values and attitudes of the involved groups. The findings of the questionnaires and interviews – depending on the method - were presented in the respective decisive main committee of the academy and were thus fed to the organization.
The results of this work contained quantitative and qualitative surveys of participants in the workshops, consulting of project leaders, and the making of a project handbook. Also, new impulses for the analyses of effects over time to advise giving regarding final theses for university diploma were included (a more detailed description about various research tasks, consulting impulses and inputs will be given in the overview.
Results
For the complete public documentation of the project, and selected findings of the scientific consultancy, see: http://www.ev-akademie-boll.de/special/cfm/indexcfm.htm (German only)
http://www.ev-akademie-boll.de/common/minfo_en.htm (English)