Assignment HDC1-2: Assessing organizational strengths and weaknesses
Review Appendices C (Elements of an effectively managed organization) and D (Board self-assessment survey) from Strategic Planning for Nonprofit Organizations: A Practical Guide and Workbook (Allison and Kaye, 1997) in your reading packet. Assessing strengths and weaknesses is often one of the first steps recommended in strategic planning, but it can be also be done as a stand-alone exercise. Results can be used as a framework for discussing which aspects of organizational development are most important and which need more attention. The questions provided in Appendices C and D cover a number of elements of non-profit organizational management. Not all items will be appropriate for all organizations and some may be useful for watershed groups that are not stand-alone non-profit organizations.
Option A: If you are a member of or employed by a watershed group, select a set of questions from Appendix C and/or D. Ideally, have some or all of your group leaders (e.g., board of directors, steering committee) respond to the questions. Alternatively, you can respond to the questions yourself. Write a short summary of your findings. Indicate which questions or sets of questions you chose to use for your assessment and why. What were the responses? How might you and other members of your group address the weaknesses identified through the questions? If more than one member of your group responded to the questions, were there significant differences of opinion in their assessments? What are the implications of those differences? How might you resolve those differences or use them as a learning opportunity?
Option B: If you are not currently working for or with a watershed group, choose those items (minimum of 10) from the assessment tools in Appendix C or D that you think are especially critical for watershed groups in Ohio. Assume you are working with a group that rates itself as weak on these items. For each item (or group of items, if appropriate), write 2-3 actions or strategies you would take as a group leader to address those weaknesses. For example, if a group determines that they have a weakness relative to having a clearly articulated and agreed upon purpose (item 1 on page 239 of Appendix C), what activities would you undertake as a group leader to address this weakness?
Products to turn in for review:
Option A: A one-page summary of findings from responses to selected assessment questions from Appendix C & D in the readings. Indicate which questions you selected, who else responded to the questions, what were the responses? How might you and other members of your group address the weaknesses identified through the questions? If more than one member of your group responded to the questions, were there significant differences of opinion in their assessments? What are the implications of those differences? How might you resolve those differences?
Option B: A one-page summary indicating which items you selected from Appendix C and/or D (minimum of 10 items) and how you would work with a group to address weaknesses in these areas.