Estudio resultados exitosos

Success Case Method: Summary
The Success Case Method developed by Robert O. Brinkerhoff is a quick and simple process that combines analysis of extreme groups with case study and story-telling. The essential purpose of a Success Case study is to find out how well some organizational initiative (e.g., a training program, a new work method) is working. A Success Case study also identifies andexplains the contextual factors that differentiate successful from unsuccessful adopters of new initiatives. A recent study, for example, discovered that the factors that explained why some trainees were able to use their new training to accomplish worthwhile results (while others were not) were support from their supervisors, access to certain data bases, and access to training soon after beingassigned new business accounts. The Success Case study process has two fundamental parts. First, the evaluator identifies the few program participants who were the most, and least, successful. This is usually accomplished with a brief 3-5 item survey. That is, all participants are surveyed to determine, by self report, to what extent they are using the new methods and tools a new initiative intendedthem to use, and what results, if any, they are accomplishing. Survey respondents are sorted into those few that are most and least successful. Then, one selects a random sample from among the most and least successful and, interviewing these people (usually by telephone) “digs deep” into their experience to determine the exact nature and extent of their success. More specifically, the evaluatorseeks to discover: Exactly what they used, when they used it, how, when etc. What results they accomplished How valuable the results are (e.g., in dollars) What environmental factors enabled their application and results.

Unsuccessful persons are interviewed to determine why they were unable to use or benefit from the program. Specifically, they are asked what got in the way, what factors keptthem from being successful, and so forth. The results of a Success Case study are communicated in “story” form. That is, the evaluator finds the most compelling and descriptive examples of success the program has achieved, then documents these examples in a few brief but richly detailed stories. In an evaluation of the business value of emotional intelligence training at American Express, forexample, we told the story of how six different financial advisors, each in a different situation, had used their training to increase sales, increase customer revenues, and so forth. Comparing these stories with the stories of unsuccessful participants allowed us to pinpoint the several key performance system factors that enabled some to make very successful use of the program, while others were notnearly so successful. As a result, American Express was able to formulate new guidelines for program participation and support that were aimed at increasing the numbers of advisors who could successfully leverage the training into financial results. The Success Case Method differs from typical more quantitative methods in that it does not seek to learn about the “average” or modal participant in aninitiative, It intentionally seeks the very best that a program is producing, to help determine if the value a program is capable of producing is worthwhile, and whether it is likely that it can be leveraged to a greater number of participants. A “success story” is not a testimonial or a critical review. It is a factual and verifiable account – citing evidence that would “stand up in court” – thatdemonstrates how and how valuably a person used some new method or tool or capability. In the American Express study, for example, the stories of successful advisors cited actual data about their financial results that was verifiable and documented in office records and reports. When necessary, the evaluator seeks corroborating information from third parties, such as peers, customers, or...