RESULTS

Post-Training Coaching

The findings of the post-training coaching sessions are consistent with those of other Developing Emotional Competence Programs facilitated for other organizations. The coaching sessions revealed that participants were using the techniques in a wide variety of situations to help them achieve a wide variety of purposes. Some of those situations are listed below.

Make better decisions Influence others Improve relationships Get to win-win solutions Talk openly and honestly Be more motivated Gain cooperation Get better ideas Ease physical problems Improve work/life balance Not be frustrated Plan meetings Plan projects Not bad-mouth others Resolve conflicts Improve attitudes Understand others Eliminate emotional drain Not lash out See bigger picture

Be more proactive Calm down Show appreciation Raise questions Ask better questions Make work fun again Sleep better Prevent verbal explosions Gain perspective Have more energy Build rapport Take meeting notes Keep meetings focused Satisfy customers better Organize thinking Not interrupt Understand spouse Ease others' fears Bring up issues Find constructive solutions

Personal and Organizational Quality Assessment-Revised (POQA-R)

The POQA-R is a self-report inventory designed to reflect the key psychological and workplace elements or constructs that contribute to overall quality of an organization. The instrument provides a concentrated yet comprehensive assessment in two main topic areas: Personal Quality and Organizational Quality (Institute of HeartMath and Caring Management Consulting, "POQA-R Personal and Organizational Quality Assessment - Revised," 1999 - 2002). The POQA-R was administered pre and post program.

The data represents 17 of the 19 participants.

• Personal Constructs - Eight of the ten constructs were initially in the Below Average quadrant. All constructs showed improvement with substantial movement toward the Above Average quadrant - only two of these constructs did not pass the Average line.
• Organizational Constructs - As with most groups, the fourteen organizational constructs showed mixed results with minimal movement. Four constructs improved, three declined, and seven had little or no change.

Figures 1 and 2 (following) present the total group improvements.



Impact Interviews - Improvement in Personal Goal Areas

During the Impact Interviews participants provided specific examples of how they were using the techniques during one-hour, individual, face-to-face (or telephone) interviews. 17 people participated, representing an 89% sample. 12 participants were using the techniques frequently/ regularly and receiving significant benefit while 5 were infrequently using the techniques and receiving some small benefit. It is likely the two people who missed the interviews would have been included in the group of 12 frequent/regular users. Figure 3 below reflects the data for the 2 groups.


Figure 4 below presents another view of the users and low users average improvements in personal goals.


Below are a few of the many Impact Interview statements for various personal goals.

Manage Emotional Reactiveness

I find that I am not reacting as quickly as I used to. I think about the situation before I react because a lot of time what people say is not what they mean. Now I understand the underlying meaning or reason for their behavior and I get to the bottom of it.

Reduce Stress and Worry

Yes, I've definitely seen an improvement considering what we went through with a recent project. The biggest value was quicker reaction time to problems and correcting them. We had issues during testing. Using the techniques helped me to be able to relax and come up with solutions. The impact was significant enough to be noticeable.

Gain Greater Mental Clarity

Moment-to-moment decisions are better and faster, and I feel more confident. I don't second-guess my decisions like I did.

Increase Personal Productivity

Due to being focused and having clarity on issues, I'm not getting pissed off which used to prevent me from aligning and prioritizing things. Being able to prioritize better is helping. Things are not bugging me when they are not at the top of my "to do" list.

Personal Creativity

With the way the application program was going - instead of whining we went in with several solutions to problems, and that was a big improvement. Instead of venting we came up with ideas to address it and we did this several times and we continue to do this.

Summary of Findings

1. Participants are applying the techniques in a wide variety of ways and situations to improve their intra-personal and inter-personal performance.
2. The group experienced good improvement on the Personal Constructs of the POQA-R survey. Outcomes on the Organizational Constructs were mixed.
3. About 75% of the participants are using the techniques frequently and are experiencing significant benefits in all of the Personal Goals and their business objectives. The remaining 25% are infrequently using the techniques and are experiencing a modest amount of improvement in only some of the Personal Goals.
4. All of the participants recommend that other IT groups and departments take the program.
5. When people who work together frequently all know and use the techniques, relationships and performance improves.
6. When asked what they would tell IT executives and leaders about the program and if they would recommend that other IT groups go through the program, a number of participants pointed out...

Conclusions

Level 3 Conclusion - Many Participants Are Experiencing Significant Benefits Use of Techniques On-the-Job

The results from the various coaching sessions, the POQA-R, and the Impact Interviews indicate improvement among participants who are frequently/regularly using the techniques. It's important to note that the results (both small and large) of using the techniques have a cumulative effect on the user and, in many cases, on those who interact with the user. The effects are similar to those of a single drop of water in a still pond. The ripples not only touch the user and the other person, they subsequently affect, in a positive way, other people that person interacts with throughout the workday and at home.

Level 4 Conclusion - Impact of Use of Techniques on Personal and Organizational Measures

There is a large positive Level 4 impact on the organization. Examples show participants are positively impacting the following areas...

• Influencing others
• Productivity
• Communication
• Relationships
• Problem-solving
• Decision making
• Meeting effectiveness
• Project planning
• Initiative
• Team climate
• Taking responsibility
• Health (sleep, headaches)
• Creativity
• Deliverables
• Prioritizing

Did We / Are We Achieving the Purpose of the Program?

The answer is "Yes," particularly for those who are using the techniques on a regular/frequent basis. Overall, the majority of participants are experiencing significant positive impact in all Personal Goals (Users' average is 25%) and even those who are not using the techniques regularly (Low Users' average is 10%) are benefiting in a number of ways. Most of the participants are using two or three techniques either regularly or as needed. For some, use of the techniques has become a part of the way they manage themselves and who they are. A small number of participants are not using the techniques on a regular basis and as a result are experiencing modest improvements.

Specific Conclusions and Recommendations

Conclusion #1

The more people apply the techniques the more they, the entire team, and the department benefits.

Recommendation #1

All participants should be encouraged by their immediate supervisors and one another to use the techniques frequently as opportunities present themselves.

Reinforcement sessions should be conducted quarterly to share successes and identify additional means of applying the techniques.

Conclusion #2

Most people in a group or team apply the techniques and benefit significantly from their use. Even people who apply the techniques infrequently benefit.

Recommendation #2

People in the function should all participate in the program in 2007 to improve performance, have a common knowledge and language base, and to reinforce one another.

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