The Thought Leadership League (TLL) is an assembly of business leaders, researchers, thought leaders and academics dedicated to conducting research and developing standards organizations can use to monitor, measure, and drive growth and performance in the workplace.
TLL creates the outfitter solutions Connect2Metrics provides to our market of CEOs, Leaders, consultants & other types of service providers/ networks who want to bring additional value & solutions to their clients.
TLL created and launched the Culture Think Tank (CTT) during the COVID-19 period to help Senior Leader, CEO’s & Executive Coaches quickly react & respond quickly to employee needs & rapid change challenges with Pulse Polls & Analytic Dashboards.
The Return Certified Design Score (RCDS) is part of the research and theory that drives the Culture Think Tank & Connect2Metrics Solutions. If you could measure a return on your design, data, and ultimately the Culture at your organization, would you want to do that? Putting hard numbers to your investment in Culture, Learning, and measuring results with a standard is key to showing & measuring performance achievement…moving & measuring the Culture Needle at your organization.
SYNOPSYS
What is the value of investing in something if you cannot generate the value of its return?
The Return Certified Design Score (RCDS) is a metric-based standard used to score workplace performance improvement solutions, programs and tools. The RCDS is a design measure that scores a program or tool’s ability to measure growth and calculate a return. The RCDS does not seek to measure a program or tool’s effectiveness, but rather its design and ability to calculate a return.
The premise supporting the RCDS is a fundamental belief that programs and tools with limited ability to identify, monitor or measure derived improvements within the workplace are structurally impaired compared to programs and tools that can derive return.
The Return Certified Design Score was developed using the Building Blocks of Growth Model and weighted against the Dimensions of Utility. The following provides a situational analysis and summary of the methodology utilized to develop the RCDS scoring standard.
SITUATIONAL ANALYSIS
CHALLENGES
“What’s the next step?”
“How do we know if we made an impact?”
“Is it working?”
“Did we get a return on our investment?”
Above are a few common questions leaders and executives ask when implementing Change Management, Learning & Development, Culture & Values, and other workplace programs and tools. These common questions and concerns have gone unmeasured for years.
IMPLICATIONS
The inability to address the fundamental aspects of return combined with new generations entering the workforce has led to inefficiencies in the selection process of workplace programs and tools. The Top 5 inefficiencies TLL has identified are:
Distrust: Executives trust and rely on numbers for decision making. Without a means to measure return and impact, many executives have developed a distrust toward the outcomes of workplace programs. Often, the only feedback executives receive is circumstantial and based upon how their workforce “felt” after attending a program or utilizing a tool. Little to no quantitative evidence of return is provided.
Pressure & Frustration: Executives and organizations do not commit budget unless there is defined return. Workplace programs have historically been the exception. As new generations enter the workforce and the need to retain talent grows, executives are left with little choice but to invest in programs and tools that claim to benefit the workforce without a return measure or
Cost vs. Strategic Focus: The need to invest in training or tools without a return has created an environment where cost became the driving factor. The programs and tools with the biggest claims and the lowest costs typically won, divorcing workplace program and tool selection from strategic need. A prime example is the online learning space. Many providers promote their volume of titles and low costs vs. strategic alignment of learning resources to company goal achievement. The marketing claims focus on unlimited access, but not measurable
Historical Bias Loop: Numerous executives rely on the budgetary process and default to use of prior-year spending to determine the type and quantity of workplace programs to select for the next fiscal Instead of proactively adjusting to need, organizations find themselves trapped in a repetition loop…always doing what they have always done.
Lack of Focus: As a famous quote implies, “What gets measured, gets managed.” The lack of measurable return leads many organizations to lose sight of the value of their workplace programs. Without prioritization and focus, the energy and effort needed for any program success is not applied; which is a key reason the majority of workplace programs are started, but not sustained and frequently perceived as a waste of time, energy and
NEED
After reviewing the challenges and implications, TLL concluded a standard is needed to provide Executives a means to quickly and easily differentiate workplace programs and tools designed with the capability to identify, monitor, and measure return from those that do not.
By providing Executives a means to focus on programs and tools designed to provide a return, organizations can proactively align investments in workplace programs and tools with their strategic goals.
Although the capability to measure return is not a determinant of effectiveness, a design standard will ensure organizations recognize when their selected programs and tools have or do not have a return metric and have a numeric measure that measures effectiveness.
RETURN CERTIFIED DESIGN SCORE
METHODOLOGY
When developing the standard for the Return Certified Design Score (RCDS), TLL sought to strike a balance between integrity of design and ease of use. TLL selected two models to serve as the foundation for the methodology: The Building Blocks of Growth Model (BBG)and the Dimensions of Utility Model (DoU).
The Building Blocks of Growth Model serves as the scoring index to measure the integrity of design and that BBG score is weighted against the Dimensions of Utility (DoU), which provides a means to measure ease of use. (might need to clarify the above a bit, I get where you are going…it isn’t till I hit the Model that I get the methodology… aka there has to be an easier way to say above).
BUILDING BLOCKS OF GROWTH MODEL
The Building Blocks of Growth are five (5) determinants that create a foundation for engaging and sustaining performance improvement.
The Building Blocks of Growth are the same for an organization, workforce, student or athlete. The model begins by assessing opportunities for improvement and concludes with a report or output that can be translated into immediate action or adjustments.
The linear nature of the model, emphasis on prioritized metrics, and clearly defined steps provide a sound scoring index that can be adopted for evaluating the fundamental design elements of workplace programs and tools.
When applied as the scoring index for the RCDS standard, a workplace program or tool can be evaluated against each of five (5) determinants that make up the Building Blocks of Growth Model.
DIMENSIONS OF UTILITY
The Dimensions of Utility is a model developed based upon the findings of an IoT (Internet of Things) Study conducted in 2015. The objective of the study sought to identify and quantify the hurdles preventing the adoption of new technologies within organizations.
Leveraging the results of the study, TLL isolates two common factors impacting the adoption of new technologies: Implementation and Inclusion.
- Implementation: The costs, tasks, and level of effort required to setup a new technology within an organization.
- Inclusion: The operational process and level of training impacted by a new technology.
Utilizing a standard axis paradigm and a 1 to 5 Likert Scale to rate the ease of implementation and inclusion, TLL created the Dimension of Utility Model to help organizations quantify and visualize the likelihood of adoption when evaluating new technologies.
When applied to the RCDS standard, the Dimensions of Utility provides a formalized approach for scoring each of the five (5) Building Blocks of Growth.
EVALUATION & SCORING PROCESS
The Return Certified Design Score (RCDS) is calculated by averaging the Dimension of Utility rating score for each of the Building Blocks of Growth. Each Building Block of Growth is weighted equally. The RCDS is the weighted average of the scores for the five (5) Building Blocks of Growth.
A sample calculation is below:
A clearly defined set of rating definitions was developed for each Building Block of Growth. Each workplace program and tool is scored by a panel of three certified evaluators. The final RCDS outcome is the average of the three evaluators scores. A workplace program or tool may be evaluated no more than once per year.
The Return Certified Design Score (RCDS) was developed by William Lindstrom, Founder of Connect2Metrics & The Thought Leadership League for use by the Thought Leadership League (TLL) & The Culture Think Tank.
If you would like to learn more, book an appointment for a 15 Minute Virtual Meeting at Connect2Metrics or Join the Culture Think Tank to take your Free Test Drive of the Culture 5 Pulse Polls & Analytic Dashboard solutions.