Evaluation

EVALUATION OF LEADERSHIP FREDERICTON'S IMPACT - MEASURING SUCCESS

1.Curriculum delivery: Summative evaluation carried out at the end of each opening and closing retreat, at the end of every learning day, and at the end of the program year provides input to the program development committee and guides the development of each learning day and the entire offerings of community learning days.

2.Kouzes and Posner’s Leadership Practices Inventory: Participants in the Certificate Program in Community Leadership complete a leadership assessment tool on the five behaviours of successful leaders: challenging the process, modeling the way, enabling others to act, inspiring a shared vision and encouraging the heart. Developed by James Kouzes and Barry Posner, the leadership practices inventory tool is based on the research work compiled by the authors in The Leadership Challenge. Participants and their observers complete the survey by answering questions that indicate how frequently ‘the participant’ is perceived to be engaging in the five leadership practices. The tool is administered at the beginning and near the end of the certificate program year. A class profile of the first three classes (2003,2004, 2005) indicate that there is a significant increase over the year in how frequently the ‘class as a whole’ is perceived by their observers to be engaging in the behaviours of highly successful leaders.

3.Impact on graduates: Surveys of graduates may be conducted after some time has passed since the completion of their program year.

4.Impact on the community: Developing appropriate tools to assess the impact on the community presents the greatest challenge. One way to measure is to track the legacy of community projects undertaken by project teams during their Leadership Fredericton year. A second way to measure is to record the personal narratives of the leaders who are engaged in developing and implementing Leadership Fredericton’s programs as well as the graduates of the program regarding the formation of new partnerships, creation of new and different activities or projects in the community or personal growth stories. A third measure is the frequency with which the graduates of the program are invited to participate in ‘other’ community capacity building initiatives. A fourth measure is in the longevity of the program itself due to the support of the tri-sectors (private, public and voluntary) by sending and paying for their employees’ to participate in the various program offerings; and through the cash and in-kind support of partners. Leadership Fredericton is considering how best to research the impact of the program on community when a significant number of people have graduated from the program.

5.Evaluation on a national level: The J. W. McConnell Family Foundation conducted a national evaluation of the early years of the sixteen community leadership programs in Canada for which they provided seed funding. Their report provides valuable information about the impact of community leadership programs in other communities across Canada. The Canadian Community Leadership Network continuously shares information and best practices among its network members. From the continuing conversations among the network members, new practices on evaluating impacts of community leadership programs at the local level, and nationally, may emerge.