Learn About New CADCA/National Guard Assessment Resource at the Forum

Comprehensive community problem solving requires coalitions to evaluate their operations as part of an ongoing process to be effective as they and the communities they serve constantly evolve. If you are looking for an engaging new evaluation resource, be sure to attend CADCA’s 22nd Annual National Leadership Forum, held Feb. 6-9 at the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center in Maryland to learn about the Coalition Kaizen Event.

Part of the “Collaborate” track, the Forum workshop “Coalition Kaizen Events: The Next Step Forward in Process Evaluation,” will give participants the opportunity to preview the Coalition Kaizen Event developed through a partnership between CADCA and the National Guard Bureau (NGB)'s Civil Operation Program. Participants will learn about the Kaizen process and how to request a free facilitation of the Coalition Kaizen Event for their coalition. The workshop will take place on Tuesday, Feb. 7 from 3:30-4:45 p.m.

The term “Kaizen” refers to a continuous assessment process that helps organizations improve operational infrastructure and efficiency. The Coalition Kaizen Event uses a top-down, inclusive approach to survey coalition members and staff on their specific behaviors and actions, as opposed to perception. According to Paul Evensen, Ph.D., workshop presenter and President of Community Systems Group, Inc., science suggests that group diagnostics produced from individual experiences can provide more reliable data for identifying actionable areas of improvement.

“The Kaizen gives coalitions a tangible way to measure their capacity and to involve all coalition members in the process,” Evensen said. “The Kaizen allows your coalition to set realistic goals for improvement that everyone understands.”

CADCA and the National Guard plan on incrementally implementing the Coalition Kaizen Event over the next year to coalitions across 54 U.S. states and territories. A Kaizen event, facilitated by National Guard members, will be held at a coalition meeting where, using electronic reporting devices, participants will be able to anonymously answer a series of questions through the Essential Processes Survey. According to Evensen, the survey will measure participation in each step, the degree of consensus that coalition has for key decisions (i.e. action plan) and the usefulness of the coalition’s planning products.

Coalitions can use that data to work with NGB members who can provide on-the-ground coaching and support. MSgt. Curtis Hanock, NGB Civil Operations Deputy Program Manager and workshop presenter, has played a critical role in the development of this program and believes that the partnership with CADCA and the Coalition Kaizen Event provide the National Guard an even stronger foundation for community service.

National Guard members will then direct coalitions to Bill Geary, Technical Assistance Manager for CADCA’s National Coalition Institute, for further information and guidance in specific areas based on the Kaizen results.

CADCA will also use that data to enhance the broader coalition field and build coalition science. According to Evelyn Yang, Ph.D., Deputy Director of Evaluation and Research for CADCA’s National Coalition Institute, combining Kaizen results with data from CADCA’s Annual Survey provides a clearer picture of how community coalitions create population-level change.

“Data from the Kaizen events and the Annual Survey can help us understand how improvements in coalition operations link to community problem solving over time and how coalitions can become more effective at achieving community-level outcomes,” Yang said. 

CADCA’s 22nd Annual National Leadership Forum at the Gaylord National Hotel & Convention Center in Maryland will be held in conjunction with SAMHSA’s 8th annual Prevention Day. The theme “Forum 2012: Collaborate. Advocate. Innovate,” which emphasizes the importance of developing broad-based strategic alliances, implementing proven and promising strategies, and achieving population-level change.

For more information about the Forum, visit http://forum.cadca.org. Register now. If you are registered for the Forum and would like to promote that in your community, download our press release template.