Success Analysis Protocol
Developed by Gene Thompson Grove from earlier versions by Vivian Johnson.
Purpose:
To share professional successes with colleagues in order to gain insight into the conditions that led to those successes, so participants can do more of what works.
“Success” is defined as something that proved to be highly effective in achieving an outcome important tothe presenter.
Pre-Work:
Identify a Success
What was the desired outcome?
Write a short description of a success in some arena of your professional practice. Describe thespecifics of the success. Be sure to answer the question, “What made this different from other experiences like itthat I have had?”
You might choose a success that surprised you, or that you haven’t already analyzed on your own, orthat you would like to get others’ thinking about. It doesn’t have to be a large success — people learn alot in this exercise from relatively “small” successes as well. (5-10 minutes)
Process:
- Presenter Describes the Success
In groups, the first presenter tells the story of his or her success, in as much detail as she/he canremember. The group takes notes.
- Group Asks Clarifying Questions
The rest of the group asks clarifying questions about the details of the success in order to fill in anyinformation the group needs to be helpful to the presenter.
- Group Reflects on the Success Story
Group members discuss what they heard the presenter say, and offer additional insights and analysis ofthe success. The presenter is silent and takes notes.
- What did we hear?
- What didn’t we hear that might be relevant to the success?
- What about the environment/context contributed to the success?
- What leadership behaviors were critical to the success?
- What questions does the success story raise for us?
- What do we think about the success?
- How would this practice/success work in our respective contexts?
- What questions would we need answered before we could transfer the concept or idea to our setting?
- Presenter Reflects
The presenter reflects on the group’s discussion about what made this so successful and considers any adjustments to the practice he/she may elect to make and why. The group thendiscusses briefly how what they have learned might be applied to all of their work.
- Repeat Process with Next Group Member
Repeat Steps 1 through 4 for each member of the group. Remember to keep the focus on the underlyingprinciples or processes that made for success.
Debrief:
The group identifies the key factors common among their successes, and shares this in thelarge group. The large group looks for trends across groups, and then discusses what it would mean tocreate conditions that led to success intentionally.