This capstone project aimed to help SUNY SAIL better understand the impact on the career advancement of program participants. In a mixed methods approach, three data sources were used to answer project questions, including 46 alumni impact survey responses, 4 SUNY SAIL program pre- and post-tests. Although only 14 of the 46 survey respondents indicated that they had advanced their careers since completing the program, participants in the SUNY SAIL program found their experiences to be impactful in ways beyond career advancement.
Historically, SUNY SAIL has not administered a program alumni survey or longitudinally tracked alumni who enter through their programs.
Research Synthesis
In addition, Dopson et al. Supporting these findings, Flaig et al. 2020) captured data from 23 healthcare leadership programs and found consistency for 20 beneficial outcomes. Expanding on the idea that participants reported improved performance, the findings of Cohrs et al. 2019) showed that there was also a relationship between pre-test scores and level of improvement.
Sponsorship is an aspect of mentoring that allows individuals to grow their networks faster (Randel et al., 2019).
Conceptual Framework
Then, in the first level of impact, we can address short-term benefits such as participant satisfaction and response to the training. We can examine level two data in the intermediate impact level to assess participant learning. As a follow-up, we can aim to collect data that assesses the participants' use of their newly acquired skills on the job.
Here we can use Guskey's additional level of assessment to focus on the organizational characteristics and attributes needed for success.
Project Questions
12 The final impact level looks at the long-term impact on the individual and the . organization. From an individual perspective, we seek to understand the impact of participation in the leadership development program on their career development. Furthermore, we must recognize that participation in leadership development is not the only factor in determining long-term impact and should be taken into account, represented by the orange in Figure 1. Similarly, the framework is also designed to recognize environmental influences that may influence the development of leadership development. a factor in assessing impact (communication, strategic planning, problem solving, providing feedback) and attributes (i.e. self-awareness, confidence, creativity, transparency) to understand the immediate impact that could lead to long-term progress.
Thus, the final question of the project will seek to understand what challenges or barriers participants face when seeking to progress.
Project Design
In addition, nine respondents participated in two programs, while one respondent participated in four of the nine different programs. Improved relationships Participants felt that their experience improved relationships with others outside the program itself. Navigating higher education better understanding of the complexities of higher education and how to lead within a university.
Organization limits challenges that are rooted within the organization and beyond the control of the individual.
Findings
Across three pre- and post-test program evaluations, the most reported growth came from higher education trends, with 63 percent growth reported in the CIO program, 52 percent in the Clinical Leader Academy, and 36 percent in the 2020 Business Officers program. Navigating Higher Education Trends was the second highest growth category at 27% for Building and Leading Campus Teams, which saw 30% growth in the 2021 Business Officer Academy. Participating in the program gave me insight into how to get through tough times in higher education.
Participants acknowledged that their time in the program provided them with knowledge, resources, and connections that were broad enough to be considered an asset as they hoped to advance their careers, whether on the same campus or elsewhere at SUNY. Referring to Table 5, the same codes identified in the survey appear frequently in the interviews, with networking, mentoring, and relationship building at the top of the list. As we can see from the quotes above, individuals experienced impact due to their access to peers and facilitators in the program, which provided them with attitudes they could use in the workplace.
Although the 360-degree assessment was referenced in the survey data, the interviews provided a deeper understanding of what these results meant. A few interviewees noted that they have experienced bias in the hiring process because of their race, being a woman, or their disability, making it difficult for them to advance in their careers. Despite participating in the SAIL leadership development program and having the necessary skills and desire to advance in their careers, participants faced barriers on their current campus or when applying and interviewing for specific positions.
Others who have encountered these challenges have shared their frustrations and talked about the lack of resources to help them navigate these situations in the future. This challenge arose in the context of individuals who were unsure of their background and skills and had difficulty communicating their potential.
Recommendations
Define Overall Outcomes
Consistent with Holton's model (1996), SAIL should establish learning outcomes from three perspectives, SAIL, the individual participant, and the SUNY system. Since SAIL is interested in understanding and communicating its impact, it should first define what it considers impact and have a straightforward way of measuring it. To establish each participant's goals, SAIL should administer an intake survey that collects basic participant data (job title, current institution, contact information) and what they hope to gain from the program, such as career advancement, skill development, or relationship building.
These responses should be directly related to the outcomes that SAIL believes are critical to measure. 37 work closely with the SUNY system to identify how SAIL programs and participants relate to strategic organizational benefits.
Create a Career Advancement Database
Design Short-Term Evaluation Strategy
Understanding participants' self-rated growth can be valuable in measuring what participants took away from the program (Kirkpatrick, 1954). Moving to the next levels of evaluation is more complex because we want to understand whether program participation was successful in the long term. It is therefore a recommendation that SAIL design a 12-month follow-up protocol (see Figure 5) to measure participants' application of their learning outcomes in the workplace, assess behavioral changes, assess career development and generate regular touchpoints for further engagement . .
SAIL can conduct structured interviews and assess participants' diary reflections after six or nine months. In parallel with designing the follow-up protocol, another recommendation is that SAIL refine the Alumni Survey tool, which will be used in the 12-month completion phase and sent once a year following their participation. These lessons can be collected in the short-term evaluation phase and other checkpoints identified in the medium- and long-term follow-up protocol.
What have you achieved in the last year (changed jobs, wrote a book or presented a paper). This referral protocol could include a three-pronged approach that would satisfy the desire of both participants to share their participation with key decision makers and provide the SUNY system with a list of individuals who have been recognized as leaders and received training relevant to future career opportunities. . The final approach would be to provide an annual reception with key stakeholders in the SUNY system.
Additionally, research has shown that badges have the potential to generate discussion, feedback, and the ability to link any work from participants' programs to their profiles (O'Connor & McQuigge, 2013). However, the mentors appeared to be in a role specifically linked to the program and activities rather than building a long-term relationship with the participants.
Discussion and Conclusion
In summary, the findings revealed that the impact of leadership development programs can be measured far beyond the career advancement of participants. These recommendations, informed by the findings, will provide SUNY SAIL with a path forward to continually improve their programming, track participants' career advancement, help mitigate the challenges employees face in the transition of work and to create a pipeline of successful leaders for the SUNY system. This project provides SUNY SAIL and other organizations with a clear understanding of how their participants perceive impact, a blueprint for their evaluation.
The impact of management and leadership development in higher education: A review of the literature and evidence. As a PhD student in the Leadership, Learning and Organizations program at Vanderbilt University, I invite you to participate in a capstone project to understand how your participation in a SUNY SAIL program has impacted your career advancement and leadership growth. You have been identified as a potential interviewee for this survey because you have completed one of nine SUNY SAIL programs and completed the SAIL Alumni Impact Survey earlier this year.
Your participation in this study is extremely important to me and to SUNY SAIL and will help understand SAIL's impact in an effort to continually improve and design programs and services to meet your evolving needs. The goal of this project is to understand how participation in a SUNY SAIL program has affected your career progression, which will ultimately lead to a set of findings and recommendations for SUNY SAIL. In addition to providing these findings and recommendations to SUNY SAIL, these data will be used for my capstone project in partial fulfillment of my doctoral degree.
You were selected for an interview because you are a past participant of a SUNY SAIL program and have completed the SUNY SAIL Alumni Impact Survey. To what extent have you used learning from the SUNY SAIL program in a way that you believe has made a significant difference in the business? Describe how you have applied your learnings from participating in the SUNY SAIL program in your career.
Thank you for your time today. The information you provided was very helpful and will allow me to better understand the overall impact that SUNY SAIL programs have on participants.
Category
Average Percent Change of Self-Assessed Participant Growth
Top Project Management Trends Building Public Speaking and Campus Leadership Team Leveraging Diversity in the Workplace Building Partnerships, Networking, and Communication Mentoring.
CONNECTION
NAVIGATING HIGHER ED
SELF-AWARENESS
MINDFULNESS
EMPOWERING STRATEGIC, ACADEMIC,
ACTUALIZE YOUR LEADERSHIP POTENTIAL
CONGRATULATIONS 2023 CIO LEADERS!
