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Interpret the information you have gathered |
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| Now that you have information from initial needs assessments, the next step is to make sense of it. Qualitative information from a WNA will be in the form of stories, anecdotes, opinions, arguments, and histories of change and innovations. You may also have quantitative data from a literacy task analysis (for example, the percentage of workers who define reading tasks as key to their jobs). | ||||
| Look for patterns |
First, look for patterns - similarities of views expressed by the different contributors and resource materials. What issues, problems, and solutions come up repeatedly? What common requirements for a satisfactory work, home, and community life are mentioned? Do your own observations at the work- place confirm these patterns? Is there agreement among the major interest groups: employees, employers, and unions? Do your statistical data support your findings, or do they point to needs and interests that have not been identified by your other sources? Do most employees who say they want to improve their math skills use math on the job? Do employees report that their reading and writing skills are adequate for the job when other assessments seem to indicate otherwise. |
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| Look for mismatches | Next, look for mismatches. Are goals significantly different from one interest group to another? Are difficulties perceived differently? Do ideas for solutions involve very different approaches? Are issues framed differently? | |||
| Find the common ground | Why look for patterns and mismatches? You are one of the few people who have sampled the diverse views in a workplace. If you can understand to some degree why people hold certain views, you can possibly find the common ground, their overlapping interests. Usually their points of view are not mutually exclusive. Common interests might include maintaining good production standards so the company will thrive; wanting others to listen and understand, without necessarily agreeing; finding a way to meet change that maintains self- respect; giving everyone opportunities to learn. |
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