| American Public Power Association
Scope of Work:
For more than 15 years, Sterling Institute
has been assisting the American Public Power Association (APPA) in responding to the
requests of its membership for executive development. Specifically, APPA members requested
that a portion of their annual conference address the management and leadership
development needs of the executives who attend. In our first conference, Sterling
Institute’s Management Practices Survey (MPS) was the cornerstone of the
executive development program.
The MPS is a feedback instrument that
enables executives and managers to assess how their management practices and various
organizational factors are influencing performance. Before attending the session, program
participants distribute the MPS to their direct reports, who complete the survey
confidentially and send it to Sterling Institute for scoring. A composite report of the
responses is prepared for each participant, which participants receive and analyze at the
executive development program.
Our work with APPA has involved: 1) designing the
survey feedback session and refining its design as needed over the years; 2) developing
APPA staff to become "consultant-independent" in delivering these sessions; 3)
occasionally providing executive development sessions on change management and other
relevant topics as these needs have arisen.
Accomplishments:
The MPS is almost always the highest
rated part of these sessions in evaluations completed by participants, and the regular use
of the survey for more than 15 years also speaks to the value and satisfaction that
participants receive from their experience. Specifically, the success of the MPS in the
first conferences prompted APPA to make it a cornerstone of the Executive Development
curriculum it offers through the University of Wisconsin. |
