Cascading Excellence – putting the Quality back

into Qualitative

Tina Berry, Joanna Chrzanowska, Anne Hastings

Danger lies ahead on the qualitative road

Pressure on researchers is undermining research quality and

creativity

Faster

Process Driven

Cheaper Online

Internationalisation

Mechanical approach

Groundhog day

Research is automatised, packaged

Craft and skill is being stripped out

Time to rescue research excellence

Excellent practitioners are amongst us and we can learn from

them

AQR is committed to Excellence

NLP models

&

systematises excellence

NLP and modelling

• NLP• ‘The study of the structure of human

experience’

• NLP modelling• structures and strategies that

underpin experience• implicit and explicit modeling

The AQR Excellence Project

Strategic

Management

Leadership

Implementation

The Exemplars The NLP Modelling

The Skills

Skills of implementation

Focus / Strategy

Focus / Content

Open /discursive

Framingprocess

Let’s play the game

Let’s hear it fromeveryone

Q1 CreativeSpace

Q4 Structured Creative Elicitation

Q3 StructuredGroup Creativity

Q2 Democracyin Practice

Freedomto express

Collaborating todo the job

An exemplar in action

Starting to cascade the knowledge

• Feb 2008, ‘Mirror on the Moderator’ training day• Values• Resource states• Demonstrations• Quadrants 1 and 3• Practising creative elicitation

techniques

Reactions to the first training

• Opportunity - more self aware

• Structured framework• Reassuring • Identify own strengths• Stretch into other

quadrants • New tools and

techniques• Confidence builder• Become more creative

and flexible• Educate clients

Learning transforms who we are and what we do

It puts the onus on us to claim permission to be more

experimental. Not to ask for it, not to beg for it, but actually to

demand it.

We don’t have to choose the wrong path; we have options

The answer is to learn from each other

Qual research needs a cultural change:

• exchange experience

• find novel challenges

• experience different ways of working

• find inspiring models from other industries / professions

• model each other’s work

Learning transforms who we are and what we do

Knowledge is power

Getting moderation skills ‘in the muscle’ gives us muscle

Continuing Professional Development

• NLP training for research moderation has a vital role

• NLP is hands on – learn by doing

• programmes for all stages

• new effective tools of professional excellence from other fields