interviews* - governors state university...interviews! copyright!©!2014christinacarrarini!!!! 9!!!...

Interviews A training on the effective use of Interviews as a front-‐end analysis technique.

Copyright © 2014 Christina Carrarini

Interviews Copyright © 2014 Christina Carrarini

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Introduction In this lesson you will learn about the eight necessary stages required to conduct an effective interview. Based on the survey results obtained prior to training, I have decided to spend the majority of my time focusing on three of the eight main steps. The purpose of an interview is to obtain the feelings and opinions of an individual predetermined to have knowledge as pertains to a specific topic. The information gathered is contingent on the desires of the client looking to learn about the individuals involved with the organization. Interviews carry two major benefits. First, interviews are an expected front-‐end analysis (FEA) technique. It is expected that, in order to gather vital information, interviews should be conducted. Second, most important information must come from face-‐to-‐face meetings with individuals who are not only knowledgeable but also considered to be experts on the subject. It is generally acknowledged that few interviewers actually conduct quality and effective interviews. Therefore, learning to conduct effective interviews as an FEA technique is important because they are a method to gather information from primary resources. It is the most common information-‐gathering technique. In the last lesson, you learned how to create effective surveys/questionnaires during a FEA. Interviews relate to surveys/questionnaires, in that, they contain much of the same characteristics (utilizing questions, seeking out knowledgeable participants, etc.). However, an interview is usually live as opposed to a paper-‐based survey/questionnaire. Objectives At the end of this lesson you will be able to:

• Define an interview; • Explain the importance of conducting an interview; • Define the eight specific stages of conducting an effective interview; • Provide examples for exercising the key components involved in the process

of conducting an interview; • Utilize thematic analysis to analyze interview results and effectively organize

findings.

Outline Interviews (definition, types, when to use them, analysis, key components) Example Examples of the eight steps required to conduct an effective interview Key components involved in conducting interviews Effective use of thematic analysis to analyze results and organize and summarizing findings Exercise Lesson Summary


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Interviews Definition of an interview. Interviews are a very common FEA method, according to Zemke (1982). The purpose of interviews is to gather information as pertains to a specific subject being studied. Interviews are usually conducted one-‐on-‐one with participants who are knowledgeable about the topic at hand. There are two common types of interviews. The first is the structured interview. The second is the informal/conversational interview. This lesson will focus on the structured interview. The structured interview is conducted formally. It is characterized by participants who are privy to information that others are probably not. In both types, the interviews should take place in a neutral environment and recording of proceedings is expected. When to use interviews. Interviews are used when individual assessments, feelings and opinions are necessary to analyzing the subject that needs to be studied. Training professionals being called in to an organization might conduct a variety of interviews. The table below identifies some examples of whom a training specialist might interview. According to Zemke (1982), all of these interviews will give a training professional “an opportunity to formally compare and contrast views, expressed attitudes, strategic approaches, and management styles of the managers or management teams of units with different performance levels” (p. 100).

Analyzing data. In order to analyze the data gathered in an interview, Zemke (1982) suggests that “compiling and analyzing interview results is simply to sum key opinions across interviews” (p. 111). Though he does not give a name to this type of analysis, in the world of research methodology, it is usually referred to as thematic analysis. A researcher will look for reoccurring opinions, ideas, themes, and the like throughout one interview and then look for them in subsequent interviews. If the concepts reappear with some kind of frequency, a researcher can draw a general conclusion that there is a reason behind the reoccurrences. Then, that data can be used to create conclusions concerning the problem as a whole and to generate potential solutions. Thematic analysis is a method for qualitative research.

WHO IS BEING INTERVIEWED WHAT INFORMATION IS BEING SOUGHT

Senior management • Identify what the problem is • Identify the performance gap

• Identify what the senior management desires to happen

SMEs

• Identify differences in performance units • Ideas about who to interview • What is expected to change

Managers, supervisors, actual performers

• Discover what is happening at the base level of the organization


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Key components to conducting an interview. Though the preliminary and concluding work involved in the interview process is important and extensive, actually conducting the interview is tricky. Since it is usually a one-‐on-‐one situation, there is the danger that the interviewee could become uncomfortable. Here are ways that Zemke (1982) suggests to make sure the interview moves smoothly:

• Find a space that is neutral, comfortable, and conducive to one-‐on-‐one

conversations.

• Be completely focused on the interviewee.

• Explain the purpose of the interview, why the individual was chosen, how the

results will be used; highlight confidentiality.

• Ask permission to record interviewing proceedings (recorder and handwritten

notes); then record.

• Ask politely for the interviewee to focus on constructive criticism as opposed to

blame or finger pointing.

• Have a note pad handy in case there are other things to note that will not be

captured by the recorder (i.e. body language, facial expressions, etc.).

• Be sure to sequence questioning from general to specific questions.

• Manage the interview time.

• Keep the interviewee focused on the topic at hand and allow for elaboration; if the

interviewee moves off topic, politely guide the interviewee back on track.

• Avoid disagreeing with the interviewee.

• Before concluding the interview, ask the interviewee if there is anything he/she

wishes to discuss in greater detail.

• Bring the interview to a slow close and be sure the interviewee knows what you

have learned as the interviewer and how you will be using the information.

• Thank the individual graciously for his/her participation and conclude the

interview.


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Main Lesson Now that you know what an interview is, the types, how to avoid potential errors, and when to use an interview, you can now learn about the steps required to ensure you can conduct an effective structured interview.

Eight steps to conducting an effective interview:

STEP ACTION EXAMPLE 1

Determine purpose of the interview

Conduct preliminary meetings with clients to narrow the problem and create a succinct statement as to the

performance gap.

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Determine appropriate interviewees

Determine the characteristics of a low and high

performer and decide how and why these individuals should be interviewed.


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3

Prepare for the interview

Create a question guideline for conducting the

interview, learn colloquial language, gain interviewee trust with preliminary contact, schedule interviews at

interviewee’s convenience, etc.

4

Conduct the interview

Explain the purpose of the interview, ask to record the proceedings, stay focused on the topic at hand but allow for interviewee elaborations, sequence questioning from general to specific, thank the

interviewee graciously for his/her participation, etc.


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5

Record proceedings

Take hand written notes during the interview.

Nonverbal elements of proceedings can be just as important as what is recorded by a tape. After the interview is complete, immediately look over the notes and add anything you might have missed.

Compile the recordings and notes into an analyzable format.

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Analyze the results

Go through the data and look for possible pertinent

information that will aid in solving the client’s original problems.


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Organize and summarize findings

Create a narrative that will explain key and reoccurring thematic data. Highlight the specific findings and provide insight into the differences between high and low performers. Prepare some ideas for suggestions for how the problem might be

solved.

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Present findings

Present the organized results of your interview(s) to

the client.


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Exercise – This activity will take about 50 minutes Instructions. This exercise has THREE parts. You will be provided with a hypothetical situation brought to your attention by a client and dialogue segments from three separate interviews involving the problem. You can listen to recordings of the interviews on the webpage accompanying this workbook. You can find them under the tab entitled “case study exercise” in the navigation bar. Using the information provided to you, you will review the steps provided in this workbook and the accompanying website to complete the exercises. First, you will use the key components for conducting an interview provided on page four of this workbook to identify two things the interviewer did well in the scenario and two things the interviewer could have done better. Secondly, you will analyze the interviews for thematic analysis (refer to page 3). Finally, you will summarize what you believe to be the problem based on the information provided in the interviews and the thematic analysis you completed. The situation. A local beverage distributor calls you with a problem. The management of the company asks if you would come in as a training professional and consult them about the problem they are facing. During initial meetings with senior management – in this case the CEO and VP of the company – they explain that they are experiencing high levels of customer dissatisfaction and have begun to experience a decrease in sales. You begin to ask specific questions about the sales teams. You discover that the complaints from customers and decreased sales have followed a reorganization of the sales teams’ territories. After the initial meetings, you develop a succinct statement about the problems occurring in the company. The statement recognizes what is actually occurring and what the management would like to happen after your intervention – if one is needed. The statement you make is as follows: The company is experiencing a high volume of calls from dissatisfied customers and has experienced a decrease in sales. The senior management wants to decrease the frequency of customer complaints and to stop the decrease of sales. You decide that it is important to use the front-‐end analysis technique of interviewing to figure out what is causing the problem. You consult again with senior management and SMEs, in this case, district managers, and you decide that you will need to interview front-‐line employees (salespeople). You will interview both those salespeople receiving complaint calls (low performers) and those not receiving complaints (high performers). NOTE: The dialogue from the three interviews you will listen to come from the three salespersons receiving the highest volume of costumer complaint calls.


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Use the key components for conducting an interview provided on page four of this workbook to identify two things the interviewer did well in the scenario and two things the interviewer could do better. FILL OUT THE TABLE WITH THE COMPONENTS.

Using the description of thematic analysis on page three of this workbook, identify three themes that reoccur in the interviews.

Finally, in one or two sentences, describe the problem based on your thematic analysis results.

INTERVIEW 1 INTERVIEW 2 INTERVIEW 3 DID WELL

1. 2.

1. 2.

1. 2.

DIDN’T DO WELL

1. 2.

1. 2.

1. 2.

1. 2.

3.


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Summary In this lesson you learned the definition of an interview – a one-‐on-‐one discussion conducted with an individual who holds knowledge on the subject at hand that no one else knows. You also learned the eight steps involved in conducting an effective interview:

• Determine the purpose of the interview • Determine appropriate interviewees • Prepare for the interview • Conduct the interview • Record proceedings • Analyze the results • Organize and summarize findings • Present findings

This lesson highlighted the following three stages:

• Key components to actually conducting the interview • Utilize thematic analysis to analyze interview results • Effectively organize and summarize findings

You also learned about the purposes of interviews, the different types of interviews, and when interviews are appropriate to use as an FEA technique. Front-‐end analysis is a complicated concept. There are so many different FEA techniques you can use when it comes to solving performance problems. Surveys/questionnaires and interviews can both provide great data about participants’ feelings and opinions. Sometimes you might also gain some qualitative data from these FEA techniques. However, some FEA techniques offer a more problem solving and mathematical approach. In the next lesson, you will learn about algorithms. Algorithms are, according to Horabin (as cited by Zemke, 1982) are “an orderly procedure or exact prescription for solving a problem… an algorithm is usually a decision tree and always a presentation in which the physical layout shows the relationships between inputs, data and outcomes” (p. 47). Algorithms contrast interviews, in that, they are much more predetermined. Though much care and thought is put into the developing stages of interviews, sometimes there is a little more spontaneity involved and not so much precision.

interviews* - governors state university...interviews! copyright!©!2014christinacarrarini!!!! 9!!!...

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