TABLE OF CONTENTS Another potentially useful data collection method is observing participants and recording any changes in their behavior. The observer may be a member of the HRD staff, the participant's supervisor, a member of a peer group, or an external party. The most common observer, and probably the most practical, is a member of the HRD staff.
Observation is often misused or misapplied to evaluation situations, leaving some to abandon the process. The effectiveness of observation can be improved with the following guidelines.
The observations should be systematic. The observation process must be planned so that it is executed effectively without any surprises. The persons observed should know in advance about the observation and why they are being observed unless the observation is planned to be invisible. The timing of observations should be a part of the plan. There are right times to observe a participant, and there are wrong times. If a participant is observed when times are not normal (i.e., in a crisis), the data collected may be useless.
The observer's should know how to interpret and report what they see. Observations involve judgment decisions. The observer must analyze which behaviors are being displayed and what actions the participants are taking. Observers should know how to summarize behavior and report results in a meaningful manner.
The observer's influence should be minimized. Except for mystery observers and electronic observations, it is impossible to completely isolate the overall effect of an observer. Participants may...
