Success Case Method Research Articles

Adding a Time-Series Design Element to the Success Case Method to Improve Methodological Rigor

Brinkerhoff's Success Case Method (SCM) was developed with the specific purpose of assessing the impact of organizational interventions (e.g., training and coaching) on business goals by analyzing extreme groups using case study techniques and storytelling. As an efficient and cost-effective method of evaluative inquiry, SCM is attractive in other contexts as well, although few examples of such uses are to be found in the published literature. However, modifications of the SCM concept and design are sometimes necessary for implementing the approach in nonprofit environments where business goals are not necessarily an explicit objective. This method note demonstrates how SCM was modified and extended to a social service context, in which the program evaluated was aimed at reducing chronic homelessness and unemployment. Modifications included defining success in a nonprofit setting and adding a time-series element to the design features of traditional SCM to increase methodological rigor.

Measuring the Impact of Knowledge Management

With the growing popularity of knowledge management, the need for frameworks for evaluating the impacts of knowledge management on organizational performance has been recognized by practitioners. Despite the wide implementations of knowledge management, there is yet no standardized framework for measuring the performance within organizations. This paper provides an overview of the approaches to evaluate the contributions of knowledge management implementations to organizational performance. It presents methods such as return on investment, balanced scorecard approach, qualitative case studies, and success case method to aid practitioners to identify and develop the evaluation frameworks. Thus, it seeks to serve as a foundation for further research and development.

The Success Case Method: A Strategic Evaluation Approach to Increasing the Value and Effect of Training

The problem and the solution. Despite the fact that effective human resource development (HRD) operations are vital to overall organization success, most organizations fail to evaluate the impact and return on training investments that they could and should. Traditional evaluation models and methods, with their focus on simply assessing the scope of training’s effect, do little to help reap greater performance and organizational impact from HRD and, in fact, can even undermine this purpose. This article argues that it is performance, not HRD, that achieves (or does not achieve) results, and thus impact evaluation must inquire more broadly into the performance management context. Consequently, the Success Case Method (SCM) is presented and discussed. The final portion of the article presents a case study derived from a recent SCM evaluation project for a major business client that demonstrates and illustrates the working of the method.