What is a key theme?

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| ##      | A key theme is a perception or observation that recurs     |
| ### Def | throughout the scorebook, across processes and results,    |
| inition | reflecting major strengths, opportunities, or              |
|         | vulnerabilities.                                           |
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| ##### F | > Key themes                                               |
| eatures |                                                            |
|         | -   are comments addressing high-level strengths or        |
|         |     > opportunities for improvement                        |
|         |                                                            |
|         | -   are significant in terms of the applicant's key        |
|         |     > factors                                              |
|         |                                                            |
|         | -   are often common to more than one Item/Category        |
|         |     > (cross-cutting)or address an issue of particular     |
|         |     > significance in one Item (often found in a bolded    |
|         |     > comment)                                             |
|         |                                                            |
|         | -   must be traceable to comments found in the Consensus   |
|         |     > Review Worksheets                                    |
|         |                                                            |
|         | -   may address a Core Value of the Criteria               |
|         |                                                            |
|         | -   summarize how well an applicant has addressed the      |
|         |     > Criteria requirements                                |
|         |                                                            |
|         | -   serve as an Executive Summary                          |
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| #       | For the "a" and "b" key themes, which are related to       |
| #### Wh | Process Items, the A-D-L-I evaluation factors are a good   |
| at to a | starting point. Asking the following questions will help   |
| sk in i | identify the key themes:                                   |
| dentify |                                                            |
| ing key | -   Which approaches are sound and systematic (or not)?    |
|  themes |                                                            |
|         | -   What approaches are well-deployed throughout the       |
|         |     > organization (or not)?                               |
|         |                                                            |
|         | -   Are there areas of strength or opportunity related to  |
|         |     > organizational learning?                             |
|         |                                                            |
|         | -   Where is there strong linkage between and among        |
|         |     > processes? What areas are poorly aligned? In a more  |
|         |     > mature applicant, what areas exhibit or lack         |
|         |     > integration?                                         |
|         |                                                            |
|         | For the "c" and "d" key themes, which are related to       |
|         | Results Items, asking the following questions related to   |
|         | the results evaluation factors is a good starting point    |
|         | for determining commonality or themes. These relate to the |
|         | Le-T-C-I evaluation factors:                               |
|         |                                                            |
|         | -   Are results trending consistently either up or down?   |
|         |     > If results are tracked over time, are they           |
|         |     > sustained?                                           |
|         |                                                            |
|         | -   How do results compare to competitors or best-in-class |
|         |     > organizations? Are adequate comparisons provided?    |
|         |                                                            |
|         | -   To what extent are results segmented to reflect        |
|         |     > important customer, product and service, market,     |
|         |     > process, and action plan performance requirements    |
|         |     > identified in the Organizational Profile and in      |
|         |     > Process Items.                                       |
|         |                                                            |
|         | Do you see any role model processes or results?            |
|         |                                                            |
|         | Core Values also may serve as a source for key themes,     |
|         | when examples can be identified from Item Comments.        |
|         |                                                            |
|         | Are there Core Values for the sector reflected in the Item |
|         | comments (e.g., visionary leadership, management by fact)? |
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| #       | > Examiners                                                |
| #### Cu |                                                            |
| stomers | -   Key themes capture the shared understanding of a team  |
|         |     > of Examiners and are used to help focus the site     |
| #####   |     > visit.                                               |
|         |                                                            |
|         | > Applicants                                               |
|         |                                                            |
|         | -   The Key Themes Worksheet may be the only document      |
|         |     > reviewed and used by senior leaders for              |
|         |     > acknowledging best practices and focusing            |
|         |     > improvement efforts.                                 |
|         |                                                            |
|         | > Judges                                                   |
|         |                                                            |
|         | -   During review of site visit findings, Judges use the   |
|         |     > Key Themes Worksheet to develop an overall           |
|         |     > understanding of each applicant and to distinguish   |
|         |     > role model practices and key vulnerabilities.        |
+---------+------------------------------------------------------------+
| #####   | The applicant creates an environment for organizational    |
| Example | and staff learning through the creation of an annual       |
|         | workforce development plan that serves as a key input to   |
|         | the Strategic Planning Process and drives the development  |
|         | of the organization's annual training and education plan.  |
|         | Other means used to develop and maintain a learning        |
|         | environment include the use of the Plan, Do, Check, Act    |
|         | (PDCA) process and OASIS design and improvement models.    |
|         | The models include systematic benchmarking and             |
|         | identification of best practices, the development of       |
|         | annual Individual Development Plans (IDPs) for all staff   |
|         | and volunteers, and the offer of multiple educational      |
|         | benefits, such as Work to Learn, tuition reimbursement,    |
|         | and scholarships for staff and their children. In          |
|         | addition, AF participates in multiple national, state, and |
|         | local associations to gather and share best practices and  |
|         | learning.                                                  |
|         |                                                            |
|         | *This is a key theme because it*                           |
|         |                                                            |
|         | -   *goes beyond one Area to Address, Item, or Category*   |
|         |                                                            |
|         | -   *describes various systematic processes that are       |
|         |     > important to the organization's performance*         |
|         |                                                            |
|         | -   *is well deployed throughout the organization*         |
|         |                                                            |
|         | -   *is integrated (in harmony across the organization)*   |
|         |                                                            |
|         | -   *is linked to a Core Value---organizational and        |
|         |     > personal learning*                                   |
+---------+------------------------------------------------------------+
| ##      | Although Arroyo Fresco assigns a "single point of          |
| ### Non | responsibility" for modifying action plans when required,  |
| example | it is not clear how it supports rapid execution of new     |
|         | plans, especially considering its semiannual review and    |
|         | various approval approaches.                               |
|         |                                                            |
|         | > *This is not a key theme because, although it may be     |
|         | > important to the applicant's agility, it articulates     |
|         | > only one of the multiple requirements of Item 2.2. The   |
|         | > only instance that an Item-level comment such as this    |
|         | > would rise to the level of a key theme would be if this  |
|         | > issue had been mentioned multiple times in other         |
|         | > categories or if, for example, a major health care issue |
|         | > had not been addressed as a result of this opportunity   |
|         | > for improvement.*                                        |
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| ##      | -   Limit the worksheet to 2--3 pages.                     |
| ### Key |                                                            |
|  Theme  | -   Organize it into three sections to address the three   |
| Workshe |     questions a: process strengths, b: process             |
| et Guid |     opportunities, c: results strengths, and d: results    |
| elines  |     opportunities.                                         |
|         |                                                            |
|         | -   Write complete sentences that adhere to the Comment    |
|         |     Guidelines, beginning with a summary (i.e., topic)     |
|         |     sentence.                                              |
|         |                                                            |
|         | -   Include robust evidence that adds clarity and value    |
|         |     for applicants without parroting the application.      |
|         |                                                            |
|         | -   Delineate the comments with bullets.                   |
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