Consolidated_Facilitator's_Guide.pdf

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U.S. Department of Defense

Washington Headquarters Services Office of Equal Employment Opportunity & Diversity (EEOD)

Focus Groups: Barrier Analysis to Equal Opportunity for Certain Groups

Consolidated Facilitator’s Guide

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I. Purpose Statement The purpose of conducting focus groups is to assist Washington Headquarters

Services and serviced components in identifying barriers to equal opportunity in employment, retention, and promotion of certain groups. This project is in accordance with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s (EEOC) Management Directive

(MD) 715, which requires agencies to conduct a barrier analysis, and Executive Order

13583, which establishes a Coordinated Government-wide Initiative to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in the Federal Workforce.

The focus groups will solicit information from individuals interested in the particular issues identified for the current calendar year (CY) and from managers who are involved in the Agency’s hiring, retention, and promotion process. The contractor will provide a final report containing focus group results as well as recommendations, which may include action oriented strategies and a plan to initiate further investigation and/or address identified barriers.

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II. Role of the Facilitator The Facilitator serves as a neutral, independent party responsible for leading the discussion of the focus group. This involves explaining the purpose, process, and conversation of the group; encouraging participation, summarizing discussions, and ensuring that key issues are addressed.

Keeping participants focused, interested and engaged in the discussion is paramount to the success of the focus group session. Facilitators must use their “active listening” skills by paraphrasing to clarify participant feedback. If the Facilitator is doing all the talking, the objectives of the focus group session are not being met. The

Facilitator must not interject their thoughts or answer questions.

The Facilitator’s role is to make it easy for participants to engage in conversation and gain value from it. It is very important for the Facilitator to set the tone at the beginning of the session by creating an environment conducive to discussion. After that, the Facilitator will ask questions to the group, guiding the conversation when necessary, keeping it on track, and occasionally building on the different points participants make.

Finally, the Facilitator must not let a few individuals dominate the discussion; if people start interrupting one another, the Facilitator can ask the group to assist in making sure that everyone is heard and respected.

The Co-Facilitator serves as assistant to the Facilitator. Some of the duties of the

Co-Facilitator include helping with equipment, welcoming participants as they arrive, taking notes throughout the session, and assisting with writing and clarifying issues on a flip chart. The Co-Facilitator will participate in the discussion to ensure the Facilitator doesn’t get “hooked” on a particular topic or question, and to assist in developing ideas further. Co-Facilitators will have an opportunity at the end of the session to debrief with the Facilitator and give an objective assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of the focus group session.

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A. Instructions for the Facilitator

The Focus Group session is divided into four (4) sections:

Welcome and Introduction: Following the Script as outlined, provide a brief overview of the format and purpose of the focus group sessions, set the tone for the session, and give participants an opportunity to introduce themselves to the group. The introduction of group discussion should include the following;

(1) Welcome, (2) Purpose, (3) Overview of the topic, (4) Ground rules, (5) Housekeeping, (6) Consent Form, (7) Introductions; in total, the introduction requires approximately 20 minutes.

Opening Question: Requires approximately 15 minutes and helps the participants relate to the issues and begin to feel comfortable with the process.

Key Questions: Requires approximately 60 minutes; broadens the discussion by providing questions that build on each other and deal specifically with relevant issues of hiring, promotion, retention, work/life, and challenges faced by individuals with disabilities, etc. and ways to identify and eliminate barriers.

Ending Questions: Requires approximately 15 minutes and begin to bring the conversation to a close; this is the Facilitator’s chance to identify the most relevant discussion from the participants.

Closing: Facilitator should summarize what has transpired, and thank everyone for their participation and contributions.

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III. Focus Group Scripts A Facilitator’s Script will be provided to each Team Member to ensure consistency of delivery of focus group information. The following scripts are provided for your use during the “Welcome and Introduction” section of the focus group sessions:

A. Non-Management Script

Hello Everyone—Welcome and thank you for participating in the organization’s

Focus Group Project. I am [Facilitator Name] and this is [Co-Facilitator Name]. The organization chose contractors to conduct these focus group sessions in order to ensure confidentiality and neutrality.

The purpose of the Focus Group Project is to gather information to help the organization examine the dynamics contributing to the work environment and identify any concerns surrounding possible discrimination in employment, promotion, and retention of [insert group categories here].

The emphasis of today’s focus group session will be to learn from you about

Agency policies, procedures, practices, or behaviors that may impede the recruitment, advancement, and/or retention of individuals [insert group]. Members of this group, as well as those interested in discussing concerns surrounding employment of this group are welcome.

First, let’s discuss some Housekeeping Items. The session will be approximately 2 hours long, and we ask that you turn off your cell phones during the session or set them to vibrate. If you must respond to a call please step outside the room and complete your call. Once completed, please rejoin us as quickly as possible.

One of the most important criteria for conducting our focus group sessions is that we preserve everyone’s anonymity. It is critically important to the success of the project that you feel comfortable discussing your opinions and experiences. To help ensure your anonymity, we won’t be using names today, but rather we will use numbers, and everyone will be given a number. This will enable us to record your responses without

6 | P a g e identifying you, even by your first name. During our session, [Co-Facilitator Name] will take notes and write main topics on a flip chart; and to assist us in capturing all the information presented today, we will also have a transcript (introduce the data transcriber). These tools will help us compile and analyze our findings. Your comments will be anonymous. No participant names will be mentioned.

The Consent to Participate form documents that you have been informed about the purpose of the Focus Group Project, that you understand that your participation in the session is voluntary and that your responses are anonymous. The form will be countersigned by today’s Facilitator as witness to consent. Please remember that today’s session is completely voluntary, and what that means is you can leave at any time. In the event that you choose to leave, please do so as discretely as possible so as not to interrupt the discussion. Before the start of today’s session, a representative from the EEOD

Office will collect all of the signed consent forms, make a copy and secure them in the

EEOD Office. S/he will return with a copy of the consent form for your records. Upon completion of the project, EEOD copies of the consent forms will be destroyed. EEOD’s collection of the signed consent forms will ensure that your name cannot be connected to the final report, which will be prepared by the contractor and only include information in the aggregate such as discussed trends.

Let’s go over a few ground rules for this session. [Facilitator Name] will pose general questions to the group and ask that you share your perspectives and experiences.

So that each of you feels comfortable sharing your viewpoint, not only are your individual responses completely confidential, it’s also important that what is said in this room, stays in this room, so we’d like you to think of the session this way, “What happens in the focus group, stays in the focus group.” It’s also important to keep in mind that while we may not all agree on a particular issue, we must “agree to disagree” without being disagreeable. We ask that you value each participant’s opinion, whether you agree with that opinion or not.

We want you to speak freely in expressing your opinion in response to the questions. We will only limit your responses due to time constraints so that everyone has

7 | P a g e the opportunity to provide their comments. We are interested in everyone’s point of view and we hope to hear from all of you. Remember that there are no right or wrong answers;

and we want you to feel comfortable enough to give your honest opinions, even when your responses may not be in agreement with the rest of the group.

Before we get started, I’d like to confirm that no one in this room has any kind of reporting relationship with anyone else in the room. If you do, we respectfully ask that the superior attend a different session. And finally, if you have questions before we begin, I can address them now.

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B. Management Script Hello Everyone. Welcome and thank you for participating in the organization’s

Focus Group Project. This is the Focus Group Session for Managers. I am [Facilitator

Name] and this is [Co-Facilitator Name]. The organization and serviced components chose contractors to conduct these focus group sessions in order to ensure confidentiality and neutrality.

The purpose of the Focus Group Project is to gather information to help the organization examine the dynamics contributing to the employment, promotion, and retention of [INSERT GROUP].

The emphasis of today’s focus group session will be to learn from you about

Agency policies, procedures, practices, or behaviors that may affect the work environment, recruitment, advancement, and/or retention of individuals based on their

[insert group]. Members of these groups, as well as those interested in discussing concerns surrounding se the group, are welcome to participate in the non-management sessions.

As managers, your first hand experiences provide you with a unique perspective that is invaluable to this project. In addition, this session provides an opportunity for you to share your honest, anonymous feedback to positively impact your organization’s recruitment, selection, advancement, and retention efforts.

First, let’s discuss some Housekeeping Items. The session will be approximately 2 hours long, and we ask that you turn off your cell phones during the session or set them to vibrate. If you must respond to a call please step outside the room and complete your call. Once completed, please rejoin us as quickly as possible.

One of the most important criteria for conducting our focus group sessions is that we preserve everyone’s anonymity. It is critically important to the success of the project that you feel comfortable discussing your opinions and experiences. To help ensure your anonymity, we won’t be using names today, but rather we will use numbers, and everyone will be given a number. This will enable us to record your responses without

9 | P a g e identifying you, even by your first name. During our session, [Co-Facilitator Name] will take notes and write main topics on a flip chart; and to assist us in capturing all the information presented today, we will also have a transcriber (introduce the data transcriber). These tools will help us compile and analyze our findings. Your comments will be anonymous. No participant names will be mentioned.

The Consent to Participate form documents that you have been informed about the purpose of the Focus Group Project, that you understand that your participation in the session is voluntary and that your responses are anonymous. The form will be countersigned by today’s Facilitator as witness to consent. Please remember that today’s session is completely voluntary, and what that means is you can leave at any time. In the event that you choose to leave, please do so as discretely as possible so as not to interrupt the discussion. Before the start of today’s session, a representative from the EEOD

Office will collect all of the signed consent forms, make a copy and secure them in the

EEOD Office. S/he will return with a copy of the consent form for your records. Upon completion of the project, EEOD copies of the consent forms will be destroyed. EEOD’s collection of the signed consent forms will ensure that your name cannot be connected to the final report, which will be prepared by the contractor and only include information in the aggregate such as discussed trends.

Let’s go over a few ground rules for this session. [Facilitator Name] will pose general questions to the group and ask that you share your perspective and experiences.

So that each of you feels comfortable sharing your viewpoint, not only are your individual responses completely confidential, it’s also important that what is said in this room, stays in this room, so we’d like you to think of the session this way, “What happens in the focus group, stays in the focus group.” It’s also important to keep in mind that while we may not all agree on a particular issue, we must “agree to disagree” without being disagreeable. We ask that you value each participant’s opinion, whether you agree with that opinion or not.

We want you to speak freely in expressing your opinion in response to the questions. We will only limit your responses due to time constraints so that everyone has

10 | P a g e an opportunity to provide their comments. We are interested in everyone’s point of view and we hope to hear from all of you. Remember that there are no right or wrong answers;

and we want you to feel comfortable enough to give your honest opinions, even when your responses may not be in agreement with the rest of the group.

Before we get started, I’d like to confirm that no one in this room has any kind of reporting relationship with anyone else in the room. If you do, we respectfully ask that the superior attend a different session. And finally, if you have questions before we begin, I can address them now.

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C. Transcriber Script

NAME OF PARTICULAR GROUP:

NAME OF FACILITATORS:

TOTAL NUMBER OF ATTENDEES:

[Beginning of transcribed material] Facilitator/Co-Facilitator comments based on particular script

Facilitator’s Question 1:

Participant’s comments:

Facilitator’s Question 2:

Participant’s comments:

Facilitator’s Question 3:

(Will repeat same format for remaining questions)

(Session concluded -- XX:XX a.m.)

Transcriber Certificate

State of Maryland, City of Baltimore, to wit:

I, [Transcriber’s Name], a Notary Public of the State of Maryland, City of

Baltimore do hereby certify that participants of the above named Focus Group personally appeared before me at the time and place herein set out. I further certify that the session was recorded stenographically by me and this transcript is a true record of the session.

I further certify that I am not an employee of anyone associated with this project nor in any way have an interest in the project.

As witness my hand and Notarial Seal this ____ day of ________, 2012.

[Transcriber’s Name], Notary Public

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Focus Group Questions

D. Non-Management Groups

OPENING QUESTIONS

Icebreaker: Suppose you had five minutes to talk to your Agency Head about today’s topic, what would you say?

KEY QUESTIONS

1. What do you believe are important employment issues [insert group] will face in the next 2 to 5 years at your organization?

2. What can your organization do better to ensure that [insert group] are treated fairly when it comes to career development within your organization? [PROMPT] Career development refers to details, stretch assignments, career ladders, individual development plans, training, and performance appraisals/plans.

3. What can your organization do better to ensure that all employees are included and valued for their diverse input?

4. What do you believe prompts individuals to leave your organization?

5. Let’s talk about what’s important to you. Scenario: You are pursuing a career with the Federal government, and you have very specific criteria that influence your decision regarding where you would like to work. Please tell me what three criteria are the most important to you.

ENDING QUESTIONS

1. Of all the things that we have talked about today, what topic or challenge is most important to you?

2. What additional insight would you like to share?

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B. Management Group

OPENING QUESTION

Icebreaker: Suppose you had five minutes to talk to your Agency Head about today’s topic, what would you say?

KEY QUESTIONS

1. What are some challenges you’ve experienced attempting to meet diversity goals and objectives? [PROMPT] Are you aware of diversity goals and objectives?

2. What behaviors, if any, have you observed that may impact certain groups at your organization, for example, the promotion and inclusion of LGBT individuals, African-Americans, Women, people with disabilities, Hispanics, or individuals from different religious backgrounds? If so, what is the most significant of these perceived behaviors?

3. What do you believe prompts individuals to leave your organization?

4. Please describe your experience and/or thoughts regarding the career development for your subordinates. [PROMPT] Career development refers to details, stretch assignments, career ladders, individual development plans, training, and performance appraisals/plans.

ENDING QUESTIONS

1. Of all the things that we have talked about today, what topic or challenge is most important to you?

2. From today’s session, what is one tangible action that you can commit to implement in your organization?

3. What additional insights would you like to share?

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IV. Focus Group Consent Form

CONSENT TO PARTICIPATE IN FOCUS GROUP PROJECT

The Washington Headquarters Services’ Office of Equal Employment

Opportunity and Diversity focus group project will be conducted by PREEMPT CORP to identify barriers to the employment, retention,promotion and inclusion of diverse groups.

A barrier is a practice, policy or behavior that inhibits a specific group of people from reaching their full employment potential.

The information gathered during the focus group sessions will be used to develop

Agency recommendations that may be implemented as part of the agency’s responsibilities in accordance with EEOC Management Directive (MD) 715, which requires that agencies conduct comprehensive barrier analysis, and Executive Order

13583, which establishes a Coordinated Government-wide Initiative to Promote Diversity and Inclusion in the Federal Workforce.

Participation in today’s session is completely voluntary. That means you may stop participating or leave the session at any time. Although the focus group sessions will be transcribed, your responses will remain anonymous and no names will be mentioned in the final report or the transcript. Please remember that all participant responses will be kept confidential.

There are no right or wrong responses to the focus group questions. We would like to hear from everyone.

I understand the above information and parameters of the project, and I choose to participate.

Participant:

Name (print) _________________ Signature: ____________________ Date:_________

Witness:

Name (print) _________________ Signature: ____________________ Date:_________

IV. Focus Group Consent Form