Rich Arnold - Strategic Analysis

ISPI was honored to have Rich Arnold, SVP, UNITECH speak about conducting strategic analysis. This presentation was produced by Mark Boccia, ISPI Potomac Education Technology Chair. Each section ranges from 5-20 minutes in length allowing you the flexibility to view the program in small portions. Rich’s presentation PowerPoint is also available at the bottom of this page for your reference.

Sarah Ward, President of ISPI Potomac Chapter interviews Rich Arnold, SVP, UNITECH about his upcoming presentation on strategic analysis. Rich has a wealth of real-world experience with the Coast Guard and many of his examples are taken from his time spent working in former Soviet Union countries...but his key message is applicable worldwide!

Rich starts out by discussing the purpose of analysis...what does success look like? Hear Rich discuss the "Goldilocks" model as well as the importance of understanding the culture of an organization. More than once, Rich stresses the need to "put the eyeballs on the work" - go out and see it for yourself while doing analysis work!

Rich briefly discusses the US Coast Guard's practice of HPT and places emphasis on organizations that go beyond purely training. He stresses the need to first understand the culture, protocol, and nuances of an organization before data collection and observations. Additionally, you need to consider logistics, you and your team's needs in the field, the level of support, security, language barriers, and time...essentially, you need a project plan just for conducting analysis, especially if you're working overseas.

Rich highlights a few data collection best practices so analysis is useful and not fragmented if you have multiple people on your team conducting analysis. Moreover, his philosophy is is "don't just be another plaque on the wall" - in fact, spend the time conducting a thorough analysis so you put yourself out of business and the client no longer needs intervention!

Think about the unintended consequences that might crop up when conducting analysis work and think about the complexity involved with sustaining something new in the organization. Rich also talks about training - part of the solution, but not necessarily the complete solution. Non-training tasks will also help improve performance. Train-the-Trainer tips are also discussed...

Rich wraps up by discussing additional challenges when conducting analysis and answers a series of questions from the audience. Closing credits.