1. Decision-Making Tools for your ministry
Formed for Justice
FORMA Annual Conference 2018

2. Principles of Social Science
Study of human beings
Behavior, society, culture, and diversity across time and space
Scientific
Research: Quantitative, Qualitative
Professionalism
Ethics
Objective, Systematic, and Principled

3. Social Science and Formation
Why do we need it?

4. The Policy Cycle Agenda-Setting Now What? Formulation Evaluation
Adoption
Implementation

5. Agenda Setting
Process by which ideas (problems and solutions) gain or lose attention
Competition in a finite space
Context, limitations, and capacity
Power Distribution and Stakeholders
Ways in which issues come forward:
External: Issue Attention Cycle and Punctuated Equilibrium
Internal: Network Theory and Elite Theory
Levels of Agendas (Universal, Systemic, Institutional, and Decision)

6. Agenda Setting in Formation
How do ideas come about in your parish?
What are the levels of the agendas?
Who are your stakeholders? Who has power?
What is your context, your limitations, and capacity?

7. Formulation
Developing a plan to address the particular area arising from agenda-setting.
Research
Developing Alternatives
Routine, Analogous, and Creative
Projecting Outcomes
Strategic Considerations
Recommendation

8. Formulation in Formation
The Research and Development Stage
Theoretical, Theological, Educational
Resource well and Document
Current and Creative
The Thinking Ahead Stage
Objectives, Criteria, and Measurement

9. Adoption
Adoption is the legitimization of the program by decision- making authorities.
Elite
Majority (more legitimatization)
Agreement on the means may be difficult.
Problem definition
Ideological/Theological
Structural

10. Adoption in Formation Who makes decisions in your congregation?
Where do you go to find support for programming?
How do you build a coalition of support?
Over-coming obstacles:
Definitional
Structural
Theological

11. Implementation Implementation lies between the idea and the effect.
Implementation is action.
Implementation is not self-executing.
Key factors in adoption:
Communication
Resources
Disposition

12. Implementation in Formation
Two parts:
Planning Implementation is the Nuts and Bolts
Doing
Communication: Consistency and Clarity
Resources: Money, time, human (skills), facilities, authority, current structure
Dispositions/Attitudes
Opposition
Incentives

13. Evaluation
Evaluation is the systematic collection of data about a program in order to make decisions about the program itself and it’s component parts.
Addressing our fears about evaluation
Types:
Goal-Based, Process-Based, Outcome-Based
Methods:
Surveys, Interviews, Observations, Focus Groups, Case Studies , Documentation Review

14. evaluation in Formation
The most important step: Don’t Be Afraid!
The planning for this takes place earlier when you are formulating the program
Pitfalls to avoid
It’s Not Personal Except When It’s Personal
Something is Better Than Nothing (20/80 Rule)
Perfect is the Enemy of the Good

15. Now what? In formation
Maintenance - program is adopted into the regular scope and sequence
Reform - changes are made to the program on a one-time basis
Termination - program is removed

16. Questions?
#FORMA18