Unit 2
Kelly Halford
Kaplan University GM505 Action Research and Consulting Skills
Dr. Heidi Gregory-Mina
September 30, 2014
Critical Mass Analysis
A Critical Mass Analysis is used by action research facilitators to gauge the involvement of their stakeholders in their project (Beckhard & Harris, 1977). Completing this analysis can help researchers determine where their stakeholders are and where they need them to be. The process can help to lay out the steps needed to ensure that their stakeholders are providing enough support during and after the project. This paper will examine the outcome of the Critical Mass analysis held for my project, currently titled “Intranet Traffic”.
Roles and Involvement
There are three stakeholders involved in this action research project as indicated in the Critical Mass Grid (Appendix). The main stakeholder is Jennifer, the Vice President of Service Operations. Jennifer was the driving force behind the inception of the newly created intranet home page for the service organization. The two other stakeholders are the Service Operations Consultants (“SOC”), Jennifer Q. and Victor. The SOCs report directly to Jennifer and have been instrumental in the creation and upkeep of the intranet home page. They have created content for the site, redesigned web pages, and created recommended settings for use by the front-line service organization.
Currently Jennifer does not have the capacity to research or directly implement any of the recommendations that may be found throughout the duration of this action research project. However, she always makes time for the SOC group and to review thoughts or ideas on how to improve the home page. Additionally, she will also brainstorm ideas for the SOC group to implement. The SOCs are more than willing to help implement any changes that are necessary to drive additional traffic to the intranet home page. Their level of enthusiasm is contagious as the success of the