The document discusses why self-assessment is an exciting process for organizations. It notes that self-assessment encourages reflection, gives staff a voice, and engages and empowers them. When done properly through preparation, communication, and acting on feedback, self-assessment can foster a learning environment, improve team engagement, develop a culture of quality, and enhance performance. Survey results from organizations that underwent self-assessment showed mostly positive impacts and a willingness to repeat the process going forward.

1. Why is Self-assessment so
exciting?
“ENJOY it. See it as a blue-sky thinking moment, an
opportunity to push the boundaries of your service and
product, to be the best in what you do.”

2. “The customer comes second”
Happy staff =
Happy customers
= Happy profits
Henry Stewart, “Do happy staff make for happy
companies and profitable companies”?
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3. Happy staff and
company performance
• Alex Edmans’ research
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4. What makes staff happy?
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5. Employee
engagement
• “Engaging for
Success” -
Macleod Report
2009
• Job satisfaction
• Organizational
commitment
• Job involvement
• Feelings of
empowerment
• “Engaged employees
Inspire Company
Innovation” - Gallup
Study 2006:
• More productive
• More profitable
• Safer
• Create stronger
customer relationships
• Stay longer
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6. Employee voice
• ‘Sunday Times Top 100 Companies
to Work for’ findings
• The importance of being heard
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7. Leadership …
• A strong strategic
narrative about the
purpose of the
organisation
• Employees have clear line
of sight between their job
and the narrative – they
understand where their
work fits in
• Aims and values are
reflected in a strong,
transparent and explicit
organisational culture and
way of working
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Sekretariat - info@eaquals.org
7

8. Self-assessment …
• …encourages reflection
• … gives staff a voice
• … engages and
empowers staff
• … provides a safe
framework for giving
and receiving feedback,
and acting on it
effectively
• … is a great leadership
tool
• … should be a positive,
non-threatening journey
of discovery!
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Sekretariat - info@eaquals.org
8

9. How can this be achieved?
• Preparation and communication
• Consultation, Planning, Awareness-raising,
Training
• Carried out by groups / teams
• Empower staff to self-assess,
recommend action, develop shared
objectives
• Lead by example – self-assess
• Make self-assessment and review
integral to your operation, and ongoing
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10. Above all …
• Listen!
• Accept and act
on staff
feedback
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11. Practical considerations
• Assessment criteria?
• Service standards; Internal or external?
• Scope and method?
• Agree the terms of reference
• Self-assessment instrument: questionnaire?
checklist? report form?
• Evidence?
• What data? What other evidence?
• Outcome and follow-up action?
• Action plan
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12. Eaquals Survey Data on
Impact of Self-Assessment
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Response
Percent
Response
Count
19.0% 8
69.0% 29
11.9% 5
0.0% 0
0.0% 0
42
0skipped question
How would you rate the overall impact of the self-assessment process on
your institution?
Slightly positive
Extremely positive
answered question
Moderately positive
Answer Options
Not at all positive
Very positive
42 member institutions from 10 countries responded to the survey

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14. Sue Sheerin - sue.sheerin@googlemail.com Eaquals Sekretariat - info@eaquals.org 14
Response
Percent
Response
Count
100.0% 12
0.0% 0
0.0% 0
0.0% 0
5
12
30skipped question
If there was a negative impact on your organisation, choose below the
area that caused the greatest difficulty.
The process was too disruptive, unsettling or similar
The process was too time-consuming
answered question
The process caused resentment, bad feeling or other
Answer Options
Other (please specify)
The self-assessment instrument (e.g. questions etc.)

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16. Sue Sheerin - sue.sheerin@googlemail.com Eaquals Sekretariat - info@eaquals.org 16
Response
Percent
Response
Count
48.7% 19
43.6% 17
5.1% 2
2.6% 1
39
3
Would you carry out another institutional self-assessment in future?
Other (please specify)
Yes, definitely, It is or will be a regular (annual or biennial) event
skipped question
Only if we have to because of an internal or external requirement
Answer Options
answered question
Yes, definitely, from time to time, when it seems necessary.

17. What would you do the same?
What would you do differently?
• This was our first time we carried this out and we have
learned a lot for future self-assessments
• The same – we observed a lot of the teaching over a
period of three days. I would definitely repeat this.
Different – I would have liked to have involved more
stakeholders e.g. teacher focus groups, student groups
• Start earlier and involve everybody in a more carefully
staged way
• Small workgroups and an overall evaluation meeting at
the end
• Ensure that all staff are involved not just managerial staff
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18. What advice would you give?
• Communication with all the team from the beginning
• Be fully aware of inspecting bodies’ criteria and use this as
a basis
• Plan it carefully and plan plenty of time if you want to make
it worthwhile
• Use a cross section of staff from different departments in
each area of self-assessment e.g. member of the admin
team in areas such as assessment & certification
• Be open-minded and ready to change things – there is
always room for improvement and development
• Plan for the time and produce an action plan based on the
results of the self-assessment procedure
• Enjoy it, see it as a blue-sky thinking moment, an
opportunity to push the boundaries of your service and
your product to be the best in what you do
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19. Summary
• Not only …
• Preparation for an inspection or quality audit
• But also …
• Fostering a learning organisation
• Team-building, greater staff engagement
• Development of an institutional culture of quality
• Raising quality standards
• Enhanced organisational and team focus
• Improved performance in client satisfaction,
product development and market share
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20. “Worthy of your own approval”
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And that is why self-assessment is so exciting!