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SIVULIUQTIT - THE NUNAVUT MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM EVALUATION
REPORT

    The Sivuliuqtit Evaluation Report, was conducted by Linda Pemik from the Nunavut Arctic College in November 1999.

Program Description:
     "Sivuliuqtit - the Nunavut Management Development Program focused on building a core of Inuit leaders who would be ready to play a key role in the future of the Nunavut Public Service.  Building upon the expertise of the Canadian Centre for Management Development (CCMD), the federal professional development-training centre in Ottawa, and with the support of a steering/advisory committee, the Community of Skateholders, the first intake for this program occurred in January 1996.  Over the next three years, 69 people, in three separate groups, participated in the program, culminating in the graduation of Group three in June 1999.  In total, 41 people from across Nunavut graduated between October 98 and June 99.
                The three-year program consisted of four parts:  four formal learning sessions (eight weeks), three work assignments (10 months each), distance learning and networking activities (on-going) and mentoring (on-going).  The program was delivered jointly by CCMD and Nunavut Arctic College, Keewatin Campus in Rankin Inlet with increasing reponsibility for delivery devolving to the College over the three years.  The selection criteria for candidates were: two or more years of work experience, a minimum of grade 10 education or equivalent, proficiency in both Inuktitut and English (written and oral), and demonstrated leadership skills.

PURPOSE OF THE EVALUATION:

    Given the need in Nunavut for continuing managerial development, NAC must not only continue to contribute their expertise to the development of Nunavut's  workforce but also needs to look for ways to be increasingly effective in doind so.  Sivuliuqtit was a unique experiement in professional development and there are lessons to be learned about management development by a thorough examination of the Sivuliuqtit program and the development of a model for future management programs.

FOCUS OF THE EVALUATION:  The evaluation focussed on three central issues:

            (1) Outcomes - what actually happened as a result of the program?

            (2) Processes - what happened in the program to contribute to or hinder the learning?

            (3) Suggestions and Implications - What has NAC learned about management development and how can we apply that learning in the future?

METHODS USED:

     In-depth interviews with graduates, mentors, supervisors, an elder and program staff, a survey questionnaire of graduates, and a telephone and on-line survey of a sample of people who had withdrawn from the program were the methods used to gather data about the Sivuliuqtit experience.

   SUMMARY OF LESSONS LEARNED ABOUT MANAGEMENT DEVELOPMENT:

• all four compnents, formal learning, distance education and networking, mentoring and work assignments contributed to learning, which implies that management training, and development needs to provide a variety of learning experiences.
• participants learn best through practical application of theory.
• participants learn best when there is not an extreme range of skill levels in their learning group.
• individual learning is enhanced by having a cohesive and supportive learning cohort.
• learning is enhanced when the program is fluid and responsive to the learning needs.
• the need to adapt to the emerging learning needs suggests that on-going formative evaluation is an important design component.
• learning and development takes place over time.  Two or three years was seen as appropriate.
• personal development and management development go hand in hand.
• development is enhanced by a holisitic approach that includes the body, mind, and spirit.
• expert facilitation that guides participants to develop a critically reflective perspective of management within the social and political context of Nunavut is key to personal and professional development.
• development is enhanced by placing it in a framework where an Inuit world view is on equal footing with current management theory.
• on-going communication between program staff, particpants, supervisors and metors is essential to maximize success.
• strong supportive partnerships need to be established between the workplace, the program, and other stakeholders.

         All but one of the people contacted for this evaluation thought that this program offered something important that was not available in other management training programs and that it should be continued in some form.  Sivuliuqtit obviously contributed significantly to the personal and professional development of the participants.  In fact, the success of the Sivuliuqtit program went beyond the expected outcomes, and exceeded in some ways the hopes of the people who designed and delivered it.  In the words of one of the staff,
         "The most significant outcome was one we did not emphasize, nor did I think understand clearly.  We recognized that there was going to be personal growth and change.  I don't think anyone imagined the magnitude of that change, not it's depth and significance to the particpants."
        This overwhelmingly positive response implies that this knid of management development is important not only in Nunavut but to the field of management development.  Both existing and future management development programs could be enriched by the application of the lessons learned in the Sivuliuqtit.

    WHAT NEXT?
     This experiment in the development of Inuit managers must be utilized and built upon.  As Nunavut's only post-secondary institution and as one of the key partners involved in the delivery of the Sivuliuqtit program, it would appear that Nunavut Arctic College has much to gain by doing just that - building on the Sivuliuqtit experience.
          It is not likely that Sivuliuqtit will ever be offered in its original format or size.  The political situation has changed and it is simply too costly to offer a program of this magnitude again, but the best practices of the program could be effectively applied to a reformulated program.

         Phil Lane Jr. attended and the following was written about his appearance, on page # 29 of the Evaluation Report:

            "Phil Lane, a consultant from the Four Worlds development group, played a key role in facilitating this emergent development process.  Phil is a unique individual whose experience, skills, and knowledge would be hard to match.  He truly modeled the holistic adult education approach that was central to Sivuliuqtit and encouraged participants to critically reflect on their life experiences and on management in the social and political context of Nunavut.  Numerous people mentioned his contribution to their learning, but this quote from one of the program staff describes eloquently his contribution to learning process.

            'The fact that we went into the spiritual, the heart, the vision, all these things are linked to leadership development, further than management development in a way.  Uh, Phil Lane was the engine of this soul digging and because of who he is and the values he brings with him from his aboriginal background, because he travels the world, because he has been associated with the UN, all these reasons...he positioned the process but he gave a lot of room to the elders and that was so precious.  So he had a very good part in the success of the introspective, the transformational'."