Understanding stakeholders is vital in modern-day affairs, whether it is business, education, or any other area. A stakeholder is any entity that has an interest in the affairs, either having a direct influence on it or being influenced by it. They are usually categorized into internal and external stakeholders. Internal stakeholders are employees (e.g., teachers), directors, and managers, while external stakeholders include customers, shareholders, and funders. Nevertheless, it is essential to note that despite the relationship that stakeholders have with the organization at hand, communicating the results of any assessments being performed on them is vital.
One of the main arguments in support of communicating assessment results to stakeholders is that they need the data as soon as possible to make relevant decisions about their relationships with a specific organization. In the educational setting, for example, teachers will act on the results of students’ formative assessments to make adjustments in the type of teaching, the content, and strategies to meet specific student needs and expectations. The outcomes of the assessments show teachers whether their work brought the expected levels of student achievement. In a business setting, assessment results are necessary for stakeholders to make conclusions about profitability, customer satisfaction, retention rates, and other relevant indicators that may speak about potential success or lack thereof.
Another important reason for communicating assessment results with stakeholders is the potential to build stronger relationships between stakeholders through transparency and effective exchange of information. Stakeholders who do not receive enough information are likely to become disinterested in organizational affairs as they lack insight into what is occurring at a certain moment. For instance, in education, the results of tests have become primary tools for making educational decisions, and the dependence on the information drawn from tests creates an environment of collaboration to reach better results.
A reason against the importance of communicating assessment findings with stakeholders is that they could stand in the way of progress. Stakeholders may have different reactions to the outcomes of assessments and interpret them differently, thus preventing certain decisions from being made or encouraging some steps that others may not want to take. For instance, in both educational and organizational settings, stakeholders may be resistant to change even though assessment findings point to the need to make adjustments. Another reason against communicating assessment findings is the fear of failure among stakeholders who may disagree with the decisions being made by organizations. In most instances, assessments call for some steps to be taken on the part of some stakeholders, but some of them may fear that such steps will lead to failure, thus causing some disruptions.
To conclude, when designing a balanced and coherent system of assessments, it is necessary to consider all stakeholders and their contributions. It is thus essential to review the process of sharing assessment findings with stakeholders and make adjustments in order to guarantee transparency and timeliness. For instance, it may be necessary for organizational leaders to adjust their assessment calendars to make sure that data gets to every stakeholder group at the time they need it. Smaller-scale stakeholders such as teachers or organizational managers need the assessment information as soon as possible because they directly impact the processes and make quicker decisions. Larger-scale stakeholders look at the broader picture and do not need to analyze the results of assessments immediately.
References
Armstrong, P. (2010). Bloom’s Taxonomy. Vanderbilt University Center for Teaching. Web.