NWT RESEARCH DATABASE

Regions: North Slave Region

Tags: social sciences, public servants, workplace environment

Objective(s): The objective of this study is to explore how the employees of the communications directorate at Indian and Northern Affairs Canada Northwest Territories Region find value in providing public service.

Project Description: The objective of this study is to explore how the employees of the communications directorate at Indian and Northern Affairs Canada Northwest Territories Region find value in providing public service. Project procedures: In order to gather data for this project, the instruments that will be used are one-on-one interviews and focus groups. The interviews will use a narrative, appreciative approach which means that the questions will be asked using an appreciative inquiry framework and will be open ended in order to allow the participant's story to be heard. Six interviews will be conducted over the course of the fall and winter with volunteers from the communications directorate. Two focus groups will be conducted within a 3 month time period (October to December) and will include five to seven participants from the communications directorate in each focus group. The focus groups will be centred on a set of appreciative, open ended questions, developed by the project team, which will be posed to the group for discussion. The research team will be invited to lead the focus group process which will inform the sub-questions of this project. After the completion of all the interviews and focus groups, all the data collected from the processes will be analyzed by the research team in an attempt to draw out common themes and patterns. Data will be analyzed after each process and prior to the next process in order to better determine subsequent questions and processes. Once all the processes are complete, the findings will be presented to the research team and sponsors who will take on the role of participants in order to brainstorm recommendations. The researcher will then distill this information into findings and recommendations which will become the final product, the thesis. The thesis will be shared with the team, sponsor, participants and INAC NT region who will decide what work will be carried out based on recommendations. All research will be conducted within INAC. Fieldwork will be conducted from September 21 to December 31, 2007 in Yellowknife - Bellanca Building.