Measuring Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, and Results: Psychometric Properties of the 12-Item SOAR Scale

Abstract

Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, and Results (SOAR) is a strengths-based framework for strategic thinking, planning, conversations, and leading that focuses on strengths, opportunities, aspirations, and results. The SOAR framework leverages and integrates Appreciative Inquiry (AI) to create a transformation process through generative questions and positive framing. While SOAR has been used by practitioners since 2000 as a framework for generating positive organizational change, its use in empirical research has been limited by the absence of reliable and valid measures. We report on the reliability, construct validity, and measurement invariance of the SOAR Scale, a 12-item self-report survey organized into four first-order factors (Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, and Results). Data from a sample of 285 U.S. professionals were analyzed in Mplus using confirmatory factor analysis and exploratory structural equation modeling. The Four-Factor first-order exploratory structure equation modeling (ESEM) had the best model fit. Measurement invariance tests found the scalar invariance of the SOAR Scale across gender and education groups. Implications are discussed for using the SOAR Scale to build resilience at the individual, the team, and the organizational levels.

Let the Program Evaluation Committee SOAR: Applying the Strengths, Opportunities, Aspirations, and Results (SOAR) Framework for Program Evaluation

“…Our data show that SOAR is a feasible and acceptable framework to engage in deep strategic planning as part of the PEC. The focus of the SOAR framework on strengths and opportunities allows participants to engage meaningfully, with an eye toward an aspiration goal and results 1 . Although SOAR was not designed with graduate medical education programs in mind, its basic principles can be applied as part of strategic planning and program evaluation.…”

“…Fifth, the Hawthorne effect (ie, the act of observation affects participant behavior and social desirability bias) may be influencing our outcomes 14 . Lastly, the PEC was unable to use the SOAR scale, a validated 12-item self-report survey, to guide this initiative because it had not been published at the time 1 ; however, future efforts using the SOAR framework should use such a scale to guide and assess the quality of strategic thinking using the SOAR framework.…”

“…opportunities and reach an aspirational state. 1 In contrast to the more popular strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats (SWOT) analysis, SOAR is more forward thinking, potential oriented, and strengths based. 2 Despite its growing popularity in the business world, healthcare delivery settings, and primary education, the SOAR framework has not yet been adapted to graduate medical education.…”

“…Strengths, opportunities, aspirations, and results (SOAR) is a strategy formulation and planning framework that empowers organizations to achieve aspirational goals. Rooted in the principles of appreciative inquiry, the SOAR framework emphasizes the importance of identifying and leveraging organizational strengths so that an organization can take advantage of opportunities and reach an aspirational state 1 . In contrast to the more popular strengths-weaknesses-opportunities-threats (SWOT) analysis, SOAR is more forward thinking, potential oriented, and strengths based 2 .…”

E-learning and E-modules in medical education—A SOAR analysis using perception of undergraduate students

“…As a dialogue-based system, SOAR leverages generative dialogue, declarative statements, and opinions generated from the KAP and FBQ questionnaires to create a strategic plan for elearning in the research setting. Strengths in the context of this study refer to optimal use of elearning and e-modules in medical education as well as capacities and assets that allow optimal performance [18,20]; opportunities refer to situations and factors that may drive gains in elearning for students such as cross-disciplinary collaborations [20,40]; aspirations are visions and a long-term strategy that emerge from organizational strengths and capabilities, and results are outcomes from the execution of the strategy on e-learning and e-module [40]. An action plan for the use of e-module at the research setting emerged from the SOAR analysis.…”