Labels can shape the behaviour they describe, affecting our research. Knowing when labels describes or shapes actions makes a difference. Are you creative because you do creative things or is it because you do creative things that you’re considered creative? What if both were true? The next question: do you self-identify with that label (or […]
Deception and Labels Read More »
Our ability to affect change in organizations and systems is based heavily on our assumptions about similarities and differences between people. Unpacking and testing these assumptions require methods and tools that can identify and distinguish these patterns in a manner that allows us to take advantage of diversity and commonalities, not be limited by them.
Same and Different Read More »
Innovation can involve small adjustments or great transformations. Social media provides a case study for understanding why ongoing monitoring and evaluation can tell many different stories about whether change is big or small, for good or for not — or something altogether different. Online social networks like Twitter and Facebook often notify their users of
Transformation and Innovation Read More »
Innovation is a misunderstood and often misrepresented concept that can provoke fear, indifference, resentment, confusion, or irrational exuberance. To understand the reasons why we can’t ignore innovation we need to look no further than the sage advice in The Leopard, a story of change. It’s been said that the only true constant is change. Funny
Innovation, Change and The Leopard Read More »
Innovating is about doing something new to produce value and this introduces substantial challenges for strategy and evaluation. Without knowing what you can expect, it’s hard to know what you have…or where you’re going. Innovation is one of those terms that is used a lot without as much attention to what it means in specific
Innovation Evaluation and the Burden of Proof Read More »
What distinguishes design-driven evaluation from other types of utilization-focused evaluation or innovation development is that it views the evaluative act as part of a service offering. It’s not a shift in method, but in mindset. Evaluation is the innovator’s secret advantage. Any sustained attempt to innovate is driven by good data and systems to make
The Mindset for Design-Driven Evaluation Read More »
Developmental evaluation is a powerful tool to support innovation, engaging communities, and foster deep learning. While it might be growing in popularity, increasingly in demand, and a key difference-maker for social and technological innovators it might also not be for you. Developmental evaluation (DE) is an approach to evaluation that is designed to support innovation
Developmental Evaluation is not for you Read More »
Design-driven evaluation focuses attention on what organization’s use in their decision-making and learning to support the creation of their products, delivery of services, and the overall quality of their work. While ultimately practical, this focus on utility also introduces some difficult conversations about what organizations truly value, not just what they say. To say something
Utility in Design-Driven Evaluation Read More »
A greater push for inclusion of evaluation data to make decisions and support innovation is not generating value if there is little usefulness of the evaluations in the first place. A design-driven approach to evaluation is the means to transform utilization into both present and future utility. I admit to being puzzled the first time
Design-driven Evaluation Read More »
The recent decision by many radio stations to remove the song “Baby, It’s Cold Outside” from their rotation this holiday season provides lessons on culture, time, perspective, and ethics beyond the musical score for those interested in evaluation. The implications of these lessons extend far beyond any wintery musical playlist. As the holiday season approaches,
Baby, It’s Cold Outside (and Other Evaluation Lessons) Read More »
