Michael Quinn Patton Archives

Pasts, Presents, and Futures

March 25, 2021March 25, 2021 Cameron D. Norman 730 Views behaviour change, community psychology, covid-19, design, foresight, futures, healing, learning, Michael Quinn Patton, psychology, systemic design, systems thinking, teaching

Our understanding of situations are co-constructed and that means our future is, too. Shaping our future — at least one

education & learning evaluation innovation

Monitoring, Principles and Impotent Strategy

January 8, 2021January 8, 2021 Cameron D. Norman 488 Views evaluation, Facebook, Michael Quinn Patton, monitoring and evaluation, principles, principles-focused evaluation, sensemaking, social media, strategy, Twitter, United States

Without connecting monitoring of our programs with our principles and strategy, we are simply creating impotency in our organizations. The

innovation systems thinking

Doing Nothing: An Innovation Paradox

July 14, 2020 Cameron D. Norman 755 Views chaos, complexity, decision making, design, innovation, Michael Quinn Patton, principles, principles-focused evaluation, strategy, systems, systems thinking, Tamarack Institute for Community Engagement, transformation

Strategy in chaos is like whitewater rafting — it needs stillness among the motion. Sometimes the best transformation and boldest action is doing nothing.

design evaluation

Design-driven Evaluation

February 20, 2019June 12, 2019 Cameron D. Norman 1230 Views American Evaluation Association, design, Design Loft, design principles, design-driven evaluation, Michael Quinn Patton, utilization-focused evaluation

A greater push for inclusion of evaluation data to make decisions and support innovation is not generating value if there

evaluation innovation systems thinking

Developmental Evaluation’s Traps

April 19, 2018April 19, 2018 Cameron D. Norman 1078 Views change, complexity, culture of innovation, developmental design, developmental evaluation, evaluation, innovation, language, Michael Quinn Patton, mindful organizations, mindset, organizational development, psychology, sensemaking, Seth Godin, social innovation, Star Wars, Sting, systems thinking, VUCA

Developmental evaluation holds promise for product and service designers looking to understand the process, outcomes, and strategies of innovation and

systems thinking

Systems thinking and the simple plan

January 12, 2016January 12, 2016 Cameron D. Norman 556 Views boundaries, CENSE Research + Design, city building, complexity, developmental evaluation, evaluation, foresight, foresight methods, Michael Quinn Patton, planning, scale, strategic foresight, systems thinking, Toronto, urbanism

Planning is something that is done all the time, but the shape in which these plans unfold is often

innovation

The Finger Pointing to the Moon

July 14, 2014July 14, 2014 Cameron D. Norman 715 Views Adam Kahane, behaviour change, Brenda Zimmerman, complexity, developmental evaluation, evaluation, Frances Westley, Geoff Mulgan, Michael Quinn Patton, Nesta, social change, social innovation, systems change, systems thinking, theory of change

In social innovation we are at risk of confusing our stories of success for real, genuine impact. Without theories, implementation

evaluation innovation systems thinking

Do you value (social) innovation?

March 5, 2014 Cameron D. Norman 807 Views book, Charles and Ray Eames, complexity, design, developmental evaluation, evaluation, innovation, Michael Quinn Patton, social innovation, social laboratories, social psychology, technology, Zaid Hassan

The term evaluation has at its root the term value and to evaluate innovation means to assess the value that

evaluation health psychology systems thinking

Bringing Design into Developmental Evaluation

January 2, 2014 Cameron D. Norman 933 Views Bob Logan, complexity, design, design theory, developmental design, developmental evaluation, emergence, evaluation, Greg Van Alstyne, implementation science, knowledge mobilization, knowledge translation, Michael Quinn Patton

Developmental evaluation is an approach to understanding and shaping programs in service of those who wish to grow and evolve

design evaluation innovation systems thinking

Evaluation and Design For Changing Conditions

June 5, 2012 Cameron D. Norman 1310 Views complexity, developmental design, developmental evaluation, evaluation, IDEO, measurement, Michael Quinn Patton, social innovation, Tim Brown, utilization-focused evaluation

If we are serious about addressing the social, political, health and environmental challenges posed to us in this age of global complexity we need to launch from these start points into something more sophisticated that brings these areas further together. The cross training of designers and evaluators and innovators of all stripes is a next step. So, too, is building the scholarship and research base for this emergent field of inquiry and practice. Better theories, evidence and examples will make it easier for all of us to lift the many boats needed to traverse these seas.

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