Purpose: This paper aims to explore the use of developmental evaluation methods with community of practice programmes experiencing change or transition to better understand how to target support resources. Design/methodology/approach: The practical use of a number of developmental evaluation methods was explored in three organizations over a…

Distributive leadership, which has been described as a distribution of power within the sociocultural context of universities, provides a valuable model for encouraging scholarship and innovation in learning and teaching. By nurturing, rather than imposing, leadership responsibilities, and relating them to personal, as well as institutional…

Case studies about managing evaluation are examined for perspectives on expertise in managing evaluation. There are lessons on a geography of managing, managing as organizational work, the notions of "competency" and "expertise," and managing evaluation as professional work. Dreyfus and Dreyfus (2004) offer a framework for an introductory…

This article focuses on ethical issues faced in evaluation practice from the viewpoint of third generation of activity theory, which gives a constructive perspective on how contradictions can be a driving force behind interorganizational learning and development in multiactor networks. The problem field is firstly addressed through an illustration…

The authors present the argument that evaluation as currently practiced is failing the needs of the social sector, if the goal is to help organizations achieve their mission. Three case studies are presented in which evaluation played a key role in the development of a learning culture within the organization. Each case highlights the positive…

An organizational development program was evaluated, which was implemented to reduce disorder in a Baltimore, Maryland, school. The Program Development Evaluation method was used. Increasing consistency of response to student discipline infractions, increasing rewards for appropriate behavior, and imposing peer and teacher support improved school…

This article explores the use of an evaluation model of learning and development utilizing formative, summative, and confirmative steps, along with a framework for developing evaluation tools aligned with organizational change goals. A case study is presented in which formative, summative, and confirmative evaluations were used to assess materials…

Studied the efforts of a state-funded evaluation support unit in Rhode Island to increase evaluation capacity in 13 community-based organizations through a needs assessment, on-site technical assistance, a workshop series, and selected model projects. Measures of organizational needs, staff confidence, and agency progress are used to document…

Analysis of the first cycle of academic program review at the College of St. Catherine (Minnesota) discusses recommendations resulting from reviews, insights about faculty and committee perceptions, and new directions for the second cycle. It is noted that the second cycle will focus more on program activities and output than on traditional input…

This paper is the result of a 1979 workshop that examined potential applications of new perspectives on organizational planning, management, and evaluation as they apply to school improvement efforts. Section 1 reproduces an orientation paper mailed to conference participants. Section 2 contains an informal report of the proceedings reconstructed…

Objective: Organizational learning, underpinned by evidence-based health care, and greater user involvement in planning and delivery were key objectives of the NHS Plan. Evaluation, and specifically participatory evaluation, offers the potential to address these elements of the NHS modernization agenda. We discuss the strengths and limitations of…

Since the beginning of the 1990s, the University of Botswana has embarked on a series of organizational change strategies. In 1998-1990, the University engaged an external Review Commission to undertake a comprehensive institutional analysis, and, at about the same time, the University acquired a computerized administrative information system with…

The change process was examined in a community college in which there was evidence of events precipitating change, including leadership succession, new management/governance structures, proposed cultural shifts, and a period of rapid growth. The case illustrates that not all organizational change is positive, and that those promoting change should…

Learning from evaluation is discussed with reference to the experiences of the Norwegian aid administration. The study demonstrates that evaluation builds learning through involvement and through communication. An organization can maximize its learning by making the two modes supplement each other. (SLD)

An external evaluation of the Small College Consortium (SCC) was designed to evaluate and make recommendations for linkages between the delivery of technical assistance services and progress toward institutional development. The case study component of the SCC evaluation for 1978 was undertaken as two separate but complementary analyses. The two…