When I was young, my family occasionally took long road trips during the summer holidays. Sitting in the back of a station wagon, my mother passed out books of connect the dot activities to keep my siblings and me occupied. If you’re unfamiliar with these games, they are composed of partially discernable images that require
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We watched in horror when two bombs went off at a crowded sporting event in Boston, Massachusetts, USA last Monday. We watched in amazement when initially unidentified suspects were apprehended within a few days. How was this possible? The primary factor was the utilization of a systemic approach. A coordinated effort ensured a swift, efficient
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Karen reflects on a systemic approach to renewable energy. Two years ago, the mayor of a small desert city decided Lancaster, California would be the solar capital not only of the planet but also of the universe. He was thinking big. His goal was to be the first city to produce more electricity from solar
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So what are the ingredients that make evaluation take root and grow? Certainly management and governance support, a champion’s voice within the institution, an organizational culture that promotes learning, a long-term commitment of funds and a systemic view of evaluation are key factors. Often overlooked are evaluative activities that are mutually beneficial to organizations with
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This morning, I had coffee with a colleague. She shared a project idea that she will submit to ECDG for possible pass-through funding. Her idea reminded me of an ECD project with which I was involved while living in Michigan. I mentioned the product I developed, an Evaluation Guidebook, was on the ECDG website and
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Editorial Comment: In today’s blog, Alexey Kuzmin shares an important resource for evaluation associations. Evaluation associations today are in a pretty unique situation: there is an entity (International Organization for Cooperation in Evaluation http://ioce.net/, and a program (EvalPartners, http://www.mymande.org/evalpartners) that support creation and development of the so called Volunteer Organizations of Professional Evaluators (VOPEs) worldwide.
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A year ago, ECDG published the proceedings of an international workshop on evaluation capacity development that was conceptualized around the question: Does evaluation capacity development (ECD) at the individual level roll-up to the organizational level, and from there, to the country level? Or does ECD trickle down from the country level, through the organizational level,
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Editorial Comments: Today’s blog by ECDG Chair, Craig Russon, is a reflection on the integration of ECD levels. Dear Colleagues, BIG congratulations to the UN Evaluation Group’s National Evaluation Capacity Development Taskforce on the recent publication of its Practical Tips on How to Strengthen National Evaluation Systems[1]. This document can be found in the knowledgbase
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Editorial Comment: Karen reflects on the importance of evaluation capacity during a time of national disaster. My heart goes out to my fellow Americans who are suffering from the devastation of Hurricane Sandy. I spoke with colleagues who attended last week’s AEA conference who found themselves stranded in Minneapolis and other US cities. I hope
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Editorial comment: Craig reflects on a lesson he learned while recently facilitating a workshop on ECDG’s New Guide to Evaluation Capacity Development. Last month, I attended the fifth conference of the Malaysian Evaluation Society in Kuala Lumpur. The theme of the conference was an Integrated Approach for Evaluation & Results-Based Management. Conference organizer, Dr. Aru
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