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The Big Picture

The Big Picture

Stepping back to see the whole, its interconnections and interdependences. These posts explore the large-scale global to local forces shaping our era, including geopolitics, economic systems, technological disruption, the triple planetary crises, value and power shifts, and ask what they demand of transformation-focused evaluation — evaluation OF, FOR, AS and IN transformation — and of us as we navigate the present and the future.
09
Oct
We Have to Rethink Human Rights, Part 2

We Have to Rethink Human Rights, Part 2

Building on Part 1, this post explores what lies beyond a single universal model of human rights. Drawing on diverse cultural traditions and philosophical systems, it makes the case for pluralistic approaches that honour different ways of understanding dignity and justice.
6 min read
03
Oct
We Have to Rethink Human Rights, Part 1

We Have to Rethink Human Rights, Part 1

What if ‘universal human rights’ are not actually universal, but a cleverly packaged Western export that has sometimes done more harm than good? This post challenges conventional thinking and argues for embracing multiple frameworks to strengthen human dignity worldwide.
4 min read
15
Jul
Guest Post: Principles for Transforming Economics

Guest Post: Principles for Transforming Economics

Three eminent transformation specialists – Sandra Waddock, Petra Kuenkel and Steve Waddell – present ten principles for transforming economics. A powerful argument for moving beyond extractive models towards regenerative economic systems that serve people and planet.
5 min read
29
May
Evaluation’s Journey towards the Future, Part 6. Evaluating yesterday's world for tomorrow’s challenges?

Evaluation’s Journey towards the Future, Part 6. Evaluating yesterday's world for tomorrow’s challenges?

Why are we still evaluating yesterday’s world to plan for tomorrow’s challenges? Evaluation after evaluation describes what happened in the past without grappling with what is emerging. This post argues for a fundamental reorientation of evaluation practice.
15 min read
27
May
The Zoo of Future Risks

The Zoo of Future Risks

Part of a series of thought morsels. This one is fun but also sobering – a look at the colourful menagerie of animal metaphors we use for the risks shaping our future, from black swans to grey rhinos to dragon kings.
2 min read
25
May
Evaluation's Journey towards the Future, Part 5. The Liminal space of Not-Yet Futures

Evaluation's Journey towards the Future, Part 5. The Liminal space of Not-Yet Futures

We live in a liminal space, suspended between what was and what is becoming. Like a cocoon where the old dissolves before the new takes shape, this in-between space is where the transformations we need become possible. What does this mean for evaluation?
3 min read
13
May
Evaluation's Journey towards the Future, Part 3. The tributaries that make up our field

Evaluation's Journey towards the Future, Part 3. The tributaries that make up our field

Evaluation does not flow from a single source. Like a river fed by countless tributaries, it draws from government accountability, Indigenous wisdom, professional practice, academic research, digital innovation and activist movements.
5 min read
06
May
Evaluation’s Journey towards the Future, Part 2. How did we get here?

Evaluation’s Journey towards the Future, Part 2. How did we get here?

From ancient aquifers to modern canals: how evaluation evolved from intuitive human practice into a structured profession. Tracing the currents that carried evaluative thinking from millennia-old traditions into the formalised field we know today.
7 min read
10
Apr
Evaluation’s Journey towards the future, Part 1: Ancient tributaries

Evaluation’s Journey towards the future, Part 1: Ancient tributaries

As we chart evaluation’s future, its earliest beginnings continue to shape the field. From ancient Egypt’s Nile governance to China’s imperial examinations, from Indigenous knowledge systems to Athenian civic audits – a vivid journey through five millennia of evaluative practice.
9 min read
03
Apr
“What went wrong with woke?” The problem of measurement and influence.

“What went wrong with woke?” The problem of measurement and influence.

How twisted narratives and simplistic measures can destroy a major effort to do good. This post examines what the backlash against ESG and ‘woke’ culture reveals about the dangers of poor measurement, ideological capture, and evaluation’s role in defending evidence-based progress
4 min read