Transformation

Not transformation as buzzword, but as serious inquiry. What does genuine transformation look like, how do we recognise it, what enables or blocks it, and what role can evaluation play in making it real?
18
Jul
Guest Post: How can evaluation step up to the transformational challenge?

Guest Post: How can evaluation step up to the transformational challenge?

Sam Buckton distils insights from his pioneering PhD research on transformation-focused evaluation. Based on a systematic review of the literature, he maps 12 principles that show how the evaluation field is advancing with the demands of transformative change in complex systems.
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
08
Jun
Evaluation’s Journey towards the Future, Part 7. A Collective Navigation System for this time of Polycrisis

Evaluation’s Journey towards the Future, Part 7. A Collective Navigation System for this time of Polycrisis

Evaluation must become more than a technical practice – it can serve as a collective navigation system for this exceptional time in humanity’s history. Drawing on wayfinding, Indigenous wisdom and complexity thinking, this post reimagines evaluation’s purpose and potential.
8 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
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
19
Mar
The E-T Nexus: Connecting Evaluation and Transformation

The E-T Nexus: Connecting Evaluation and Transformation

Evaluation professionals increasingly work where evaluation and transformation meet – yet few truly navigate this space. This post introduces the evaluation-transformation nexus - evaluation OF, FOR, AS and In transformation - and its use when working on complex change.
6 min read
14
Jun
“No Lines”. For Blue Marble Evaluation.

“No Lines”. For Blue Marble Evaluation.

"Between me and not-me there is surely a line, a clear distinction, or so it seems. But, now
4 min read
08
Feb
Guest post: The evaluation governance implications of transformative evaluation

Guest post: The evaluation governance implications of transformative evaluation

I hope you will appreciate this interesting and pertinent blog post. I was in Beijing in 2003 at the inaugural
4 min read
29
Sep
Guest post: Getting ready for transformational projects

Guest post: Getting ready for transformational projects

I connected with Daniel in 2019 when I was given access to a draft of the GIZ paper he discusses
6 min read
13
Jun
Guest Post: Narratives, Stories and Memes

Guest Post: Narratives, Stories and Memes

How can we evaluate well if we are not aware of the often 'single stories' that shape how
5 min read