Bringing out the best in times of uncertainty

Georgie Parry-Crooke
Tavistock Institute of Human Relations
September 4 2019
Bringing out the best
in times of uncertainty:
Finding the right hat or hats
for collaborative evaluation roles

The relevance of role now
 Increased uncertainty
 Increased awareness of complexity
 Increased pressure to reassure
And possibly
 Increased motivation to collaborate?
2

What is evaluation culture?
Evaluation culture encompasses the behaviours,
values, expectations, attitudes and norms of
our evaluation communities. It
influences evaluators' career paths and
determines the way that evaluation is conducted
and communicated.
Adapted from the Royal Society 2019
4

Who do we think we are?
 Uncertainty of role: do we experience this?
 Giving the impression of certainty
 Contributing to change
 Our values and ‘their’ values
 Being useful and effective
What can we do?
5

The Proper Role of the Evaluator?
8
Which hat to
wear …
today?

Luo, Heng (2010) The Role for an Evaluator: A Fundamental Issue for Evaluation of
Education and Social Programs International Education Studies
10
The proper role for an evaluator
 Comparative analysis of five theorists’ positions
 How understanding of value, methods, use and purposes
result in different roles for evaluators
 How these differences affect evaluators’ responsibilities
 Proposes a resolution of the evaluator’s role and its
limitations

The proper role for an evaluator
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 Value
 Methods
 Use
 Purpose
12
A resolution …

13
Proper? Improper?
P: precise? personable?
R: rigorous? realistic?
O: organised? open?
P: principled? people-oriented?
E: evidence-focused? evidence-aware?
R: reasoned? reliable?
I: innovative
M: maverick …

Multiple Personalities
Detective; Designer; Judge;
Honest broker; Creative consultant;
Organizational analyst; Leader;
Devil’s advocate;
Change agent; Counselor; Follower;
Communicator; Mediator; Technical
geek; Diplomat; Negotiator;
Problem solver;
Public relations agent
Adapted from Koskey, K (2019) (and Grubbs, 2009;
Mark, 2002; Patton, 2007; Skolits et al., 2009)
14

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Pre Evaluation Stage
Detective: Learn about the context
Negotiator: Agree on the parameters of the evaluation
Designer: Develop the evaluation plan
Active Evaluation Stage
Diplomat: Build relationships and trust
Researcher: Implement the plan
Judge: Judge the merit, value, worth
Reporter: Communicate results to stakeholders
Post Evaluation Stage
Advocator: Promote appropriate uses of evaluation findings
Reflector: Engage in self-reflection
Koskey, K. (2019) University of Akron
Skolits, G. et al (2009) Reconceptualizing Evaluator Roles American Journal of
Evaluation Vol. 30, No. 3, pp. 275 - 295

16
David Fetterman:
I think it is about making evaluation more accessible
to people, demystifying it, and placing it in more
people’s hands. If you have ever watched "un-boxing"
videos on YouTube, you can appreciate both the
anticipation and the sheer joy you see on people's
faces as they open up a box of some new
treasure. This is all part of the un-boxing of evaluation
– watching people's faces as they discover the power
and the beauty of evaluation.
2019 Better Evaluation

17
EVALUATOR ROLES in EVALUATION MODELS
Goal-Based Model
Evaluator directs the evaluation process.
Participatory Model
Evaluator guides evaluation process. Evaluator is
facilitator and resource.
Empowerment Model
Team has total authority and resources to evaluate.
Evaluator is empowerment facilitator.
Developmental Model
Evaluator supports teamwork. Ownership is shared
by all. Evaluator is advisor to program team.
CES Essential Skills Series 2007

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 co-design the services being delivered
 share decision making in relation to the staffing and
other resources for service delivery
 co-deliver services as volunteers or as paid workers
 take an active part in the evaluation of services, such as
helping design evaluation activities, interviewing or
gathering feedback from other beneficiaries.
Co-production … what is it?
See https://www.scie.org.uk/publications/guides/guide51/what-is-coproduction/defining-
coproduction.asp

Co-production … why do it?
Strengths in evaluation:
 Sharing responsibility and creativity
 Bringing different knowledge together
Challenges in evaluation:
 Definitions and boundaries
 Resources and skills
 Acceptability of the evidence – good enough?
20

Co-production is a slippery concept and if
it is not clearly defined there is a danger
that its meaning is diluted and its
potential to transform services is reduced.
At the same time, a definition that is too
narrow can stifle creativity and decrease
innovation.
SCIE (2013) Co-production in social care: what it is and how to do it
21

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Co-production … and/or?
Critical collaboration
- the critical friend in a safe space
Cover-up collaboration
- tokenistic and focused on particular agendas
Trusting collaboration
- need for strong, confident, open-minded
approach that puts others (sector,
organisation) ahead of self-interest

The art of the nudge or the ‘nudger’
1. Practicing servant leadership
2. Sensing programme energy
3. Supporting common spaces
4. Untying knots iteratively
5. Paying attention to structure
Langlois, M. et al (2013) The art of the nudge: five practices for development evaluators
The Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation, Vol.27 No.2 pp 39 - 59
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Bringing out the BEST!
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 Recognition of power as it’s there and shifts
 Pluralistic perspectives needed as no best way
 Several/multiple roles but depend on
relationships between evaluator and clients
 Reliance on internal commitment
 May be only one chance …

Trying to wear many hats…
Always consider an element of co-production?
Always checking in with other people?
Always checking in with ourselves?
25

A certain space in uncertainty?
 Can co-production strengthen
evaluations and interventions by
establishing reliable relationships?
 Does it open up a more certain space in
which uncertainty can be explored with
and through evaluation evidence?

Thank you!
g.parry-crooke@tavinstitute.org

Bringing out the best in times of uncertainty

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