AES 2015 International Evaluation Conference

Joanna Farmer (Urbis)

This presentation will reflect on the observations of an emerging evaluator who wants to partner with clients on journeys of innovation that will build contemporary evaluative processes, while potentially improving the quality of evaluation findings. 
Innovation of the evaluation process - from theory and strategy, to data collection and analytical methods - is exciting and important for evaluators if the field is to progress, keeping pace with societal change. Experimenting can lead to valuable evaluation insights. Developing the field has merit in itself, and satisfies the intellectual curiosity of the evaluator. Innovation contributes to engaged, effective, proactive evaluators.

However, clients can present cautious reactions to innovation. While apparently conservative, they may have reasonable reasons for appearing unadventurous. Reframing an issue or trying a new method can be seen as wasted effort, as traditional ways of thinking and doing are implied as redundant. This could be a particular concern for public sector clients, where ideas and costs are closely scrutinised. A tried and tested option that has worked before is seen as perfectly serviceable, while an interesting, novel option may be regarded as experimental and risky.

This raises the question, how can we incentivise courage among our clients, while ensuring we meet the need for thoroughness, defensibility of findings and accountability? 
The presentation will explore the struggle to include innovation in the bidding, pitching and conducting phases of the evaluation using anonymised examples from a new evaluator's first 18 months in the field. It will discuss differing conceptions of innovation between clients and evaluators and how that affects expectations of evaluation processes and outcomes. Improved communication between evaluators and clients, as individuals and as a market, will help to bridge the gap. Evaluators may be failing to make a compelling case for innovation, leading clients to build obstacles without realising why this occurs.