Is there a competitor or colleague that does something you admire? Is there a small pang of jealousy or envy in how another firm does what it does? Rather than lament it, embrace it. We can channel our impressions of others into benefit if we transform our envy or observations into actions. This is a […]
Copy Cat: Learning Through Observation Read More »
Complexity science is the study of how systems behave when under conditions of high dynamism (change) and instability due to the number, sequencing, and organization of actors, relationships, and outcomes. Complex systems pose difficulty drawing clear lessons because the relationship between causes and consequences are rarely straightforward. To illustrate, consider how having one child provides
After-Action Review: Learning Together Through Complexity Read More »
Sensemaking is a social process that helps us make sense of data, information, and knowledge in a time of complexity. It’s used often in innovation contexts when we are fitting data to a unique situation. The RSA (the Royal Society for the encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce) a UK-based charity and think-tank has recently
Sensemaking in Crisis Read More »
Evaluative thinking is at the heart of evaluation, yet it’s remarkably challenging to do in practice. To help strengthen those evaluative neural pathways, we offer some questions to aid you in developing your evaluative thinking skills. To begin, let’s first look at this odd concept of ‘evaluative thinking’. Tom Grayson’s recent post on the AEA
Three Questions for Evaluative Thinking Read More »
Developmental evaluation (DE), when used to support innovation, is about weaving design with data and strategy. It’s about taking a systematic, structured approach to paying attention to what you’re doing, what is being produced (and how), and anchoring it to why you’re doing it by using monitoring and evaluation data. For innovators, this is all connected
Developmental Evaluation Traps Read More »
