Systems thinking done broadly allows us to take into consideration the various factors — structures, activities, relationships, interconnections — that can influence our organization, market, and domain of inquiry. One of the fundamental qualities of systems is that they have boundaries. For example, when we consider an organization as a system we need to place …
The complexities and complications of circumstances tied to the COVID-19 pandemic represent a hyper-exaggerated version of situations organizations find themselves in moments of disruption due to economic, social, and technological shifts. It is a moment of innovation. What makes the current situation distinct is that the issues are global. Usually we have safe refuge in …
Illustrating action points within a complex system challenges evaluation users. Time to call on your friendly neighbourhood spidergram for help. Visualizing complex systems is a challenge within strategy, foresight, and evaluation because each component of the system is interconnected with others. Influence on one of these is likely to influence others. From an action standpoint, …
Developmental Evaluation (DE) is an approach to supporting the evolution and development of an innovation. This means not only helping guide where an innovation is going but understanding where it is now and where it has been. Just like human development, an innovation is as much a product of its past as it is the …
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 …
