Category: Social Innovation

Categories
Social Innovation

CES Toronto 2013 Presentation: Insights on Developmental Evaluator Roles during Innovation: A Case Study

I’m delighted to be speaking on this topic tomorrow at the CES Toronto 2013 conference, Tuesday, June 11, from 3:45-5:15, Main Mezzanine,  Tudor 7.

Title:  Insights on Developmental Evaluator Roles during Innovation: A Case Study

Abstract: Developmental evaluation (DE) supports social innovation and program development by guiding program adaptation to emergent and dynamic social realities (Patton, 2011; Preskill & Beer, 2012). To that end, the developmental evaluator is expected to draw on a multitude of skills and to take on multiple roles depending on the situational demands of the DE. Beyond that little guidance is provided in the literature to guide evaluation practice amidst the decidedly complex and turbulent space of social innovation.

This presentation explores the contextual demands made of the evaluator and the emergence of the different roles taken on by the developmental evaluator to enable social innovation in a case of DE. The ‘preformative development’ of this social innovation saw the integration of microblogging into teacher education. Analysis revealed four roles assumed by the developmental evaluator when innovating: a) evaluator, b) facilitator of learning, c) project manager, and d) innovation thinker.

Hope to see you there!

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Program Evaluation Social Innovation Speaking

A Case Study on the Use of Developmental Evaluation for Navigating Uncertainty during Social Innovation

Categories
Social Innovation

To innovate is to ask critical questions, critically.

To innovate is to ask critical questions, critically.

To quote Steve Jobs, innovation is about thinking different. It is a categorically different function and exercise from all others a person or an organization may engage. One must commit to change and be open-hearted and genuine about its unfolding process and outcome.

It is about seeing the world in a different light. In trying to move from a place of the world-that-is to a world-to-be, one of the critical functions of any innovation process is to ask critical questions, and to engage in this exercise critically. For those of us who work in the human services, this means questioning the assumptions people hold and surfacing the values that underpin their actions.