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Moving Organizations from 'Having to' to 'Wanting to' Evaluate: 5 Recommendations for Practice [1]
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Date: 2024-12
In this article published by Better Evaluation, Riccardo Polastro, WHO’s Chief Evaluation Officer, explores strategies for fostering a culture where evaluation is embraced as a tool for learning and decision-making rather than merely fulfilling compliance requirements. Drawing on his experience with UNICEF's evaluation functions in East Asia, the Pacific, and Latin America, as well as his current work with the WHO, Polastro identifies five key recommendations for strengthening evaluation systems in diverse organizational contexts.
Embed Evaluation to Support Learning and Decision-Making: Polastro highlights the importance of integrating evaluation into organizational processes and building trust among stakeholders. UNICEF’s extensive field presence and adaptive approach enabled the organization to respond to diverse and shifting needs with actionable recommendations. However, this required deliberate efforts to create an environment of trust and to embed evaluation into planning and implementation processes. Co-Create a Shared Vision for Evaluation: A collaborative approach, involving stakeholders from senior management to field staff, helps align evaluation efforts with organizational priorities. Polastro describes how UNICEF established clear goals and milestones for evaluations, supported by regional offices providing technical assistance and sharing best practices. Invest in Resources for Independent Evaluation: Adequate funding and staffing are critical to effective evaluation. Polastro illustrates how UNICEF expanded evaluation capacities by creating new specialist positions, doubling budgets, and leveraging donor contracts to emphasize evaluation as a strategic priority. Strengthen Capacity for Credible and Useful Evaluations: High-quality evaluations require robust methodologies, skilled teams, and engagement with stakeholders throughout the process. Standardized procedures and shared learnings across regions helped UNICEF ensure evaluations were relevant and actionable. Align Evaluations with User Needs and Intended Impact: Evaluations must be tailored to user priorities and designed to inform decisions. Polastro emphasizes the role of evaluation leaders as facilitators and champions, fostering dialogue, and embedding evidence into policy and planning. During crises like COVID-19, UNICEF evaluations proved instrumental in adapting strategies and scaling successful initiatives.
To read the full article, click here
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[1] Url:
https://www.who.int/news/item/16-12-2024-moving-organizations-from--having-to--to--wanting-to--evaluate--5-recommendations-for-practice
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