Developmental Evaluation (DE) offers a powerful approach for tracking and assessing innovations in complex situations. It is a process that requires but also encourages stronger relationships between social innovators and key decision makers. If you find yourself involved in the very beginning or a changing phase of a project, DE might be something that could make a world of difference to the impact you can achieve. It can be used for a range of purposes: supporting program development, developing new and innovative models, adapting effective practice to local contexts and scaling innovations.

DE has been getting increased attention, especially in Canada.  As with any new approach, as it attracts interest, -- and people begin labeling what they're doing by the new name -- "fidelity" issues arise.  DE is not for every evaluation situation.  Indeed, the niche is quite specific.  Calling an evaluation "DE" doesn't make it DE.  So what is the core of DE?  What are its minimum specifications (min specs)? What are the challenges in staying the course in developmental evaluation (and not reverting back to old habits and traditional ways of conducting evaluations). These are the issues Patton will discuss, covering enough of the basics of DE to inform those who are new to it what it is and getting into issues of fidelity, sustainability, and quality for those with more knowledge and experience.

More about the presenter:

Michael Quinn Patton is the head of an organizational development consulting business: Utilization-Focused Information and Training. Known for five influential books on evaluation, including Qualitative/Evaluation and Research Methods, he was the 1984 recipient of the Alva and Gunnar Myrdal Award from the Evaluation Research Society for "outstanding contributions to evaluation use and practice".

Dr. Patton is also the former President of the American Evaluation Association (AEA). Dr. Patton has worked with organizations and programs at the international, national, state, and local levels, and with philanthropic, not-for-profit, private sector, and government programs. He is a generalist working across the full range of efforts at improving human effectiveness and results, including programs in leadership development, education, human services, the environment, public health, employment, agricultural extension, arts, criminal justice, poverty programs, transportation, diversity, managing for results, performance indicators, effective governance, and futuring.

More about the Webinar Series:

Michael Quinn Patton is our next guest in a year-long series on social innovation and related processes, presented under our Inspiring Action for Social Impact banner. SiG is planning one webinar per month (excluding August). Our July webinar will feature Charmina Love and Amy Birchall from Volans in the UK discussing Corporate Social Innovation. Registration for this event will be available soon.