Organizational Evaluation Capacity Building

Several different types of interventions can support organizations in strengthening their evaluation capacity. Our research focuses, in part, on developing and evaluating these interventions in real-world settings. The following articles examine organizational evaluation capacity building through the lens of different interventions:

Breaking Down Barriers to Evaluation Use in Organizations: A Cross-Sectional Analysis of Practice and Research

(in French only)

Organizations operate in increasingly complex environments characterized by interdependent actors, growing accountability requirements, and the need to adapt to evolving social, health, and environmental challenges. In this context, evaluation is often viewed as a key mechanism for organizational learning, yet knowledge about the conditions that support its use remains largely siloed across sectors of practice. This paper offers a cross-sectoral analysis of evaluation use based on a reflexive dialogue between practice and research involving stakeholders from the community, public, and international development sectors. Interpreted through an ecological framework informed by systems and complexity perspectives, the findings highlight three interrelated dynamics: the influence of institutional frameworks, uneven organizational capacity to support evaluation, and the central role of relationships among stakeholders. The paper then discusses three complementary levers for strengthening organizational learning and adaptation: evaluative thinking, complexity-informed evaluation approaches, and the development of an evaluation culture. By adopting a systemic perspective, the paper contributes to a better understanding of the organizational and institutional conditions that shape evaluation use in complex environments.

Participatory Curriculum for Capacity Building in Evaluation

This article discusses the participatory approach used to develop a training program designed to build both individual and organizational evaluation capacity. This program is central to LaboEval, which is introduced in another section of the website.

Student Competition for Strengthening Organizational Evaluation Capacity

These articles describe an innovative intervention aimed at connecting students with organizations in need of an evaluation capacity building strategy. The series presents both a description of the intervention and its impact on participants.

Developing Organization Coaching Competencies

Building organizational evaluation capacity requires coaching and support. These studies explore the resources and skills needed by evaluation capacity builders and how they can best develop those competencies.

The Influence of Other Fields on Evaluation Capacity Building

This article extends current theories and practices of evaluation capacity building by exploring contributions from other areas of research and practice in the social sciences.

Evaluation practices in the community sector

A special issue of the journal Reflets brings together ten articles that provide in-depth examples of evaluation practice in social economy and community-based organizations, both domestic and international.