High Impact Internal Evaluation : A Practitioner's Guide to Evaluating and Consulting Inside Organizations

Today rapidly changing organizations need the best tools for driving high performance, meeting customer needs, measuring outcomes and improving service delivery. This book shows students and professional evaluators how to effectively use the tools of internal evaluation to determine a business or program′s effectiveness, efficiency, economy and performance.

The author combines his extensive experience and theory into an indispensable resource for students, novice internal evaluators, experienced evaluation professionals and for managers responsible for evaluating their own programs.

"The book gives a solid overview of the theory and practice of internal evaluation by one of its leading practitioners. For readers new to internal evaluation, the book clearly explains the major pros and cons of internal evaluation, how evaluation fits within the organizational context, and guidance about the development and management of the internal evaluation function."

--Arnold Love, private consultant and author of Internal Evaluation

"This book was written by an evaluator who has given deep thought to what it means to work as an internal evaluator. The author combines his long experience and deep knowledge of the literature in a manner that gives people the insight needed to ply the evaluation trade effectively as in-house staff in large bureaucratic organizations."

--Jonathan A. Morell, Industrial Technology Institute

This book shows students and professional evaluators how to effectively use the tools of internal evaluation to determine a business or program′s effectiveness, efficiency, economy, and performance. Beginning with a description of the organizational context within which internal evaluation is practiced, the book covers such topics as:

- Pre conditions for high impact evaluation

- The value and nature of acquisition of information in organizations and how it is affected by culture, individuals and the decision-making process

- The phenomenon of change in organizations from how it affects behavior as well as ways to overcome resistance to change

- The staffing and structure of internal evaluation offices

- The consulting role that evaluators play in organizations

- The keys to successful internal evaluation practice

- How to have high impact evaluations that are utilized

- The art of reporting results in a manner that will influence and improve the organization.