Can Governments Learn?: Comparative Perspectives on Evaluation and Organizational Learning by Frans L. Leeuw

Author:Frans L. Leeuw [Leeuw, Frans L.]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: International Relations, Public Policy, Comparative Politics, Political Science, General
ISBN: 9781000676068
Google: fk7VDwAAQBAJ
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2020-03-05T06:53:37+00:00

We began by distributing the “Nouvelle Poste” report to all staff and users and conducting an evaluation study of a post office in the area of Mons. We wanted to carry out a “formative evaluation” as defined by specialists on the subject. According to Rist (1989–90: 82), “formative evaluation focuses on identifying and understanding the internal dynamics of programs as they actually operate.” For its part, the Evaluation Research Society (1982: 9) defines this type of analysis as “testing or appraising the processes of an ongoing program in order to make modifications and improvements. Activities may include analysis of management strategies and of interactions among persons involved in the program, personnel appraisal, surveys of attitudes toward the program, and observation.” Monnier (1987: 113) speaks about “endoformative evaluation,” the purpose of which is “to inform the protagonists of the program so that they can modify their conduct, improve the action and thereby transform the aim itself.”

In the case under review, the formative (or endoformative) evaluation has a triple objective, namely to:

Assess, through a sample survey of four categories of actors (i.e., users, postal service staff, managing civil servants, and political decision makers) within the postal service system, what are the general perceptions of these different actors with respect to (a) how this organization functions and (b) the changes ushered in by the action program known as “La Nouvelle Poste.”

Identify the main changes and improvements that postal service staff, users, and the managers of the postal service wish to see introduced.

Assess whether our evaluation study contributed to the acquisition of organizational learning inside the postal service.

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