I’m delighted to be taking part in this discussion. Having a background in philosophy, I will no doubt be asking questions of a different nature. Steven Lichty asked:“If evaluation is to contribute to transformation, what needs to change first… our methods, our criteria, our institutions, our underlying mindset, or something else?”
I don’t think we should frame the question in this way. Transformation is not a linear process where we move from a first stage to a second, then to a third, and so on. On the contrary, several things happen simultaneously, and where each of us starts depends on ourselves, on what we are evaluating, and on the perceived purpose of the evaluation. In other words, what matters is the feedback loop between the assessment and the people it concerns.
Our team recently assessed a building. It met the requirements for LEED certification. To our surprise, it exceeded the LEED criteria. We incorporated these additional features into our assessment (our method is quite flexible in this regard). We then used this assessment to formulate recommendations for further improvements. Thus, the assessment method included these recommendations, and these led to a conversation about feasibility, implementation, timing, importance, and so on. This conversation, in turn, feeds back into the assessment and the recommendations. The conversation also leads those involved in the assessment to ask themselves in-depth questions about themselves, who they are and what they wish to become within the context of the institution. Thus, criteria, institutions and mindsets all evolve simultaneously through our assessment and feedback process.
RE: From Hindsight to Foresight: How Evaluation Can Become Future-Informed
United States of America
Michele Friend
Professor
George Washington University
Posté le 30/03/2026
Hello everyone,
I’m delighted to be taking part in this discussion. Having a background in philosophy, I will no doubt be asking questions of a different nature. Steven Lichty asked: “If evaluation is to contribute to transformation, what needs to change first… our methods, our criteria, our institutions, our underlying mindset, or something else?”
I don’t think we should frame the question in this way. Transformation is not a linear process where we move from a first stage to a second, then to a third, and so on. On the contrary, several things happen simultaneously, and where each of us starts depends on ourselves, on what we are evaluating, and on the perceived purpose of the evaluation. In other words, what matters is the feedback loop between the assessment and the people it concerns.
Our team recently assessed a building. It met the requirements for LEED certification. To our surprise, it exceeded the LEED criteria. We incorporated these additional features into our assessment (our method is quite flexible in this regard). We then used this assessment to formulate recommendations for further improvements. Thus, the assessment method included these recommendations, and these led to a conversation about feasibility, implementation, timing, importance, and so on. This conversation, in turn, feeds back into the assessment and the recommendations. The conversation also leads those involved in the assessment to ask themselves in-depth questions about themselves, who they are and what they wish to become within the context of the institution. Thus, criteria, institutions and mindsets all evolve simultaneously through our assessment and feedback process.