Canadian Government Executive - Volume 23 - Issue 1

18 / Canadian Government Executive // January 2017 Program Evaluation Do Evaluation Management Responses Matter? Wayne MacDonald P rogram evaluations are often viewed by practitioners as ‘ends’ in themselves. Once finished, evaluators move on. But, do they change anything? Do evaluation recom- mendations lead to results and impacts that go beyond the reports? Do they have reach; making a difference that touches people’s lives? A basic supposition em- bedded within evaluation assumes that it will have some form of use, utility or in- fluence. Evaluations are expected to lead to something that enables or gives rise to change. But do the arduous processes and costs to generate the evaluation outputs belie the challenges downstream when it comes to evaluation use? Ask any head of communication in a public sector orga- nization. They will note the voluminous nature of evaluation findings, the mixed messages, and often-vague recommenda- tions. It is indeed disquieting that the ex- plicit impact of evaluation use tends to be imperceptible, intangible and unconvinc- ing. Unlike audit, one never hears a Gov- ernment Minister or Deputy start a media scrum with ‘…due to the findings of an evaluation, the department is doing…and this has resulted in…’ The evaluation voice is habitually muted or inconspicuous. What do evaluators aspire to? For nearly fifty years, the international evaluation research literature has re- flected on the potential use of evaluation effects on knowledge, thinking and prac- tice. Even this magazine has featured over a hundred articles on program evalua- tion, with some devoted to the topic of use. Evaluators, like auditors and perfor- mance measurement specialists, expect something tangible to follow – some re- percussions, aftereffects, or consequences. Auditors presume the mitigation of risk. Performance measurement specialists look towards improved program delivery, economy, and efficiencies. Evaluators are equally ambitious. They look for evidence