Creativity is not an escape from disciplined thinking. It is an escape with disciplined thinking.” – Jerry Hirschberg – via @BarbaraOrmsby
The above quote was in the September 7 post of Harold Jarche’s blog. I think it has relevance to the work we do as evaluators. Certainly, there is a creative part to evaluation; certainly there is a disciplined thinking part to evaluation. Remembering that is sometimes a challenge.
So where in the process do we see creativity and where do we see disciplined thinking?
When evaluators construct a logic model, you see creativity; you also see disciplined thinking
When evaluators develop an implementation plan, you see creativity; you also see disciplined thinking.
When evaluators develop a methodology and a method, you see creativity; you also see disciplined thinking.
When evaluators present the findings for use, you see creativity; you also see disciplined thinking.
So the next time you say “give me a survey for this program”, think–Is a survey the best approach to determining if this program is effective; will it really answer my questions?
Creativity and disciplined thinking are companions in evaluation.