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Transformation Fidelity Principle

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Sidebar - Principles

  • - SUBNAVIGATION -
  • Principles
    • Global Thinking
    • Anthropocene as Context
    • Transformative Engagement
    • Integration
    • Operating Principles
      • Transboundary Engagement
      • GLOCAL
      • Cross Siloes
      • Time being of the essence
      • Yin-Yang
      • Bricolage Methods
      • World Savvy
      • Skin in the Game
      • Theory of transformation
      • Transformation Fidelity
      • Transformational Alignment
      • Evaluation as Intervention

Ensure that what is called transformation constitutes transformation.

Premise

Transformational change by its very definition must be major, must be big, and therefore must be observable and/or measurable. The end of apartheid: observable. The fall of the Berlin wall: observable Significant reduction in new cases of HIV and AIDS: measurable. Significantly reduced smoking in a population: measurable. Huge increase in opioid deaths: measurable. Major reduction in soil erosion: observable and measurable. Transformed system reactions to sexual harassment or racial discrimination: documentable. People glued to their designs checking for messages and news: Observable. The challenge is not evaluating transformation, not when it actually happens. True transformations are hard to miss and pretty easy to document. The challenge is bringing about transformation. That’s hard. Very hard. But if it has happened, it can be observed.

Implications

  • Not all programming is transformational in intent, not all Blue Marble initiatives have a transformation vision, so not all Blue Marble evaluations are transformational in focus. Most interventions aspire to make a significant difference on some problem, but few have the capacity to aspire to transformational impact.
  • Where an initiative does have a transformational vision and aspiration, the concept of transformation means it is taking on major structural and systems change. The results expected should be transformational. If you need a significance test to tell whether or not transformation change has happened, it hasn't. Transformation can be judged by interocular significance. 
  • Distinguish genuine transformations from hype. Many claims of transformation, like "best practice" claims, can be more hype than sybstance. 
  • The Transformation Fidelity Principle epitomizes evaluation’s reality-testing function. As the term transformation has grown in popularity and attained widespread use, the first level of evaluation is bringing some degree of rigor to the very notion of transformation. Begin by simply applying a face validity criterion, meaning, on the face of it, just by examining the logic and merits of the proposition being made, is what is being envisioned transformational? In what sense? 

Corollary: Transformational Engagement Fidelity Principle

Evaluate whether and how what is called transformational engagement constitutes a trajectory toward transformation.

Related resources

Article

Book Review: Blue Marble Premises and Principles

Summary: Michael Quinn Patton’s Blue Marble Evaluation is a forward-looking, path-breaking, and timely contribution to evaluation theory and practice. The title of the book evokes the Blue Marble shot—a photograph of the whole earth taken by the Apollo 17 astronauts in 1972. The preface of the book…

Robert Picciotto, University of Auckland, New Zealand
Principle 1: Global Thinking, Principle 2: Anthropocene as Context, Principle 3: Transformative Engagement, Principle 4: Integration, Principle 5: Transboundary Engagement, Principle 6: GLOCAL, Principle 7: Cross-silos, Principle 8: Time being of the essence, Principle 9. Yin-Yang, Principle 10: Bricolage Methods, Principle 11: World Savvy, Principle 12: Skin-in-the-Game, Principle 13: Theory of Transformation, Principle 14: Transformation Fidelity, Principle 15: Transformational Alignment, Principle 16: Evaluation as Intervention
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Website

SDG Transormations Forum

"Many pressing challenges require transformation, rather than incremental change and trade-offs. These ‘grand challenges’ are reflected in the United Nations’ 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), adopted by the nations of the world in September 2015 at a meeting titled Transforming Our World,…

Principle 3: Transformative Engagement, Principle 13: Theory of Transformation, Principle 14: Transformation Fidelity, Principle 15: Transformational Alignment
Sustainability, International Development, Global Networks
Transformation
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Webinar

Evaluation for Transformative Change Webinar

This webinar is now complete. Recording currently unavailable. Please check back soon.

Presenters: Michael Quinn Patton, Pablo Vidueira, and Glenn Page

Summary: Evaluation for Transformative Change was the theme of the International Development Evaluation Association conference meeting in Prague…

Principle 3: Transformative Engagement, Principle 8: Time being of the essence, Principle 12: Skin-in-the-Game, Principle 14: Transformation Fidelity, Principle 15: Transformational Alignment
Sustainability, Global Networks
Transformation
Read more

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