What is Evaluative Thinking?

Evaluative thinking is the way we think when we’re evaluating something – be it your company, your program, a report, or a news article (though in my work, it’s usually a nonprofit). It’s thinking about what kinds of information are most needed for learning and improvement and then reflecting on that information (the evaluation findings), learning lessons, and applying those lessons in future decisions.

How does Evaluative Thinking build a positive data culture in your organization?

Evaluative thinking becomes most meaningful when it is embedded in an organization’s culture. This means that staff, board members, and other stakeholders would expect to engage with each other in clarifying key concepts, differentiating means and ends, thinking in terms of outcomes, examining the quality of evidence available about effectiveness, and supporting their opinions and judgments with evidence.

Evaluative thinking is what characterizes learning organizations and organizations dedicated to continuous improvement. In these organizations, keeping up with research and evaluation findings becomes part of everyone’s job. Thinking about what works and doesn’t work becomes standard operating procedure as people in the organization engage with each other and interact with partners and others outside the organization. Critical thinking and reflection are valued and reinforced at every level.

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