The Relationship between Evaluation, Equity, and Sustainability: A Conversation with Michael Patton

This is the 29th video produced in the ‘Just in Case…’ mini-series sponsored by Quality and Equality. In this video we are joined by Michael Quinn Patton, who was the contributor of video 24. Michael is a profoundly important thinker and practitioner on the topic of evaluation.  His impressive CV as the founder of 20th-century program evaluation and the creator of both Developmental and Utilization-Focused evaluation have been listed in the previous video.  In this video, Michael takes us into an important, highly connected and yet separate topic – the importance of OD practitioners’ role in supporting sustainability. His ending statement “we are the first generation to discover climate change, and yet most probably the last generation that can fix It” brings sober truth to both our professional and personal lives. Finally, it is important to appreciate that Michael’s key contribution to the world of evaluation is to provoke us to embrace sustainability as a key agenda in our practice. 

Today, Michael builds on his first video (The Niche and Purpose of Developmental Evaluation - https://youtu.be/W5vQjKEDIlA) by detailing a range of important connections that, if understood, can help us as OD Practitioners to bring in a more prosperous and sustainable future through our work. In this video Michael answers the following questions: 

  • How do you distinguish between evaluation and evaluative thinking?

  • How does evaluation contribute to a more equitable future?

  • How does evaluation contribute to a more sustainable future?

  • What is Global Systems Transformation?

  • What is the relationship between evaluation and futuring?

Please pay close attention to this presentation as it is an important competency for our OD community.

Resources

Biography

Michael Quinn Patton is an independent consultant based in Minnesota, USA, former President of the American Evaluation Association. He has authored eight major evaluation books including Utilization-Focused Evaluation and Qualitative Research and Evaluation Methods used in over 500 universities worldwide. He has also authored books on Practical Evaluation, Creative Evaluation, and Developmental Evaluation: Applying Systems Thinking and Complexity Concepts to Enhance Innovation and Use.  In 2018 he published books on Principles-Focused Evaluation and Facilitating Evaluation. His new book on evaluating global systems transformations is Blue Marble Evaluation.  He has also co-edited THOUGHT WORK: Thinking, Action, and the Fate of the World (2020).