Reframing Evaluation Through Appreciative Inquiry

"I enjoyed the book. I found the approach refreshing and useful. The structure of the book made the argument easy to follow...Practitioners of evaluation, or any organizational change process, will find the approach useful.-Anona Armstrong, Evaluation Journal of Australasia"This important volume represents a paradigm shift in the evaluation field - presenting an approach that shifts evaluation from being something that we 'should' do to something that stakeholders can 'look forward' to doing, even something they might actually love doing... turning what can often be drudgery that ends up with reports that sit on shelves to dynamic processes that are downright fun, while at the same time profound, resulting in accelerating positive change in organizations, programs, and those who are part of them. The book challenges the basic tenets underlying evaluation, pushes the boundaries of the discipline. The field may never be the same." -Malcolm J. Odell, Jr., Appreciative Inquiry Consulting, LLC "I am delighted that the authors have taken AI and found new uses for this approach. They provide concrete examples of the many ways evaluators have successfully used the AI approach in a wide variety of program and geographic settings. Combining theory and practice, this book is an important contribution to the evaluation field." -Gail Johnson, The Evergreen State College-Gail Johnson, Reframing Evaluation Through Appreciative Inquiry is the first book to introduce the application of Appreciative Inquiry (AI), an approach for organizational development and change, to the practice of evaluation. Authors Hallie Preskill and Tessie Tzavaras Catsambas lay out the theoretical foundation of AI and build a bridge between the theory and practice of applying AI to evaluation. Key Features: Provides a step-by-step guide: Written in a clear, accessible style, the text explains the way this particular approach has been used to frame, design, and conduct evaluations in various sectors worldwide. Reflects specific real-world applications of AI to evaluation practice: Numerous U.S.-based and international case examples enhance readers' ability to see the nuances of applying AI to evaluation in a wide variety of international and multicultural, organizational, community, and population contexts. Offers a whole-systems approach: This text provides a whole systems approach which enables evaluation to deal with complex and dynamically changing programs. Intended Audience: This book will appeal to a broad audience that includes evaluators, management and organization development consultants, program staff, and researchers in a wide variety of organizational and community settings. It is an ideal supplemental text for graduate courses that require students to practice evaluation.