Evaluation champions: A literature review

This article, from Alison Rogers and Amy Gullickson, explores the idea of evaluation champions within organisations, highlighting and advocating for an increased understanding of their role.

A systematic search of selected databases and articles relevant to evaluation and organisational development was carried out, along with an assessment of theories that explore evaluation champions.

The authors argue that while "Numerous studies call for the identification and engagement of evaluation champions in the implementation of an evaluation initiative... no agreed definition of an evaluation champion exists in the extant literature".

Their analysis "indicates evaluators and organizations value champions because they work to bring evaluative thinking into their practice and positively promote evaluation among their colleagues."

The article concludes by providing a list of activities that may be representative of behaviours of evaluation champions, which may be used to identify them within organisations. They are:

1. Advocate for support and resources
2. Motivate others, provide energy, interest and enthusiasm
3. Provide or access tools, resources, networks and expertise
4. Help others to apply evaluative thinking, use evaluation findings and create opportunities for reflection
5. Assist, train, mentor, support evaluation while considering different perspectives and encouraging others to contribute
6. Consider how evaluation can be strategically promoted and used for organizational change
7. Ask and encourage others to ask critical questions and initiate discussions and debates
8. Develop engaging ways to explain details and develop common visions