Every business organization wants to achieve its goals. Every business organization should have an effective culture that uses evidence-based ideas and practices. Such ideas inform managers about the best strategies to address the issues affecting their organizations. An evaluative culture is what completes an organization’s managerial strategy. A Results Management Strategy (RMS) examines the unique issues and challenges affecting the performance of an organization (McDavid, Huse & Hawthorn, 2012). That being the case, managers should encourage their employees to have a strong evaluative culture. The culture uses performance data to improve the quality of programs and projects at the organization.
To what extent is there a strong evaluative culture in my client’s organization?
My personal experience with some of my clients depicts the importance of a strong evaluative culture. Bayne (2008) provides a useful framework that examines the strength of an organization’s evaluative culture. The existence of proper evaluative culture in an organization will have positive impacts on its performance. I have observed that my client’s organization does not have a good evaluative culture. Any organization with a good evaluative culture will embrace the importance of self-examination and self-reflection.
According to Mayne (2008, p. 4), “every organization with the best evaluative culture should always engage in something known as evidence-based learning.” The managers will always share their concepts and learn from their past mistakes. This explains why my client’s organization has not learned from its own activities. The good thing is that my client encourages experimentation and change in the organization. The company embraces new strategies to make it’s business successful. My client has always been a risk-taker. However, the organization’s evaluative culture does not evaluate the performance of every employee.
How my client’s organization portrays the characteristics of a weak evaluative culture
As mentioned earlier, my client’s organization portrays a weak evaluative culture. The organizational leaders have implemented a poor evaluative culture. The managers and leaders do not oversee the organization’s performance or management regimes. This explains why it has been impossible to make the right decisions and programs at the organization. According to Mayne (2008, p. 12), “learning remains a critical aspect of an effective evaluative culture.” Some of these learning activities encourage employees and managers to share their knowledge and ideas. This approach also improves organizational learning and communication. However, the organization has not encouraged this form of learning. The other important aspect of a proper evaluative culture is the ability to examine the current performance of an organization (McDavid et al., 2012). It is also appropriate to learn from mistakes. It is appropriate for every manager to analyze every mistake in his or her organization. Such mistakes help leaders understand what might not have worked properly.
My client mainly focuses on organizational change. This change does not reflect some of the challenges or mistakes affecting the organization. Most of the departments in the organization do not embrace new ideas or concepts. The topmost leaders are also unsupportive. This fact explains why the business has failed to realize most of its goals and objectives (Mayne, 2008). My client’s organization fails to encourage the idea of “process learning.” The employees do not participate in most of the organizational activities.
How these insights affect the way I will design my PMF
Every leader should have a proper Performance Measurement Framework (PMF). I have also gained new concepts and ideas to design the best PMF for my projects. I have understood why managers should monitor their employees’ performance. The next thing is to promote self-examination and self-reflection. Every manager should also “monitor and evaluate the recorded results” (Mayne, 2008, p. 11). I will also ensure the framework encourages participation and evidence-based practice.
The framework will encourage my employees to focus on targeted organizational goals. The situation experienced at my client’s organization explains why experimentation is necessary. The concept of experimentation depends on the failures and successes in a given organization. As well, it is appropriate to take risks and reconsider new ways to achieve targeted goals (Mayne & Rist, 2006). The approach explains how I will complete my projects successfully.
New aspects of building an evaluative culture
The readings explore some of the best strategies to build effective evaluative culture in an organization. The materials explain why organizations should embrace the concept of self-reflection. Mayne (2008) also explains why leaders should demand informed results or information from their organizations. However, new leadership theories such as transformational style can help leaders realize their potentials. The idea of teamwork can also encourage employees to work together. Managers and leaders can use the best information systems (IS) to obtain and analyze organizational data. I will use these ideas to make the best decisions. The approach will make my evaluative culture meaningful.
Business leaders can use various theories to implement the best change in their organizations. Any change in an organization requires constant “communication, unfreezing, and monitoring” (Mayne & Rist, 2006, p. 98). Transformational theories encourage leaders to engage their employees in every organizational activity. This will ensure the workers gain new concepts through participation. Every manager can combine these new aspects to ensure his or her organization creates the best evaluative culture. The strategy will eventually make business organizations successful.
Reference List
Mayne, J. (2008). Building an Evaluative Culture for Effective Evaluation and Results Management. Institutional Learning & Change, 1(1), 1-14. Web.
Mayne, J., & Rist, R. (2006). Studies are not enough: the necessary transformation of evaluation. The Canadian Journal of Program Evaluation, 21(3), 93-130. Web.
McDavid, J., Huse, I., & Hawthorn, L. (2012). Program Evaluation and Performance: An Introduction to Practice. New York: Sage Publications. Web.