About the UK Evaluation Society
Dear Colleagues I have often thought that it would be helpful to consider how the UKES works as a 'Community of Practice'. I'd like to use the opportunity I have here to reflect on what that might mean for the UKES and then to introduce a new strategy for the UKES in 2007-08 as a response. A standard definition of the concept of a 'community of practice' (COP) refers to "the process of social learning that occurs when people who have a common interest in some subject or problem collaborate over an extended period to share ideas, find solutions, and build innovations." (Wikipedia, 2007). Several stages of development are associated with communities of practice and it's perhaps helpful to reflect on where the UKES might currently stand. Communities of Practice often start with recognition of 'potential' for an informal network or gathering of interested people; this early stage often involves finding common ground and sharing insights. A second stage is 'coalescing' when the community is officially launched by hosting community events and establishing regular meetings. The main activity in this stage is sharing ideas, developing relationships and demonstrating the value of the community internally and externally. A third stage of 'maturing' occurs when there is a greater focus on clarifying the community's aims, role and boundaries, exploring the needs of the group as a whole rather than the individual members, identifying and addressing 'knowledge gaps' and how the community can benefit the organisation. The fourth stage, 'stewarding', is the stage where the community may need to put effort into sustaining momentum by recruiting new leaders and members and becoming more intentional about involving everyone by devolving and linking across areas of interest and geography. This process of devolution allows everyone, in theory, to remain connected but with a stronger tie to a smaller group. Finally, a 'transformation' may be needed when a community widens its boundaries too far thereby risking diluting its focus or where energy levels fall - maybe a return to an earlier stage or even the end of the community. So where is the UKES in this typology? The UKES has had over 10 years to establish itself as a self-sustaining community so it is well past stage 1 and 2 though new members are joining all the time and encouraging new ideas and solutions and sharing these with a wider community is still very much part of its role. Stages 3 and 4 have already begun with the generation of regional networks and the devolution of much professional development to the networks. However there is much more to be done to consolidate these stages, to extend the community's knowledge more broadly and to involve everyone more effectively. The key is to see the community as the resource for the organisation, to harness the skills and knowledge of the evaluation community and channel that resource effectively to address some of the problems facing evaluation in the UK. That I see as our main task ahead. I also think we need to ensure we continue to do the basic things well - giving members who may be new to evaluation the chance to engage in the earlier stages of identifying problems and sharing solutions. Furthermore, I think we need to engage the wider evaluation community who are not members of the Society - in particular key organisations which are stakeholders of the Society - often major funders of evaluation - but who don't currently use us as a resource. In this context, I think the UKES needs to strengthen the following aspects of its role.
This agenda is represented in the new strategy which will be available on the UKES website. I hope it helps by responding effectively to the needs of the Society in its current position and context by providing stability whilst also setting out where the society might develop and contribute further by engaging members in a purposeful manner - in particular in providing a 'voice' for evaluation in the UK. I would urge all members to read the strategy and provide comments back to me on the strategy itself or how, as a community of practice, members can help shape and deliver the strategy in future. Richard Thurston
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