Effectiveness of Evaluations in South Africa Organisations
Keywords:
Evaluation; Program; Effectiveness; Policy; Organization
Abstract
This article seeks to investigate the effectiveness of evaluations in organizations. Evaluations contribute to the improvement of public policy interventions and expenditure programs by providing evidence-based assessments of their relevance and performance. Evaluations also serve to strengthen accountability by providing reliable information on progress in the achievement of public objectives to stakeholders, often identifying the key factors driving success or failure. Moreover, evaluation is a potent tool that assist organizations striving for a highly competitive world. It also provides quality control to support one’s efforts and ensures that time, money, and resources are well spent. The more evaluation approaches become ingrained in our culture, the more chances there are to use evaluation to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of services, systems, and programs. The research study adopted “the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA)”, as an item checklist, that filters relevant information using the four criteria, namely, identification, screening, eligibility, and inclusion. PRISMA collects and analyzes data from the studies that were included in the review and employs statistical and methodical methods to identify and evaluate relevant research. The findings revealed that evaluation is an important source for communication, and marketing efforts and produces results for decision-making. Evaluation becomes a tool and resource to provide organizations with direction and guides strategic decisions. Furthermore, it helps to build a culture of learning within organizations and promote continuous improvement. It is recommended that this will happen through the provision of evidence-based feedback and recommendations, hence evaluation encourages program managers and implementers to reflect on their practices and processes, and also identify opportunities for growth and development.
References
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Daykin, N., Attwood, M. and Willis, J. (2013): Supporting Arts and Health Evaluation: Report of a UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership. Journal of Applied Arts & Health. 4 (2): 179-190. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1386/jaah.4.2.179_1.
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Guba, E. G., and Lincoln, Y. S. (1981): Effective Evaluation: Improving the Usefulness of Evaluation Results through Responsive and Naturalistic approaches. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
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Leedy, P.D and Ormrod, J.E. (2010): Practical Research: Planning and Design. 9th edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education International.
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Ijeoma, E.O.C. (2010): Mainstreaming Government-Wide Monitoring and Evaluation Policy in South Africa. Journal of Public Administration. 45(2):344–360.
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Mertens, D.M. and Ginsberg, E.P. (2009): Performing Qualitative Cross-Cultural Research. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Mertens, Donna. M. & Wilson, Amy. T. (2019): Program Evaluation Theory and Practice: A Comprehensive Guide. 2nd edition. New York London. The Guilford Press.
Mouton, J. (2017): Designing Evaluation Studies. CREST, Stellenbosch University.
Nalubega, T. & Uwizeyimana, D.E. (2019): ‘Public Sector Monitoring and Evaluation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Implications for Africa’. Africa’s Public Service Delivery and Performance Review Vol 7(1).
OECD, (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). (2002): "Glossary of Key Terms in Evaluation and Results-Based Management." Paris: Development Assistance Committee.
Patton, Michael Q. (1997): Utilization-Focused Evaluation. London: Sage Publications.
Patton, M.Q. (2020): Blue Marble Evaluation. Premises and Principles. New York: The Guilford Press.
Patton, M.Q. (2008): Utilization-Focused Evaluation. 4th ed. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage.
Potter, Charles. (2006): "Programme Evaluation." In Research in Practice: Applied Methods for the Social Sciences, 409-429. Cape Town: UCT Press.
Powell, R.R. (2006): Evaluation Research: An Overview Library Trends, 55(1), pp.102-120.
Public Finance Management Act (PFMA, 1999): The Public Service Act (1994 as amended by Act 30 of 2007) and the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA).
Public Services Commission (2008): Basic Concepts in Monitoring and Evaluation. PSC Commission House: Pretoria. Retrieved from: http://www.psc.gov.za.
Rossi, P. H., & Freeman, H. E. (1993): Evaluation: A Systematic Approach. 5th ed. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Rossi, Peter. H., Howard, E. Freeman, and Mark, W. Lipsey. (1999): Strategies for Impact Assessment. New Delhi, Sage Publications. Inc.
Royse, D., Thyer, B., and Padgett, D. (2009): Program Evaluation: An Introduction. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning. 416 p.
Rothman, J. and Thomas, E.J. (eds) (1994): Intervention Research: Design and Development for Human Service. New York: Haworth.
Rowe, A. (2018): Ecological thinking as a route to sustainability in evaluation. In: Hopson R and Cram F (eds) Tackling Wicked Problems in Complex Ecologies: The Role of Evaluation. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, pp. 25–44.
Rowe, A. (2019a): Sustainability-Ready Evaluation: A Call to Action. New Directions for Evaluation 162: 29–48.
Rozalis, M.L. (2003): Evaluation and Research: Differences and Similarities. Canadian Journal of program Evaluation, Vol 18(2). Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva: Israel.
Scriven, M. (1967b): The Methodology of Evaluation. In R. W. Tyler, R. M. Gagne, & M. Scriven (Eds.), Perspectives of Curriculum Evaluation (AERA Monograph Series— Curriculum Evaluation). Chicago: Rand McNally.
Scriven, M. (1991): Evaluation thesaurus (4th ed.). Sage Publications, Inc. [Access 27 March 2024].
Scriven, M. (2003): Evaluation in the New Millennium: The Transdisciplinary Vision. In S. I. Donaldson & M. Scriven (Eds.), Evaluating Social Programs and Problems (pp. 19–41). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Short, L., Hennessy, M., & Campbell J. (1996): Tracking the Work. In Family violence: Building a Coordinated Community Response: A Guide for Communities.
Solheim, E. (2013): Evaluating Development Activities: Providing Evidence on Results for Learning and Decision Making, OECD.
Stake, R. E. (1983): The Case Study Method in Social Inquiry. In G. F. Madaus, M. Scriven, & D. L. Stufflebeam (Eds.), Evaluation Models (pp. 279–286). Boston: Kluwer- Nijhoff.
Stevens, F., Lawrenz, F., & Sharp, L. (1993): User Friendly Handbook for Project Management: Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology Education. Washington DC: National Science Foundation.
Stufflebeam, D. L. (1982): A Review of Progress in Educational Evaluation. American Journal of Evaluation, 3, 15–27.
Stufflebeam, D. L., Madaus, G. F., & Kellaghan, T. (2000): Evaluation Models. Boston: Kluwer Academic.
Tukwayo, P.E. (2018): Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Implementation of the Staff Performance Management System in the Department of Social Development: A Case Study of Eerste River Office: Stellenbosch University: Cape Town, South Africa.
Uitto, J. and Batra, G. (eds). (2020): Transformational Change for People and the Planet. Evaluating Environment and Development. Cham: Springer.
Umoinyang, I. E., Asim, A. E., Akwa, A. M. & Bassey, S.W. (2004): Principles and Techniques of Educational Assessment and Evaluation. Calabar: Helimo Assosiates.
Van Den Berg, R.D., Magro, C. and Adrien, M-H. (2021): Transformational Evaluation for the Global Crises of Our Times. Exeter: International Development Evaluation Association (IDEAS).
Weiss, Carol. H. (1998): Evaluation: Methods for Studying Programmes and Policies. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Weiss, C.H. (1977): Using Social Research on Public Policy Making. Lexington: MA: DC Health.
Windsor, R. A., Baranowski, T., Clark, N, and Cutter, G. (1984): Evaluation of Health Promotion and Education Programs. J Sch Health: 54(8):318. doi:10.1111/j.1746-1561.1984.tb08946.x.
Writing Terms of Reference for an Evaluation: A How To Guide. (2011): Independent Evaluation Group Communication. Strategy, and Learning International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / World Bank. Washington, D.C. 20433, U.S.A.
Wollmann, H. (2017): Policy Evaluation and Evaluation Research. In Handbook of Public Policy Analysis (pp. 419-428). Routledge.
Babbie, E. and Mouton, J. (2015): The Practice of Social Research. Republic of South Africa: Oxford University Press.
Babbie, Earl, and Johann, Mouton. (2001): The Practice of Social Research. Cape Town: Oxford University Press.
Beeby, S.T. (2007): Strategy for Evaluation Education Programmes (mineo). A paper presented at the Nigeria Educational Research Council (NERC) Inter – Departmental Seminar, Lagos.
Brousselle, A. and McDavid, J. (2020): Evaluators in the Anthropocene. Evaluation: The International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice 26(2): 190–204.
Brousselle, A. and McDavid, J. (2021): Evaluation for Planetary Health. Evaluation: The International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice 27(2): 168–183.
Brousselle, A., McDavid, J. and Curren, M., et al. (2022): A Theory-Based Approach to Designing Interventions for Planetary Health. Evaluation: The International Journal of Theory, Research and Practice 28(3): 330–355.
Chikwe, K.C. (2017): Fundamentals of Testing. Port Harcourt: Emmanuel ventures.
Cloete, Fanie. (2009): "Evidence-Based Policy Analysis in South Africa: Critical Assessment of the Emerging Government-Wide Monitoring and Evaluation." Journal of Public Administration 44 (2): 293-311.
Daykin, N., Attwood, M. and Willis, J. (2013): Supporting Arts and Health Evaluation: Report of a UK Knowledge Transfer Partnership. Journal of Applied Arts & Health. 4 (2): 179-190. DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.1386/jaah.4.2.179_1.
Department of Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation. National Evaluation Policy Framework, November 2019. Pretoria.
DPME Guideline 2.2.10 Diagnostic Evaluation. 20 March 2014. The Presidency Republic of South Africa, Pretoria.
Flay, B.R., Anthony, B., Robert, F.B., Flelipe, G.C., Denise, G., Sheppard, K., Eve, K.M., Steven. S., Jeffrey, C.V. and Peter, Ji. (2005): Standards of Evidence: Criteria for Efficacy Effectiveness and Dissemination. Prevention Science Vol.6 No 3 September 2005. Dol: 10.1007/S11121-005-555-Y.
Gasper, D. (2018): “Policy Evaluation: From Managerialism and Econocracy to a Governance Perspective”, in International Development Governance, Routledge, https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315092577-37.
Guba, E. G., and Lincoln, Y. S. (1981): Effective Evaluation: Improving the Usefulness of Evaluation Results through Responsive and Naturalistic approaches. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.
Gulis, G., Krishnankutty, N., Boess, E.R, et al. (2022): Environmental Impact Assessment, Human Health and the Sustainable Development Goals. International Journal of Public Health 67: 1604420. Harris P, Viliani F and Spickett J, (2015) Assessing Health Impacts within Environmental Impact Assessments: An Opportunity for Public Health Globally which must not remain missed. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health 12:1044–9.
Joint Information Systems Committee (JISC) (2007): Six Steps to Effective Evaluation: A Handbook for Programme and Project Managers.
Kusters, C., Batjes, K., Wigboldus, S., Brouwer, J., and Baguma, S.D., (2017): Managing for Sustainable Development Impact: An Integrated Approach to Planning, Monitoring and Evaluation. Wageningen University and Research: Practical Action Publishing Ltd, Netherlands.
Leedy, P.D and Ormrod, J.E. (2010): Practical Research: Planning and Design. 9th edition. Boston, MA: Pearson Education International.
Lewis, S.M. and Thornhill, A. (2009): Research Methods for Business Students. Pearson Education International.
Ile,I., Eresia-Eke C & Allen-Ile, C. (2012): Monitoring and Evaluation of Policies, Programmes and Projects, Van Schaik Publishers, Pretoria.
Ile I.U, Eresia-Eke C. & Allen-Ile C. (2019): Monitoring and Evaluation of Policies, Programmes and Projects: Practical Guide to Public Policy Monitoring and Evaluation. 2nd edition. Van Schaik Publishers, Pretoria: South Africa.
Ijeoma, E.O.C. (2010): Mainstreaming Government-Wide Monitoring and Evaluation Policy in South Africa. Journal of Public Administration. 45(2):344–360.
Independent Evaluation Group (IEG) annual report (2011): Results and Performance of the World Bank Group (Vol. 3) : Management action record (English). Results and Performance (RAP) Washington, DC: World Bank. http://documents.worldbank.org/curated/en/758641468319776005/Management-action-record.
Madaus, G.F., Stufflebeam, D.L., & Kellaghan, T. (2000): Evaluation models: Viewpoints on educational and human services evaluation. (2nd ed.). Hingham, MA: Kluwer Academic Publishers.
Mark, M. M., Greene, J. C., & Shaw, I. E. (2006): The Evaluation of Policies, Programs, and Practices. In I. E. Shaw, J. C. Greene, & M. M. Mark (Eds.), The SAGE Handbook of Evaluation (pp. 3–32). Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE.
McKenzie, J.F., Neiger, B.L., and Thackeray, R. (2009): Planning, Implementing, & Evaluating Health Promotion Programs: A Primer. 5th ed. San Francisco: Benjamin Cummings. 464 p.
Mertens, D.M. and Ginsberg, E.P. (2009): Performing Qualitative Cross-Cultural Research. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Mertens, Donna. M. & Wilson, Amy. T. (2019): Program Evaluation Theory and Practice: A Comprehensive Guide. 2nd edition. New York London. The Guilford Press.
Mouton, J. (2017): Designing Evaluation Studies. CREST, Stellenbosch University.
Nalubega, T. & Uwizeyimana, D.E. (2019): ‘Public Sector Monitoring and Evaluation in the Fourth Industrial Revolution: Implications for Africa’. Africa’s Public Service Delivery and Performance Review Vol 7(1).
OECD, (Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development). (2002): "Glossary of Key Terms in Evaluation and Results-Based Management." Paris: Development Assistance Committee.
Patton, Michael Q. (1997): Utilization-Focused Evaluation. London: Sage Publications.
Patton, M.Q. (2020): Blue Marble Evaluation. Premises and Principles. New York: The Guilford Press.
Patton, M.Q. (2008): Utilization-Focused Evaluation. 4th ed. Thousand Oaks, California: Sage.
Potter, Charles. (2006): "Programme Evaluation." In Research in Practice: Applied Methods for the Social Sciences, 409-429. Cape Town: UCT Press.
Powell, R.R. (2006): Evaluation Research: An Overview Library Trends, 55(1), pp.102-120.
Public Finance Management Act (PFMA, 1999): The Public Service Act (1994 as amended by Act 30 of 2007) and the Municipal Finance Management Act (MFMA).
Public Services Commission (2008): Basic Concepts in Monitoring and Evaluation. PSC Commission House: Pretoria. Retrieved from: http://www.psc.gov.za.
Rossi, P. H., & Freeman, H. E. (1993): Evaluation: A Systematic Approach. 5th ed. Newbury Park, CA: Sage Publications, Inc.
Rossi, Peter. H., Howard, E. Freeman, and Mark, W. Lipsey. (1999): Strategies for Impact Assessment. New Delhi, Sage Publications. Inc.
Royse, D., Thyer, B., and Padgett, D. (2009): Program Evaluation: An Introduction. Belmont, CA: Cengage Learning. 416 p.
Rothman, J. and Thomas, E.J. (eds) (1994): Intervention Research: Design and Development for Human Service. New York: Haworth.
Rowe, A. (2018): Ecological thinking as a route to sustainability in evaluation. In: Hopson R and Cram F (eds) Tackling Wicked Problems in Complex Ecologies: The Role of Evaluation. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press, pp. 25–44.
Rowe, A. (2019a): Sustainability-Ready Evaluation: A Call to Action. New Directions for Evaluation 162: 29–48.
Rozalis, M.L. (2003): Evaluation and Research: Differences and Similarities. Canadian Journal of program Evaluation, Vol 18(2). Ben-Gurion University of the Negev Beer-Sheva: Israel.
Scriven, M. (1967b): The Methodology of Evaluation. In R. W. Tyler, R. M. Gagne, & M. Scriven (Eds.), Perspectives of Curriculum Evaluation (AERA Monograph Series— Curriculum Evaluation). Chicago: Rand McNally.
Scriven, M. (1991): Evaluation thesaurus (4th ed.). Sage Publications, Inc. [Access 27 March 2024].
Scriven, M. (2003): Evaluation in the New Millennium: The Transdisciplinary Vision. In S. I. Donaldson & M. Scriven (Eds.), Evaluating Social Programs and Problems (pp. 19–41). Mahwah, NJ: Erlbaum.
Short, L., Hennessy, M., & Campbell J. (1996): Tracking the Work. In Family violence: Building a Coordinated Community Response: A Guide for Communities.
Solheim, E. (2013): Evaluating Development Activities: Providing Evidence on Results for Learning and Decision Making, OECD.
Stake, R. E. (1983): The Case Study Method in Social Inquiry. In G. F. Madaus, M. Scriven, & D. L. Stufflebeam (Eds.), Evaluation Models (pp. 279–286). Boston: Kluwer- Nijhoff.
Stevens, F., Lawrenz, F., & Sharp, L. (1993): User Friendly Handbook for Project Management: Science, Mathematics, Engineering and Technology Education. Washington DC: National Science Foundation.
Stufflebeam, D. L. (1982): A Review of Progress in Educational Evaluation. American Journal of Evaluation, 3, 15–27.
Stufflebeam, D. L., Madaus, G. F., & Kellaghan, T. (2000): Evaluation Models. Boston: Kluwer Academic.
Tukwayo, P.E. (2018): Evaluation of the Effectiveness of the Implementation of the Staff Performance Management System in the Department of Social Development: A Case Study of Eerste River Office: Stellenbosch University: Cape Town, South Africa.
Uitto, J. and Batra, G. (eds). (2020): Transformational Change for People and the Planet. Evaluating Environment and Development. Cham: Springer.
Umoinyang, I. E., Asim, A. E., Akwa, A. M. & Bassey, S.W. (2004): Principles and Techniques of Educational Assessment and Evaluation. Calabar: Helimo Assosiates.
Van Den Berg, R.D., Magro, C. and Adrien, M-H. (2021): Transformational Evaluation for the Global Crises of Our Times. Exeter: International Development Evaluation Association (IDEAS).
Weiss, Carol. H. (1998): Evaluation: Methods for Studying Programmes and Policies. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.
Weiss, C.H. (1977): Using Social Research on Public Policy Making. Lexington: MA: DC Health.
Windsor, R. A., Baranowski, T., Clark, N, and Cutter, G. (1984): Evaluation of Health Promotion and Education Programs. J Sch Health: 54(8):318. doi:10.1111/j.1746-1561.1984.tb08946.x.
Writing Terms of Reference for an Evaluation: A How To Guide. (2011): Independent Evaluation Group Communication. Strategy, and Learning International Bank for Reconstruction and Development / World Bank. Washington, D.C. 20433, U.S.A.
Wollmann, H. (2017): Policy Evaluation and Evaluation Research. In Handbook of Public Policy Analysis (pp. 419-428). Routledge.
Published
2024-11-02
How to Cite
Mkwela, G., Twala, M. A., & Zikhali, M. (2024). Effectiveness of Evaluations in South Africa Organisations. International Journal of Social Science Research and Review, 7(11), 58-74. https://doi.org/10.47814/ijssrr.v7i11.2402
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