AN EXPLORATORY SURVEY ON ORGANIZATIONAL READINESS FOR EVALUATION IN TURKEY

Abstract

In designing Evaluation Capacity Building (ECB) programs in a country, it is vital to know the baseline situation. A necessary step is to reveal the status of current understanding and practices of evaluation. The objective of the paper is to explore the evaluation readiness of organizations in Turkey. Following the literature on organizational culture on evaluative inquiry, the study reports on the development and administration of a structured questionnaire with particular focus on various dimensions of organizational readiness for evaluation such as culture, leadership, resources and existing evaluation practices, if any. The survey sample includes 71 representatives of government agencies and, domestic and international NGOs in Turkey. Although evaluation is regarded and perceived as a tool for organizational learning and improved organizational performance, the culture, leadership and structure of the organizations do not show supporting characteristics on the implementation and use of evaluation in organizations. The results reveal a necessity of positioning evaluation as a major tool for efficient use of resources and organizational learning in Turkish organizations.