Planning an organizational diffusion of evaluation innovation

In ascertaining the overall evaluation needs of a Chronic Disease Prevention Division in a State Health Department, a performance gap in the evaluation needs was uncovered. A performance gap is defined as the “discrepancy between an organization's expectations and its actual performance.” (Rogers, 1994). Although variations in perceptions of evaluation readiness exist among staff, all perceive that the need for improving evaluation capacity within the division is un-met. The proposed intervention plan is targeted at improving evaluation capacity within the division, and eventually, reaching both internal and external partners. The main thrust of the intervention plan is aimed at altering the practice of evaluation organizationally, through altering the organizational climate and roles of intervention staff, in CVH and partner organizations.

The conceptual approach of diffusion of innovation is adopted to guide this intervention process. Through a series of training seminars, the goal is to reify the role of evaluation among implementing staff by prescribing evaluation into their daily work life. To widen the diffusion of this innovation, quarterly partner collaboration workshops are anticipated. “Innovations not only adapt to existing organizational and industrial arrangements, but they also transform the structure and practice of these environments.” (Van de Ven, 1986.) In the alignment and refitting process of this innovation, normative expectations are exchanged through a clarification process. Staff and partner workshops are suggested as an added structural mechanism not only to enforce routinization, but also to allow for subsequent mutual modifications as needed.