Validation of the evaluation capacity in organizations questionnaire.

The purpose of this study was to test the construct validity of the Evaluation Capacity in Organizations Questionnaire (ECOQ). Conceptually, the ECOQ examines the role of evaluation in organizational development and, most notably in organizational learning. In this model, evaluation capacity building (ECB) initiatives are assumed to contribute to the development of a culture of systematic self-assessment and reflection, which, in turn, leads to increased organizational learning. Our sample consisted of internal evaluators within the federal, provincial or municipal government, not-for-profit organizations, private firms, and colleges or universities in Canada. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) and latent path analysis (LPA) were conducted to better understand the underlying structural aspect of the organizational capacity to do and use evaluation construct as measured by the ECOQ. The results of our study indicate that the ECOQ effectively assesses an organization's capacity to do and use evaluation. Furthermore, evidence provided by the LPA statistical analysis suggests that an organization's capacity to learn is enhanced by the relationships among the various factors. Implications of using a validated model of an organization's capacity to do and use evaluations in both research and practice are discussed.

Government and voluntary sector differences in organizational capacity to do and use evaluation.

Research on evaluation capacity is limited although a recent survey article on integrating evaluation into the organizational culture (Cousins, Goh, Clark, & Lee, 2004) revealed that interest in the topic is increasing. While knowledge about building the capacity to do evaluation has developed considerably, less is understood about building the organizational capacity to use evaluation. This article reports on the results of a pan-Canadian survey of evaluators working in organizations (internal evaluators or organization members with evaluation responsibility) conducted in 2007. Reliability across all constructs was high. Responses from government evaluators (N=160) were compared to responses from evaluators who work in the voluntary sector (N=89). The former were found to self-identify more highly as 'evaluators' (specialists) whereas the latter tended to identify as 'managers' (non-specialists). As a result, government evaluators had significantly higher self-reported levels of evaluation knowledge (both theory and practice); and they spent more time performing evaluation functions. However, irrespective of role, voluntary sector respondents rated their organizations more favorably than did their government sector counterparts with respect to the antecedents or conditions supporting evaluation capacity, and the capacity to use evaluation. Results are discussed in terms of their implications for evaluation practice and ongoing research.

Teamwork, organizational learning, patient safety and job outcomes.

PURPOSE: This article aims to encourage healthcare administrators to consider the learning organization concept and foster collaborative learning among teams in their attempt to improve patient safety. DESIGN/METHODOLOGY/APPROACH: Relevant healthcare, organizational behavior and human resource management literature was reviewed. FINDINGS: A patient safety culture, fostered by healthcare leaders, should include an organizational culture that encourages collaborative learning, replaces the blame culture, prioritizes patient safety and rewards individuals who identify serious mistakes. PRACTICAL IMPLICATIONS: As healthcare institution staffs are being asked to deliver more complex medical services with fewer resources, there is a need to understand how hospital staff can learn from other organizational settings, especially the non-healthcare sectors. ORIGINALITY/VALUE: The paper provides suggestions for improving patient safety which are drawn from the health and business management literature.

The organizational learning survey: a re-evaluation of unidimensionality.

An earlier study by Chakrabarty and Rogé evaluated the dimensionality of the Organizational Learning Survey for assessing the learning capability of organizations developed by Goh and Richards. In this paper, the survey was re-evaluated for unidimensionality using both exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. Retaining 18 of the original 21 items was sufficient to establish unidimensionality. A number of different confirmatory models validated the unidimensional measurement model on two independent data sets. Implications for further empirical research using this inventory are discussed.