• Published March 25, 2020
  • 3 Minute Read

The Benefit of Evaluating Your Development Process

Published March 25, 2020
The Benefit of Evaluating Your Development Process

Introduction

Is evaluating the leadership development process valuable? Though evaluation is often neglected or even misused, measuring impact can and should be an engaging activity that leads to powerful learning and well-informed action.

Evaluation is the process of collecting and synthesizing information or evidence. As investments in leadership development have increased, so has the need for evaluating that development.

Stakeholders at all levels want to know if what they are doing is having an impact. Funders and senior management wonder if their investment produces results. Designers of program initiatives seek to prove the value of their efforts. Participants want to know if their lives will change for the better.

The Handbook of Leadership Development Evaluation book coverThe push to demonstrate the value of leadership development programs has generated more interest in training evaluation, drawing attention to books like our widely used Handbook of Leadership Development Evaluation.

Leadership development is a particularly complex process. Development efforts can seed changes in individuals, teams, organizations, and communities that continue to emerge over time. Evaluating the value of leadership development is a much more useful tool when it is an integrated, ongoing part of the program from the beginning.

The Benefits of Training Evaluation

4 Reasons to Measure Impact

Here are 4 ways in which evaluation benefits leaders, organizations, and communities:

1. Evaluation clarifies outcomes.

Evaluation helps us better understand and document the desired outcomes of leadership development. It can encourage more comprehensive discussions about what works and why. Evaluation seeks to systematize large concepts. It separates real outcomes from wishful thinking, slogans, or vague program aspirations.

2. Evaluation focuses attention.

Evaluation pinpoints needed leadership competencies and directs attention to critical issues. When leadership development efforts use evaluation effectively, there is a clear intention about what to achieve and why. If, for example, a team knows that a goal of their leadership development is to improve group decision-making, then the members of the team can change their behaviors accordingly. If they know they will be evaluated specifically on those behaviors, the impetus is even greater.

3. Evaluation supports ongoing learning.

Evaluation can be used to fine-tune a proposed or existing leadership development intervention. It can provide constructive observation to guide a program’s evolution. Once a program is established, evaluation continues to contribute by helping the program managers optimize their use of resources on behalf of the participants. Just as important, evaluation contributes to a learning mindset — a perspective that values asking questions, assuming multiple perspectives, and challenging assumptions.

4. Evaluation influences future actions and decisions.

Evaluation serves to demonstrate more fully how participants, their organizations, and their communities benefit from their leadership development program experiences. This information can then be used to make choices about future efforts.

Evaluation is learning, and learning is evaluation. So view program evaluation as an integral part of the development process, and you’ll be able to build on what’s working well and eliminate efforts that are less effective.

Ready to Take the Next Step?

Our Talent Development solutions can be customized for your unique context and culture, and our Leadership Analytics Practice experts can help your organization reap the benefits of training evaluation.

  • Published March 25, 2020
  • 3 Minute Read
  • Download as PDF

Based on Research by

Kelly Hannum
Kelly Hannum, PhD
Former Director, Global Research Insights

In addition to directing an international group conducting research about leadership and leadership development, Kelly co-authored our casebook on Leadership Across Differences, the guidebook Managing Your Whole Life, and the books Evaluating the Impact of Leadership Development and The Handbook of Leadership Development Evaluation.

In addition to directing an international group conducting research about leadership and leadership development, Kelly co-authored our casebook on Leadership Across Differences, the guidebook Managing Your Whole Life, and the books Evaluating the Impact of Leadership Development and The Handbook of Leadership Development Evaluation.

Jennifer Martineau
Jennifer Martineau, PhD
Former Senior Vice President; President, Leap & Inspire Global

Jennifer is our former Senior Vice President of Research, Evaluation, and Societal Advancement and co-author of Kick Some Glass, a guide for women in business who want to take charge of their own success. She is now president of Leap & Inspire Global, an organization focused on helping individuals and organizations achieve their full potential through coaching, consulting, and development.

Jennifer is our former Senior Vice President of Research, Evaluation, and Societal Advancement and co-author of Kick Some Glass, a guide for women in business who want to take charge of their own success. She is now president of Leap & Inspire Global, an organization focused on helping individuals and organizations achieve their full potential through coaching, consulting, and development.

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About CCL

At the Center for Creative Leadership, our drive to create a ripple effect of positive change underpins everything we do. For 50+ years, we've pioneered leadership development solutions for leaders at every level, from community leaders to CEOs. Consistently ranked among the top global providers of executive education, our research-based programs and solutions inspire individuals at every level in organizations across the world — including 2/3 of the Fortune 1000 — to ignite remarkable transformations.

At the Center for Creative Leadership, our drive to create a ripple effect of positive change underpins everything we do. For 50+ years, we've pioneered leadership development solutions for leaders at every level, from community leaders to CEOs. Consistently ranked among the top global providers of executive education, our research-based programs and solutions inspire individuals at every level in organizations across the world — including 2/3 of the Fortune 1000 — to ignite remarkable transformations.

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