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Stakeholder Perspectives on Site‐Visit Quality and Use
Author(s) -
Nelson Randi K.
Publication year - 2017
Publication title -
new directions for evaluation
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.374
H-Index - 40
eISSN - 1534-875X
pISSN - 1097-6736
DOI - 10.1002/ev.20269
Subject(s) - stakeholder , competence (human resources) , psychology , interpersonal communication , medical education , surprise , medicine , public relations , social psychology , political science
Abstract The chapter is an exploration of site‐visit practices used in diverse program contexts based on individual telephone interviews in 2016 with 41 individuals who participated in site visits that were part of evaluations conducted within and outside of the United States. Participants included professional evaluators, site‐visit commissioners, and staff of U.S. programs that were the subject of site visits. The findings are based on the diverse perspectives expressed about characteristics of effective site visitors, strategies for conducting high‐quality site visits, and approaches to identifying and handling impression management. Most, but not all, participants said effective site visitors were those who had good interpersonal skills, content and evaluation expertise and knowledge, cultural competence, and were nonjudgmental. There were interesting differences of opinion among participants about the relative importance of content and evaluation expertise. Strategies for conducting effective site visits included careful preparation, having a clearly articulated and communicated purpose, focusing on learning and program improvement, setting a positive and collaborative tone, and using a team approach. Most participants said impression management on the part of program staff was common and not unexpected. Strategies to reduce the impact of impression management included triangulation of data sources, using elements of control and surprise in planning and conducting the visit, visiting frequently for longer periods, and focusing on learning and improvement.