Evaluation Cultures, Sense-Making in Complex Times

Résumé En

The relationship between evaluation and culture is a complicated one. Considering countries or organizations comparatively, one can say that there is such a thing as "evaluation culture," as opposed, for instance, to "bureaucratic culture." Culture has long been used as a management term. Hence, there exists a vast variety of definitions of cultures used by managers: sub-cultures, corporate cultures, and occupational identities--each discussed in this edited volume. Political systems and countries can be seen as harboring diverse "evaluation cultures." As a result of globalization, more experts and academics are now firmly inserted in expert forums, or cross-national expert "markets"; and the experience of cultural difference is very commonly shared. A senior expert in evaluation will be aware that in China, it is not very wise to say "no" bluntly, and that the Chinese use other ways to express their disagreement. Evaluators deal with people, individuals and communities that are best seen in the light of a multicultural perspective. These issues encapsulate the main aspects of the complex relationship of evaluation and culture(s). One issue focuses on organizational or administrative culture, with an implicit universalistic reference to what is a "good" culture of evaluation. In a second, political culture is involved: the forms evaluation takes are determined by the particular history of the nation involved. Organizational, political and ethnic culture is also important. When it comes to evaluation, public policies and governments are involved in such a manner that political culture has a dominant position in providing explanations for diversity across countries.