Course Overview

Evaluating organizational change initiatives is often challenging. Change rarely unfolds in a simple or linear way, and traditional evaluation approaches may not capture shifts in organizational practices, incentives, structures, relationships, and culture. As a result, organizations often struggle to demonstrate progress, learn from reform efforts, or determine whether transformation initiatives are producing meaningful results.

First this course introduces practical frameworks and tools for understanding and evaluating organizational and systems change. Participants will explore how organizations evolve through changes in policies, processes, leadership structures, incentives, and institutional relationships. They will also learn practical ways to document and assess these shifts over time.

The course combines conceptual frameworks with practical approaches that help evaluators and organizational leaders map change pathways, identify meaningful indicators of progress, and generate credible evidence. Throughout the course, participants will learn how to use evidence to support learning, accountability, and continuous improvement during periods of reform or transformation.

By the end of the course, participants will be better equipped to assess organizational change initiatives. They will also be able to produce useful evidence that helps organizations understand whether change is occurring and how those efforts can be strengthened.

What You Will Learn

Throughout this course, participants will gain practical approaches for understanding how organizational and systems change unfolds in dynamic environments. They will learn how to map pathways of change, identify the incentives and constraints that shape organizational behavior, and select indicators that signal meaningful progress in areas such as capacity, coordination, responsiveness, and performance.

In addition, participants will examine evaluation approaches designed for environments where goals, strategies, and organizational structures evolve over time. By the end of the course, they will be better equipped to generate credible evidence that supports learning, decision making, and continuous improvement throughout organizational transformation.

Course Format

This course includes two live, instructor-led virtual modules, or one full day of in-person instruction. Each module combines conceptual guidance, real-world examples, and practical tools that participants can apply in their own work. Participants will engage in discussions and applied exercises that help them interpret and evaluate organizational change initiatives.

Participants who attend both modules will earn a certificate of completion.

Module Breakdown

Module 1: Understanding Organizational and Systems Change

The course begins by examining how organizational and systems change unfolds in practice. Participants will explore why change processes are often complex and non-linear, and why traditional evaluation approaches may not capture meaningful progress. Next, the session introduces practical frameworks for mapping change pathways and understanding how changes in policies, processes, incentives, leadership structures, and organizational culture influence outcomes. After that, participants will examine common patterns associated with organizational reform initiatives. Finally, they will learn to identify the key drivers, constraints, and opportunities that shape organizational change.

Module 2: Evaluating and Tracking Organizational Change

Building on the first module, participants will explore practical approaches for evaluating and tracking organizational and systems change over time. The session focuses on selecting meaningful indicators that reflect system-level change, including shifts in capacity, quality, responsiveness, coordination, and institutional relationships. Participants will also examine evaluation approaches that work well in dynamic organizational environments where strategies and structures evolve during implementation. Finally, the module concludes with practical strategies for using evaluation findings to support organizational learning, decision making, and continuous improvement.

Who Should Attend

This course is designed for professionals working in or with organizations undergoing change, including:

• Policy analysts and program managers
• Government, NGO, and public sector professionals involved in reform or transformation initiatives
• Organizational leaders and managers responsible for institutional change
• Consultants and evaluators supporting organizational or systems change

Prerequisites

Participants should have a basic familiarity with organizational change efforts, evaluation, or program management. No specialized technical background is required.

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