Organizational evaluation capacity building has been a topic of increasing interest in recent years. However, the actual dimensions of evaluation capacity have not been clearly articulated through empirical research. This study sought to address this gap by identifying the key dimensions of evaluation capacity in Canadian federal government organizations. The methodology used, based on Leithwood and Montgomery’s Innovation Profile approach, featured semistructured interviews with evaluation experts and a validating exercise conducted in four government organizations. The framework developed as a result of the study identifies six main dimensions of evaluation capacity (human resources, organizational resources, evaluation planning and activities, evaluation literacy, organizational decision making, and learning benefits), each one broken down into further subdimensions. The evaluation capacity of organizations on each of these dimensions and subdimensions can be described using four levels: low, developing, intermediate, and exemplary. The study found that government organizations vary in terms of their capacity from one dimension to the next, and indeed, from one subdimension to the next.

The construct of organizational evaluation capacity is a concept that is receiving increasing attention in theoretical and research-based literature. It is situated within a stream of inquiry that has come to be known as evaluation capacity building (ECB). This chapter reviews evolving conceptions of ECB and recent research and theory in the area. A conceptualization of organizational capacity for evaluation is explicated. The framework addresses not only the capacity to do but also the capacity to use evaluation. This framework has evolved within our ongoing research program and has also informed other research activities focusing on the integration of evaluation into organizational culture. This chapter concludes with a discussion of implications for ongoing research and practice.

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