Evaluator Preconceptions About Organizational Decision Making

Abstract

Evaluators have various preconceptions, usually implicit, about how decisions are made in social programs and how the results of evaluation research will be used in that process. This article demonstrates how an evaluator's choice of a decision-making model has significant impact on the conduct and fate of the research. This focus adds a new dimension to the understanding of the ways political and organizational processes influence evalua tion research.