Transparency of Process: Monitoring and Evaluation in Learning Organisations

"To genuinely learn from monitoring and evaluation, we have to be serious about learning - not learning as a process of transmitting facts and information, but trans-formative learning that can be imagined as a creative process. This kind of learning demands real time and quality process. At the same time, there has to be consciousness that learning does not belong to individuals, but to the various conversations of which they are a part within the organisation. In other words, learning has to live in the relationships between the people in an organisation..."

In this 15-page paper, Nomvula Dlamini describes a strategy for monitoring and evaluation (M&E) that revolves around attention to, and respect for, dialogue within development organisations.

To begin, she critiques "a results-orientation and managerialist approach" to M&E - one that focuses on a one-directional flow of information rather than the creation of meaningful communication and connection that would foster "clear questions about what we need to know and change in order to increase effectiveness". While acknowledging the pressure to concretely demonstrate the difference that development organisations are making in the lives of impoverished people, Dlamini argues that M&E "have become rigid instruments within organisations that have focused on results rather than relationships and process." In her assessment, it is counterproductive to impose accountability systems, since they "interfere with and undermine the development of genuine partnerships and human relationships that are vital for the achievement of the very developmental goals and transformational purpose being pursued."

Next, Dlamini articulates her vision of a "transformational learning" paradigm for M&E that she contends is better suited to the informal, subjective, and anecdotal material with which developmental organisations' work is primarily concerned. Moving beyond what she conceives as a "stuckness on methodology" involves the following:

• A questioning orientation - organisations constantly and continuously question not only their actions; they question their organisational purpose, the processes through which this is pursued, and the contribution they seek to make in their environment. A questioning orientation is central to a learning culture and practice.
• Transforming power relations - when an organisation engages in learning with greater awareness and purpose, relationships begin to change. Dlamini explains that "genuine, meaningful accountability is about being true to self and others." So, when an organisation faces itself with honesty during an M&E process, the emphasis is on communicating truthfully and transparently - which creates horizontal relationships.
• Living the principles of participation and accountability - Dlamini suggests that M&E activities that are linked to organisational learning processes "allow for space for the voices, experiences and knowledge of all to inform the direction and purpose of the organisation." In short, the "data" is just this: "the knowledge, skills, abilities, experiences and capabilities that each individual brings to the organisation are recognised as well as their role and contribution to the effective functioning, learning and ongoing development of the organisation."

Following an expansion of these ideas through a detailed look at how to "bring life" to an organisation through the aforementioned M&E approach, the author presents several challenges that can impede the creation of an organisational culture of learning. For example, it can be difficult to invest adequately in the time and space for building relationships and facilitating deeper understanding of each other's realities in ways that are honest, open, and transparent. Also, in moving beyond methodology, there can be a risk of oversimplying reality. Building a culture of critical self-reflection and self-evaluation can be a complex process, she explains.

Despite these challenges, Dlamini concludes that "[w]e should ensure that monitoring and evaluation become a ribbon of rhythm drawn through organisational learning processes. Such a rhythm should be natural to the culture, systems, procedures, structures and processes of the organisation."