Evaluation Feedback for learning organisations This egroup was formed to promote discussion and the exchange of ideas on the use of evaluation feedback to encourage organisations to learn and to improve their accountability. The need for improved evaluation feedback, `the virtuous circle of learning', is widely recognised by many companies, agencies and institutions. In recent years there has been an explosion in the number of knowledge management papers and meetings, with many companies appointing knowledge managers to help their organisation become a true `learning organisation'. Development agencies are just beginning to recognise this need and to try to make better use of their existing evaluation departments and systems. Greater accountability is seen as a prerequisite for continued support for development assistance within donor countries, whilst also being a vital component in creating robust and meaningful partnerships with the recipients of aid. Improved learning is crucial to improve the effectiveness of aid and to ensure that lessons learned are fed into the system so that a virtuous circle of learning is established, rather than a repeated cycle of failure. This egroup will act as a repository of information available to date and as a nursery for ideas on how to improve evaluation feedback to promote learning organisations in the future.

For more information about other approaches to monitoring and evaluation go to Monitoring and Evaluation NEWS at www.mande.co.uk