Learning strategies that work for you.
Developmental Evaluation
Curious Compass specializes in developmental evaluation. Developmental evaluation is especially useful for organizations working to create change in complex systems or using innovative approaches. It is an approach to evaluation that supports our partner’s ability to effectively adapt to emerging challenges and opportunities. Our founder’s background in Social Anthropology has informed the importance that we place on qualitative data and being embedded in a project to observe individuals’ behaviour.
Supporting and Evaluating Networks
We have a a strong background using social network analysis to assess the quality, strengths and outcomes of networks. Our network evaluation approach focuses on both the quality of the network (how are partners working together?) as well as the network’s specific outcomes (what is the network doing?). Data collected through social network analysis is used to inform the strategic direction and growth of the networks that we work with.
Strategic Support
Curious Compass uses learning and evaluation to help organizations develop strategies that support adaptation and change. This strategic support may include: developing a stronger understanding of how operations are feeding into their organization’s strategic direction, drawing on research to create and strengthen a Theory of Change, identifying promising strategic paths and testing their effectiveness, and working with team members to support a common understanding of their strategic vision.
Research and Evaluation
We work with our partners to understand their research needs, develop the right questions, determine the best way to collect the data, pull out key themes and recommendations, and communicate the findings so that they can be integrated into their work.
Our ethos
Focus on Learning
What we care about most is the quality of our and other’s learning. It is the essential force behind our work. In any endeavor, we need to learn in ways that helps us to know how, why and whether we are making progress
Trust and Transparency
We work to build trusting relationships with and amongst our partners. We work together to be transparent in our thinking and decision making: How and why are we making decisions? What information are we drawing on? How will we know we’re moving in the right direction?
Challenge Habits
We ask the people we work with to identify, question and challenge existing conventions, habits and authorities that are unhelpful or get in the way of critical thinking. We regularly ask people to come back to and question their core assumptions
Acknowledge Complexity
We are committed to working in a way that honestly reflects an understanding of what needs to be done to move an initiative forward. We strive to acknowledge the complexity of the environments that we work in.
Develop Leadership
Most projects that we are a part of will have a future without our involvement. We actively distribute leadership to cultivate a shared sense of ownership and responsibility. We also use formal structures, such as decision making processes, strategic development plans, engagement and evaluation frameworks, and governance structures, to create a sustainable foundation.
Curiosity
We ask a lot of questions so that we have a solid foundation of understanding to work from and also to model the curiosity that is crucial for anyone that is taking learning seriously.
“We shall not cease from exploration and the end of all our exploring will be to arrive where we started and know the place for the first time.” – T.S. Eliot
We’ve had the pleasure of working with
