ABSTRACT
This chapter offers examples where evaluation efforts have contributed to both single- and double-loop learning. One of the major themes in the evaluation literature is that internal evaluation is an applied enterprise, conducted in the social environment of the organization and has to be viewed within the organizational context. Internal evaluators acquire institutional knowledge over time and develop a cultural awareness that only results from continuous observation of the organization from close proximity. Constant exposure of evaluators to the internal workings of an organization presents opportunities to develop a perspective about what contributes to organization success and what hinders progress toward optimum performance. The inspector general (IG) at the Department of Health and Human Services regularly scrutinizes public health policies and offers alternative approaches to the administration of these expensive programs. The IG evaluation office annually claims millions of dollars saved as the result of their program reviews.
