Supporting sustainable change through continuous reflection: the circle of monitoring and evaluation

In MINDtheGEPs, the monitoring and evaluation unit was led by Knowledge & Innovation, an international research centre of social sciences and interdisciplinary research based in Italy, with long experience and expertise from monitoring and evaluation of institutional change processes. With their support, the seven MINDtheGEPs partner organisations that implemented gender equality plans were able to apply a context-tailored perspective. The project adopted an iterative approach for supporting a quality orientation, coupled with continuous reflection on challenges, opportunities and learnings in any stage of the process.

According to Claudia Colonnello, senior social researcher at Knowledge & Innovation who led the unit, monitoring and evaluation in MINDtheGEPs is a continuous accompanying activity. According to her, the evaluation of efforts should not be left to the end of a process, it should be part of an ongoing support activity throughout a project: from the initial contextual analysis of gender imbalances and the related design of context-sensitive gender equality plans, to the implementation and the final sustainability phases.

“Monitoring and evaluation is an iterative process that accompany the whole circle of the process of structural and cultural change. It is not an activity to be done only on a segment of the process. It is something that should be done continuously,” says Claudia Colonnello.

Beside supporting quality orientation, monitoring and evaluation in MINDtheGEPs also incorporates an element of reflection. Throughout the project, the team has organised regular sessions for reflection and self-assessment with the partners that are implementing gender equality plans. In these monitoring and evaluation sessions, the different teams reflected on what they have done, on the processes that are ongoing, on progresses but also challenges and resistances met, on solutions put in place for overcoming the problems met, on what they have learned, and on what key take-aways they can bring with them, to improve activities in the future.

In MINDtheGEPs, these sessions focused on two things: on the implementation of the seven gender equality plans, through bilateral sessions; and on the implementation of tasks that were ‘transversal’ across all seven organisations. Participatory evaluation exercises were facilitated through two rounds of on-site visits, where the monitoring and evaluation team visited all seven organisations, enabling evaluative conversations with the local core teams, key actors from the institutional leadership and decision-making, and staff that had been part of the process.

“It is very important to support the process of reflection about what is happening while the process is ongoing and thinking about possible improvements to take into account for the next steps,” says Claudia Colonnello.

In the final phase of the project, the monitoring and evaluation unit supported focused reflection on the sustainability potential of the processes that have been activated and the promotion of outcomes through mutual learning exchanges between organisations on good practices. The monitoring and evaluation unit also provided a dedicated space for reflection during the regular sessions and on-site visits. By making reflections, discussions, and negotiations with stakeholders a regular part of the process, this approach to monitoring and evaluation has helped implementing organisations turn their gender equality plans into lasting change. Monitoring and evaluating the gender equality efforts continuously allows teams to adapt, improve, and keep building on their progress. Why? To ensure that actions that promote gender equality become a sustainable part of the organisation.

Want to know more?

• Monitoring and evaluating GEPs (MINDtheGEPs)
• Our partners (MINDtheGEPs)

By Josepine Fernow