Measuring success: the value of context and mutual learning
When it comes to structural change, no one size fits all. In MINDtheGEPs, the 7 implementing organisations have different organizational structures, cultures, and needs, and require different actions. The unique context of every partner organisation is at the heart of the activities in our monitoring and evaluation team, taking steps that make it possible to measure success in a meaningful way.
The 7 implementing partner organisations in the MINDtheGEPs project are both similar and different. They are all European research-performing organisations, but range from large public universities like the University of Turin, Jagiellonian University, the University of Gdańsk and organisations specialised in STEM like the Munster Technological University and the University of Belgrade – School of Electrical Engineering. However, gender equality plans are also implemented in the Italian National Research Council, with research centres across Italy, and CTAG, a private Spanish R&D company in the automotive industry. Because the partners have such different organisational structures and prerequisites, we need to tailor the way we evaluate success.
“It is important to tailor the process at the level of the organisation considering all aspects, and the value of the results should be assessed, most of all, from the capacity of keeping or providing sustainability to the process,” says Claudia Colonnello, senior social researcher at Knowledge & Innovation, and leader of the MINDtheGEPs monitoring and evaluation team.
At the same time, many valuable lessons can be learned across different organisations. By sharing experiences and working together, the partners have been able to strengthen their gender equality efforts in ways that would not have been possible without the critical mass that MINDtheGEPs provides. The collaboration and mutual exchange have not only helped teams find solutions to common challenges. It has also created a network of support, ensuring that the progress will have a lasting impact on gender equality for the 7 partners, extending well beyond the project itself.
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By Josepine Fernow