1055 - Scaling Impact: New Ways to Plan, Manage, and Evaluate Scaling

Abstract Information: In this half-day workshop, participants will learn a new approach to scaling the social and environmental impacts of programs, policies, products, and investments. The approach is based on the book Scaling Impact: Innovation for the Public Good written by Robert McClean and John Gargani, and is grounded in their collaborations with social innovators in the Global South. The workshop goes beyond the book, reflecting the authors’ most recent thinking, and challenges participants to adopt a new scaling mindset. I first introduce participants to the core concepts of the book. Then, participants have a chance to practice what they learned by engaging in small-group, hands-on exercises. The workshop is intended as an introduction, and participants will be provided with free resources to continue their learning. Participants should have a basic understanding of evaluation, either as a practitioner or user. They should understand what a logic model is and recognize that programs, policies, and products create impacts in complex environments. Participants may come from any field, sector, or functional role. Program designers, managers, and evaluators are welcome. By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to define impact, scaling, operational scale, and scaling impact; use the four principles of scaling; address scaling risks; and apply the dynamic evaluation systems model.

Relevance Statement: Scaling impact matters more than ever, and the people affected by scaling should lead the way. This workshop introduces participants to a practical approach to scaling that gives people control while attending to the inherent complexity and risk associated with it. We will explore how scaling can amplify and empower the voices of people and how to create the conditions for their leadership. Our approach is based on what we learned by working with innovators in the Global South and conducting research on decades of grantmaking by Canada’s International Development Research Centre (IDRC). We share what we learned in our book, Scaling Impact: Innovation for the Public Good (McLean & Gargani, 2019), which is published by Routledge and made available for free (open source) by IDRC. The book is organized around four principles and five case studies. It was positively reviewed by the American Journal of Evaluation (Di Ruggiero, 2021) and has since been translated into French. It is part of an ongoing effort to promote “scaling science” by leaders in the Global South, which has been formalized as the scalingXchange (https://www.scalingxchange.org/). In the workshop, I distill what is in the book, add our most current thinking, and reinforce learning with hands-on activities. I have three objectives for the workshop: (1) introduce participants to the content of our book, (2) demonstrate a process for planning, managing, and evaluating scaling, and (3) encourage participants to modify the process to fit their contexts and purposes. To accomplish our objectives, I will outline the four principles in our book and closely examine what we call dynamic evaluation. I will introduce a system model that designers, managers, and evaluators can use to guide their scaling efforts, and demonstrate how it complements traditional tools, like logic models and theories of change. A workbook will be provided to participants, and additional supporting materials will be made available for free from IDRC (https://www.idrc.ca/en/scalingscience) some of which are in Spanish and French. I am an experienced teacher of graduate students (Claremont Graduate University and University of Pennsylvania) and professionals. I have successfully presented this workshop in the US, Canada, and India. At the 2023 AEA conference, my instruction of the workshop earned survey scores between 5/5 and 4.4/5 across 13 criteria, for an overall score of 4.7/5. References Di Ruggiero, E. (2021). Book Review: Scaling Impact: Innovation for the Public Good by Robert McLean & John Gargani. American Journal of Evaluation, 42(4), 602–605. https://doi.org/10.1177/10982140211009971 McLean, R., & Gargani, J. (2019). Scaling impact: innovation for the public good. Routledge.