Transforming Evaluative Thinking: Some Ideas from Bateson

Background: Evaluators increasingly consider systems- and complexity-informed approaches to evaluation, especially when considering how evaluation might be transformed to evaluate current complex problems. Although Gregory Bateson was an early contributor to systems thinking, there is almost no reference to his work in the evaluation literature. Purpose: To introduce some of Bateson’s core ideas and to pose initial questions intended to spark reflection and discussion, with the intent of contributing to further development of the concept of evaluative thinking. Setting: Global. Intervention: Not applicable. Research Design: Not applicable. Data Collection and Analysis: Not applicable. Findings: Not applicable.