PCI: A reflective evaluation framework for systems change

This article arises out of our work over several decades in the evaluation field and in philanthropy with a focus on designing and facilitating the implementation of systems-change strategies and evaluation. It addresses our current thinking about how foundations and communities can work within complex systems to identify key levers for change and use evaluation to track progress and assess impact. We are developing the PCI Reflective Evaluation Framework and offering it as a prototype integration of systems thinking into practical, community-based change efforts. The framework is intended to be especially useful where the goal involves a fundamental shift in the worldview or values that underlie the key systems that need to be changed. The framework can also be used by nonprofits and organizations other than foundations and communities. (author introduction)