A perspective on managing evaluation

Managing evaluation studies, evaluators and other workers, and evaluation units is an omnipresent but almost invisible practice little studied and written about. The authors ask whether this should change and how. It is necessary to illuminate this practice before deciding, making distinctions among management, manager, and managing, the first a view from the 20th floor, the second from the 10th to fifth floors, and the last on the ground floor of everyday life. Conceptual and practical definitions drawn from practice and literature emphasize the routine, mundane nature of the work. Needed are research, analysis, and reflection on managing expertise, with a focus on the importance of expertise in evaluation research and in managing.