“Design and evaluation are intertwined. One doesn't come before the other. They're always together. It's like a right half and the left half; they're just there.”
Context Matters! Designing and Scaling in Systems
John Gargani · President, Gargani + Company | Co-Author, Scaling Impact: Innovation for the Public Good
About this episode
Scaling impact sounds simple: just do more of what worked. In reality, it's far messier. In this episode, Matt sits down with evaluation pioneer John Gargani to explore the intersections of design, evaluation, and scaling impact. Together they unpack why the "classic" growth model of scaling falls short, why design and evaluation are inseparable, and how context shapes everything when trying to create change at scale.
Key takeaways
Design and evaluation are inseparable
They're intertwined like two halves of a whole. You can't effectively do one without the other, and professional evaluators bring crucial structure to the convergent thinking that design requires.
Design thinking requires discipline, not just creativity
The playful, imaginative side of design is appealing, but real design work also involves discipline, iteration, and sometimes tedium. The 72nd iteration doesn't feel the same as the first.
The "classic" scaling model is insufficient
Assuming that doing more of the same creates more impact ignores how context shapes outcomes. Scaling is about optimising impact, not maximising it.
Context matters, and scaling changes context
When you scale, you interact with the system you're scaling into. That dynamic interaction creates emergent effects that can alter impacts in unpredictable ways.
Scaling creates ongoing responsibility
When you scale something effectively, you own it. You need to monitor, maintain, and sometimes descale. The people affected should be making the trade-off decisions along the way.
Topics covered
- Design Thinking
- Scaling Impact
- Systems Change
- Program Evaluation
- Co-design
- Innovation
- Context & Complexity