uman resource development (HRD) professionals and organizational managers and executives are increasingly recognizing the importance of measurement and evaluations of organizational programs and processes. A study by the Conference Board found that executives plan to make increasing use of human capital metrics. The reason for this is the role that such measurement and evaluation play in helping the organization achieve its strategic goals. As confirmation, LaBonte and Necessary (2007) emphasized the use of measurement for decision making. In other cases, line managers, including those in HR, HRD, and human performance technology (HPT), recognize the importance of measuring the effects and impacts of their interventions. Such information can also be used to determine what changes, if any, are needed in the interventions in order to meet their objectives. All of these trends point toward the importance of evaluation and also the expanding approaches and scope of evaluation.
The purpose of this chapter is to examine the expanding scope of evaluation in organizations. The discussion begins with a brief examination of the expansion in the contexts in which evaluations are occurring. The discussion then turns to a presentation of two major types of approaches to evaluation: outcomebased approaches and process or systems approaches. This discussion highlights