Theory of Change: #19: How to talk about failure

What happens when an organization built on maximum cost-effectiveness discovers that one of its flagship programs isn't delivering the results it promised? For Evidence Action, the answer was clear — if uncomfortable: follow the data, own the mistakes, and scale back. In a recent episode of Devex’s Theory of Change podcast, Evidence Action’s new CEO, Danielle Bayer, unpacked the nonprofit organization’s recent decision to wind down its Dispensers for Safe Water program across parts of East Africa, the backlash that followed, and what high-integrity implementation looks like in an evolving development landscape. “Most organizations choose to make decisions and keep t...