Changes resulting from globalization are the context for evaluation. With the promise of gains, globalization has also increased uncertainties, making imperative the need for continuous monitoring and assessment of development programs. The Sarawak public sector is making deliberate efforts to enhance its evaluation capacity through initiatives such as the systematic monitoring of all development programs and projects, developing evaluation capacity in ministries and departments and increasing evaluation efforts for all human resource development programs for the Sarawak government employees. Evaluation is seen as a mechanism for providing accountability for the use of resources, identifying the sources of problems, tracking progress, and providing effective feedback to the planning, policy and reform processes of the government.
This research examines the strategic role of evaluation as part of the mechanism to address those issues. It explores and focuses on the driving forces and the interplay of factors that contribute to the evaluation process in the context of the Sarawak Public Sector as it is the first attempt. The research also undertakes to evaluate the effectiveness of the Management program according to criteria concerning the transfer of learning and performance improvement. The empirical method employs the Kirkpatrick Model for evaluating the training program. The research presents the original framework for analysing the evaluation of the Management Development Program.
The findings indicate that the program has been successfully implemented though it is not considered as highly effective. The factors that are considered as facilitators and inhibitors to the transfer of learning to the workplace and training outcomes are also identified. This study demonstrates that the effectiveness of the training program is influenced by many factors and training efforts must be supplemented by significant and visible support from the organizations to obtain the desired performance improvements. The research also highlights the forces that drive the program evaluation to be undertaken and the factors that influence the success or failure of evaluation process in the context of the role of program evaluation in the Sarawak Public sector.