The story of the orchestra on the Titanic: Lessons Learned from a Sinking Evaluation

Abstract Information: Many are aware of the story of the orchestra on the Titanic; they continued to play while the ship was sinking, hoping to calm the passengers. However, few think of the similarities of the story of the Titanic orchestra and program evaluators. Both require coordination and collaboration, assessing performance, and adaptation. And like the orchestra in the Titanic, program evaluators may have little say in direction and speed, but we must continue executing our duties. As evaluators, there are times we may feel helpless and like a passenger of the Titanic waiting for it to sink, yet, we understand we have tasks to complete. We may observe that a program needs to change course and let the captain know or observe changes in morale and performance, but there are times it feels like we can do little to right the course. In this ignite presentation, the similarities between the Titanic Orchestra and Program Evaluation will be further explored with the specific example of a program evaluation that started with flaws, like the Titanic, and though there were signs and opportunities to leave, the evaluation continued. The result is lessons learned from this experience and possible signs of the approaching iceberg.

Relevance Statement: Stories such as the orchestra on the Titanic are often used as metaphors for tasks that we know are futile. But what can we learn from this story, and how does it relate to the tasks that we, as evaluators, are left with? We at times, feel we are left with a program or an evaluation that we know will likely lead to little or no results. We may be left with data that was collected correctly, or we only receive a part of it. We may have shifting deadlines and expected deliverables. And at times, we may think we are just done and want to walk away. But what happens when we stay, and what can we learn from such experiences? The focus isn’t on what the program could have done better, but what we, as evaluators, may learn from our futile stories so that next time, we know what to look and ask for.