Author: Natalie Stewart, Senior Consultant, Nationwide Building Society
In this article, Natalie Stewart, Senior Consultant at Nationwide Building Society, shares how the organisation has embedded evaluation into its learning and development approach. From creating a dedicated evaluation team to focusing on behaviour change, business outcomes and meaningful insight, she reflects on the practical steps, challenges and lessons learned in making evaluation a strategic priority.
At Nationwide, we’ve changed how we evaluate learning so we can better understand the difference it really makes. That means looking beyond whether people enjoyed the experience and focusing more on what changed afterwards in behaviour, performance and culture.
Building a dedicated evaluation capability
A pivotal step in this journey was creating a dedicated Insight and Evaluation team. Before this, evaluation activity was fragmented across programmes, with inconsistent measures and varying levels of rigour. By establishing a dedicated team of two, we brought greater consistency, specialist expertise and independent challenge, helping shift evaluation from delivery reporting to meaningful insight.
We didn’t do this because we were asked. We did it because it was the right thing to do. For our customers, to ensure investment in development delivers value. For our colleagues, to ensure their time spent learning was worthwhile. For ourselves, to raise the quality of decision-making and improvement cycles.
Where relevant, we collaborate with specialist external partners to bring in additional data analysis and behavioural science expertise. Not only does this improve outcomes but also helps further develop the skills and capability of the internal team.
Framework for measuring learning effectiveness
Strong evaluation begins with clarity of purpose and alignment on success criteria before data collection. In practice, our evaluation approach focuses on three key areas:
- Engagement: Was the learning experience effective and valuable for participants?
- Learning Transfer: Have participants gained and retained the intended knowledge or skills?
- Impact: Has learning translated into behavioural change and measurable business outcomes?
While these categories are not new, our approach is defined by the consistency and rigour with which we measure them. We use a mixed-methods approach, combining quantitative and qualitative data, statistical and thematic analysis to build a more comprehensive understanding of impact.
Reporting for impact, not volume
We have also evolved how we report evaluation findings. Effective reporting requires careful consideration of:
- Audience: tailoring outputs for different stakeholders (e.g. ExCo headlines vs. detailed team insights).
- Cadence: determining when and how often reporting adds value.
- Decisions: prioritising actionable recommendations.
A key principle is simple: we don’t do data for data’s sake. Every output must support decision-making and improvement.
Challenges and what we’ve learned
Embedding an evaluation mindset has required both cultural and capability shifts. Moving away from satisfaction measures can be uncomfortable, particularly where data is more complex or less readily available.
We have also faced challenges around resource, stakeholder expectations, and balancing depth with practicality. However, having a dedicated team has helped us navigate these challenges, bringing clarity, consistency, and confidence to our approach.
What others can take away
Our experience offers several practical lessons for others starting out in their evaluation journeys.
Principle | In practice | Benefit |
|---|---|---|
Start with clear questions | Agree the purpose, success measures and evidence needed at the design stage, not at the end. | Creates better alignment and more useful evaluation. |
Measure what matters | Prioritise measures that show changes in behaviour, decisions or performance, not just attendance or satisfaction. | Keeps evaluation focused on real change. |
Keep data focused | Use targeted measures and only collect data that will be used. | Reduces feedback fatigue and improves quality. |
Use evaluation to learn | Create space for honest reflection so findings can shape future improvements. | Builds trust and supports better decisions. |
Turn insight into action | Share findings early, make actions clear and show how learning has informed next steps. | Helps evidence led continuous improvement. |
From measurement to meaningful impact
Ultimately, embedding an evaluation mindset has helped us move beyond measuring activity to understanding what difference learning makes. It gives us a stronger basis for learning, adapting and improving over time.
Our thanks to Natalie for this guest blog and for contributing their perspective to the UK Evaluation Society’s work.
How to cite this article
Stewart, N. (2026) Turning evaluation from a nice-to-have to a strategic priority in L&D. UK Evaluation Society article. Available at: https://evaluation.org.uk/turning-evaluation-from-a-nice-to-have-to-a-strategic-priority-in-ld/ (Accessed: [insert date]).
Natalie Stewart
Natalie Stewart is a Senior Consultant in Insight and Evaluation in the Development, Learning and Skills team at Nationwide Building Society. She leads the evaluation strategy across the leadership and learning portfolio, using robust measurement and evidence-led insight to inform decision-making and demonstrate impact. She specialises in learning evaluation, impact measurement and bridging research and practice.
Before joining Nationwide, she was a Doctoral College Programme Manager, leading work across researcher development and research culture and is in the final stages of her PhD on the subject.
