He also had front line evaluation experience, so he knew the critical questions to ask. His networking meant that he had formal and informal contacts throughout government. And finally, he knew how to do good research. There are so many variables, and so many people with interests in what you do that you must be able to see the big picture. Restructing is impossible with a narrowly focussed point of view.
Good information is absolutely essential if good decisions are to be made.
Hal's perspective on the value of sociology does not end with evaluation. That takes excellent communication skills, both written and oral. Further, we must be able to work together. Only as teams can we accomplish our objectives. In other words, Hal must be versed in a variety of skills, all of which are fundamentally sociological.