If you want to value the system, get the system in the room.
Heidi Peterson
Lead Principal Consultant, Clear Horizon Consulting
About This Episode
In this episode, Matt and Tenille speak with Heidi Peterson, Lead Principal Consultant at Clear Horizon Consulting and author of a new framework for assessing the value for money of systems change efforts. Heidi walks us through five types of value creation — from inherent and potential value through to transformative change — and makes the case for expanding how we understand, evidence, and deliberate on value. It's a rich conversation about what happens when complexity meets the demand for efficiency, and why evaluators should resist making peace with the tension.
Key Takeaways
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1
Traditional value for money methods fall short for systems change
Cost-benefit analysis relies on attributable, quantifiable outcomes — but systems change work is unpredictable, long-term, and involves many actors, making traditional approaches a poor fit.
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2
Five types of value creation expand how we assess systems change
By blending Wenger's cycles of value creation with the water of systems change framework, we can talk about inherent, potential, applied, realised, and transformative value — not just the outcomes that are easiest to measure.
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3
Potential value deserves recognition before outcomes are realised
When systems change work shifts relationships, connections, and power dynamics, it loads up potential for future change — and if we put that in the too-hard basket, the work becomes devalued.
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4
Democratic deliberation strengthens value judgements
Bringing diverse stakeholders together to co-construct rubrics and deliberate on evidence produces more nuanced, legitimate assessments — and the process itself can be a form of systems change.
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5
Evaluators can shift from judge to co-constructor of value
Rather than being the independent, neutral arbiter, evaluators can hold a trusted process — facilitating inclusion, dialogue, and deliberation — and look for opportunities to nudge the scale towards co-construction.
Topics Covered
Resources Mentioned
- A Framework to Assess the Value for Money of Systems Change Efforts — Heidi's published paper in Evaluation (Peterson, 2025)
- WorkWell Summative Report — the case study discussed throughout this episode
- WorkWell Value for Money Assessment Report — the practical VFM assessment for WorkWell
- OPM Guide to Assessing Value for Money — Julian King's value for investment approach, a foundational resource
- Evaluative Inquiry for Systemic Change — excerpt from Emily Gates' book on evaluation as a catalyst for change
- Improving Child Safety: Deliberation, Judgment and Empirical Research — Munro, Hardy & Cartwright — on group deliberation for complex issues (free PDF)
Related Episodes
- Value for Investment with Julian King — the rubric-based value for investment approach that informed Heidi's work
- Rethinking Systems Evaluation with Emily Gates — on evaluative inquiry as an intervention in systems change
About Heidi
Heidi Peterson
Lead Principal Consultant, Clear Horizon Consulting
Heidi Peterson is Lead Principal Consultant at Clear Horizon Consulting, with over a decade of experience spanning evaluation, international development, and government. She has led value for money assessments for major UK Government research funds totalling over £2.2 billion and recently submitted her Professional Doctorate from the University of Bath, focused on value for money in systems change. Her published framework blends Wenger's cycles of value creation with the water of systems change to expand how we understand and evidence the value of complex initiatives.
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