Abstract
The growing interest in systems-change initiatives sits alongside increasing pressure to demonstrate value for money (VFM), which is challenging for emergent, interconnected and often intangible work. A new way to assess the VFM of systems-change work involves considering the value of changing system conditions and the creation of potential value for future systems transformation. This innovation combines the Water of Systems Change framework with the Cycles of Value Creation to create five types of value for systems-change work: inherent, potential, applied, realised and transformative. The VFM of systems-change efforts is then best understood, negotiated and judged by different stakeholders through democratic deliberation. A practical case study of WorkWell (a systems-change initiative to improve mental well-being in Victoria, Australia) is used to demonstrate the use of the approach and offer reflections on its rigour.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Journal | Evaluation |
| Early online date | 6 Dec 2025 |
| DOIs | |
| Publication status | E-pub ahead of print - 6 Dec 2025 |
Acknowledgements
The author would like to thank Nicholas Crooks for being willing to test, embrace and further develop this methodology at WorkWell, and for his feedback on the paper. The author would also like to thank Professor James Copestake, Dr Julian King, Dr Jess Dart, Kate McKegg and Gillian Asquith for their valuable feedback on the paper.Funding
The author received no financial support for the research, authorship and/or publication of this article.