Cense Ltd. is a strategic design consultancy specializing in innovative evaluation approaches for complex systems and social innovation. Our evaluation practice is grounded in the belief that transformative change requires learning systems that can adapt, evolve, and generate actionable insights in complexity.
Our Principal Consultant
Dr. Cameron Norman, our Principal Consultant, is a Credentialed Evaluator (CE) and recognized pioneer in design-driven evaluation approaches. He brings over 25 years of experience as a psychologist, educator, scientist, evaluator, and designer, with research ranking among the top 1% of most highly cited studies worldwide within his field. His unique combination of skills—spanning behavioral psychology, systems thinking, design methodology, and strategic foresight—enables innovative approaches to evaluation challenges.
Evaluation Philosophy and Approach
Our practice integrates cutting-edge methodologies with strategic design to create frameworks that support continuous innovation and system transformation. We believe evaluation should tell compelling stories of impact, transforming assessment from a mere tool into a catalyst for adaptive change and strategic learning.
Specialized Evaluation Methodologies
Cense specializes in multi-method approaches responding to complex, evolving systems. Dr. Norman's expertise spans:
Developmental Evaluation: Supporting innovation and adaptation where traditional evaluation approaches fall short, helping organizations learn and adapt in real-time.
Principles-Focused Evaluation: Creating evaluative frameworks based on guiding principles that flex with changing contexts, valuable for organizations navigating uncertainty.
Systems-Oriented Evaluation: Identifying leverage points, boundaries, and relationships that drive system change, helping organizations understand their influence within broader ecosystems.
Design-Driven Evaluation: Embedding evaluative thinking throughout implementation processes, seamlessly integrating assessment with program design and delivery.
Beyond Data to Sense-Making
Our approach transcends traditional data gathering to focus on making meaning from complexity. We integrate multiple perspectives, particularly amplifying marginalized voices, and use creative visualization and rapid prototyping to transform complex data into accessible, actionable insights.
Creating Learning Systems
Cense's distinctive practice seamlessly integrates evaluation into organizational learning systems. We design embedded feedback loops allowing evaluation findings to flow directly into decision-making while building organizational capacity for independent data gathering, interpretation, and action. Our systems change assessment frameworks help organizations understand how interventions affect broader systems, identifying intended and unintended consequences.
Principal Consultant Expertise
Dr. Norman holds a Ph.D. in Public Health Sciences (Behavioural & Social Science) and Master of Design (MDes) in Strategic Foresight and Innovation. As an accredited Cognitive Edge Practitioner with complexity science expertise, he maintains active involvement in the American Evaluation Association and Canadian Evaluation Society. His teaching roles at the University of Toronto, York University, and OCAD University ensure our practice remains at evaluation's forefront.
Impact
Our evaluation work spans health innovation, social change initiatives, and complex system transformation, with particular expertise in environments requiring adaptive strategy support. Cense consistently transforms evaluation from one-time products into ongoing services supporting organizational resilience and strategic evolution in complex, changing environments.
