Ideas, perspectives and provocation

The Problem You Solved Last Year Is the One You're Fighting Now

Everyday objects sit in a neat row above the surface while a dense, tangled web of coloured connections runs hidden beneath them.

Why the most reasonable solutions so often become next year's problem. Drawing on systems thinking, a 1930s sociologist, and MIT research on why the real cure gets abandoned just before it works - this piece traces the two ways a good fix turns on you, and the single habit that catches both.

24 June 2026

The Organisation That Changed Without Anyone Deciding to Change It

How organisations change without anyone deciding to change them. Drawing on decades of research - from NASA's Challenger disaster to military friendly fire incidents - this article explores why standards erode gradually, why the erosion always moves in one direction, and why the question that matters isn't 'who let this happen?' but 'how far have we travelled from what we intended?'

26 May 2026

The Invisible Systems That Break When Organisations Scale

Fine threads connecting organic forms - the invisible infrastructure that holds a growing organisation together

Most organisations run on invisible infrastructure - the corridor conversation, the person who just knows, the relationships that bridge gaps between teams. Growth puts all of it under pressure. Scaling well means designing what replaces it.

22 May 2026

Why Growing Organisations Something Feel Like They're Pulling Apart

Growth rings - abstract cross-section evoking how organisations grow in layers

Every growing organisation needs better processes, structures, and governance. But the operational foundations only work if the conditions underneath them - how decisions travel, how information flows, how culture holds together at scale - evolve at the same pace. Here's what's worth understanding before the scaling work begins.

18 May 2026

What Happens to People During Organisational Change

Abstract illustration of figures in motion across shifting ground, evoking the inner experience of people navigating organisational change

Change doesn't just affect what people do - it affects who they feel they are. Understanding the human experience of change helps leaders create conditions where people can adapt.

15 May 2026

Why Change Programmes Deliver on Paper But Not in Practice

Abstract illustration of a clean geometric structure sitting on organic textured ground - the visible plan above the invisible conditions beneath

Your change initiative was well-planned, well-managed, and well-communicated. And it still didn't land. Here's what most change programmes overlook.

15 May 2026

Merged on Paper, Not Yet One

Two groups of stylised figures beginning to form connections across a shared space

A merger changes structures, systems and reporting lines. But whether two organisations genuinely become one depends on something integration plans rarely design for.

14 May 2026

When strategy meets the organisation

Abstract illustration of warm and cool wave-like currents almost overlapping but not quite synchronised

The strategy is clear. So why does the organisation keep doing something different? The answer usually isn't about communication or buy-in. It's about the conditions nobody designed for.

14 May 2026

What Your Silos Are Telling You

Abstract flat illustration of separate vertical structures above ground connected by an intricate root network below the surface, representing how organisational silos share hidden connections

Silos between teams aren't the problem - they're a signal. What organisational silos reveal about the conditions shaping how your people work.

14 May 2026

What Resistance to Change Is Really Telling You

Abstract illustration of many small overlapping ripples spreading across a still surface, like rain on water

Resistance to change isn't a problem to overcome - it's feedback about the conditions inside your organisation. Here's what different forms of resistance are trying to tell you.

14 May 2026

The Stories Your Change Programme Can't Control

Abstract illustration of two narrative threads on a light background - one structured and linear, one organic and branching, coexisting

During change, the stories people tell each other matter more than the communications plan. How narrative shapes whether change lands or stalls.

14 May 2026

Why Culture Change Doesn't Last

Abstract illustration showing a thin surface layer above deep, complex structure - representing the hidden conditions that shape organisational culture

Most culture change efforts don't last. The pattern is remarkably consistent - and it points to something fundamental about how culture actually works.

14 May 2026

RACI vs RASCI: which responsibility matrix should you use?

RACI and RASCI differ by one letter - the Supportive role. What the S actually adds, when it earns its place, and how to choose between RACI, RASCI and DACI, with the same tasks mapped both ways.

6 May 2026

How to Assess Change Readiness in Your Organisation

A visual guide to assessing change readiness across an organisation - understanding people, culture, systems and capacity before change begins

How to assess whether your organisation is genuinely ready for change - looking at the whole system, not just the surface. Covers what to examine, how to gather honest insight, and how to use what you find to build a change plan that works with your organisation rather than against it.

10 November 2025

Organisational Design

Adaptive Organisational Design: Building Structures That Can Change

Most organisational structures were designed for a different era - one where stability was the goal and change was the exception. This article explores what it means to design structures that can adapt when conditions change, and why getting this right matters more than getting the perfect org chart.

10 November 2025

Building an Impact Measurement Framework: A Practical Guide

Building an impact measurement framework - how to understand what your organisation is actually achieving and use that understanding to improve

Most organisations know they should measure their impact. Fewer know how to do it in a way that's genuinely useful rather than just generating reports. This article explores how to build an impact measurement framework that helps you understand what's working, learn from what isn't, and make better decisions.

10 November 2025

Why Some Organisations Get Stronger Under Stress

Why anti-fragility isn't a programme you build - it's what emerges when the right conditions exist inside an organisation. A living systems perspective on how some organisations get stronger under stress while others crack.

10 November 2025

Building Organisational Resilience: A Practical Guide

Building organisational resilience - what it takes to develop an organisation that adapts, learns, and gets stronger through difficulty rather than weaker

Resilience isn't about bouncing back to where you were. It's about developing the capacity to adapt, learn, and come through difficulty stronger than before. This article explores what organisational resilience actually looks like and what leaders can do to build it.

10 November 2025

Strategic Alignment

Why Your Organisation Can't Think Ahead

Why futures thinking needs to become an everyday organisational capability rather than an occasional planning exercise. This article explores how developing future literacy helps organisations navigate uncertainty with confidence.

10 November 2025

Developing Organisational Culture: A Practical Guide

A guide to developing organisational culture - understanding what shapes culture and how to develop it practically across an organisation

A practical guide to developing organisational culture. Cuts through the theory to explain what culture actually is, why most culture change programmes fail, and how to develop culture in a way that lasts - by working with your organisation as a living system, not a machine.

10 November 2025

Leadership

Emotional intelligence for leaders - what it looks like in practice as self-awareness, empathy, and the ability to create the conditions where people can do their best work

Emotional Intelligence for Leaders: What It Actually Looks Like

Emotional intelligence in leadership isn't about being nice or reading a room. It's about the quality of attention you bring to how people are experiencing your leadership - and the willingness to adjust what you do based on what you notice.

10 November 2025

Organisational Design

When Governance Makes You Brittle

How to design governance that enables innovation rather than constraining it. This article explores the balance between oversight and freedom, and how the right governance structures can become a genuine advantage.

10 November 2025

Organisational Development

Adaptive leadership in practice - how to lead effectively when problems are complex, answers are unclear, and the organisation needs to learn its way forward

Adaptive Leadership: What It Means in Practice

Adaptive leadership is what's needed when the usual approaches stop working - when the problems are complex, the answers aren't obvious, and the organisation needs to learn its way forward rather than execute a plan. This article explores what it means in practice.

10 November 2025

Leadership

The Power of Not Having All the Answers

In complex living systems, the leader who tries to have all the answers is working against the system. Why genuine not-knowing isn't a weakness - it's the condition that lets collective intelligence emerge.

10 November 2025

Building the Case for Change in Your Organisation

Building the case for change - how to help people understand why change matters through honesty and shared understanding rather than urgency and fear

The traditional approach to building a case for change relies on urgency and burning platforms. But urgency wears off, and fear creates resistance. This article explores a different approach - building a case for change that's rooted in honesty, shared understanding, and a genuine picture of what's possible.

10 November 2025

Psychological Safety in Organisations: What It Takes

Psychological safety in organisations - what it looks like when people feel safe enough to speak up, take risks, and be honest about what's working and what isn't

Psychological safety is one of the strongest predictors of team performance - but it's often misunderstood. This article explores what it actually looks like in practice, why it matters beyond the research headlines, and what leaders can do to build the conditions where honesty, learning, and real collaboration become possible.

10 November 2025

Organisational Purpose

How to write a mission statement that genuinely guides your organisation - practical steps from understanding purpose to crafting clear, honest language

How to Write a Mission Statement That Actually Works

Most mission statements sound impressive but don't actually do anything. This guide helps you write one that works - a clear, honest statement that guides real decisions and connects your organisation's daily work to its deeper purpose.

10 November 2025

Change Fatigue in the Workplace: What's Really Going On

Understanding change fatigue in the workplace - how constant change depletes people and what organisations can do to rebuild capacity

Change fatigue in the workplace is growing fast. This article explores what's really driving it - not just the volume of change, but how organisations approach it - and what leaders can do to rebuild capacity without slowing down.

16 June 2025

Change Management vs Change Leadership: What's the Difference?

Change management and change leadership are often used interchangeably, but they're fundamentally different. This article explains what each involves, why the distinction matters, and how to develop both capabilities in your organisation.

16 June 2025

Strategic Alignment

Why Sustainability Stalls

Sustainability rarely stalls for lack of ambition. It hits a design ceiling - the limit set by how the organisation is structured, how decisions flow, and how work gets done. Why work that crosses every boundary needs an organisation that can work as one.

12 June 2025

Service Design

From Better Services to Better Organisations

The skills that make someone good at service design - empathy, experience mapping, designing conditions - are the same skills leaders need to create environments where people do their best work. What changes when that lens runs all the way through the organisation.

12 June 2025