Consultancy
Understand the work.
Improve what matters.
Independent support for organisations with ambitions to realise, relationships to strengthen or persistent problems to solve. Start with a clear picture of what is happening.
Consultancy in practice
Access, trust and a detailed understanding.
Within CLEAN-Air(Africa), the work included staff interviews, individual conversations, meetings and observation of how the programme operated. The Foresight team saw both the achievements and the frustrations that would usually remain behind the scenes.
Dan’s explicit requirement was high performance without harm to the health and wellbeing of staff and colleagues.
An understanding that develops with the work.
Consultancy is not necessarily a single assessment. As people, priorities and circumstances change, we revisit what needs to stop, what needs to start and what should continue. Courses can provide shared tools and understanding; coaching helps people apply them to the decisions and relationships they face.
The work can include individual conversations, observed meetings, team workshops and practical support with communication, coordination and conflict. We agree the useful outputs and how progress will be reviewed.
Listen before prescribing
Understand the organisation
from the inside.
Formal structures show how an organisation is meant to work. Conversations and observation reveal how decisions are made, where information travels and what people experience as they try to deliver.
We examine systems, roles and relationships together. The aim is to understand strengths and underlying causes, then identify proportionate changes that people can put into practice.
“There was no judgement, no pressure to give the right answer. He immersed himself in questioning, listening and observing.”
Professor Daniel Pope, describing the Foresight assessment
Where we can help.
Team dynamics
Examine cooperation, trust, information flow and clarity of responsibility. Workshops and scenarios help a team develop dependable ways of working together.
Performance
Address unclear expectations, disengagement or recurring delivery problems through structured conversations, feedback, skills development and appropriate support.
Conflict & negotiation
Create space for people to understand competing interests and work towards agreements. Mediation and carefully planned communication help protect working relationships.
A practical process
What to stop.
What to start. What to keep.
Assessment begins with the history, current circumstances and what the organisation is trying to achieve. We consider the risks, opportunities and resources around that aim.
Findings identify what should stop, what needs to start and which good practices deserve to continue. Improvement includes protecting strengths as well as changing what gets in the way.
We agree priorities, responsibilities and achievable actions, then discuss the support needed to implement and review them.
The scope and use of findings are agreed at the outset. The work may involve an organisational assessment, facilitated conversations, team development, individual coaching or a connected programme.
Accountability people
can work with.
Fair accountability starts with clear expectations and attention to the conditions in which people work. The ability to ask a question or raise a concern helps an organisation understand what needs to change.
Bullying and coercion damage those working relationships. Our approach addresses difficult issues through clarity, participation and professional responsibility.
Do we need a problem to work with you?
No. Consultancy can help an effective organisation prepare for growth, changing responsibilities or a more complex programme. We begin with what you want to achieve.
What will the work produce?
We agree the useful outputs with you at the outset. These can include independent findings, priorities for what to stop, start and continue, and a practical plan for responsibilities, action and review.
What could work better?
Tell us about your organisation and the work you want to do better. We will listen, explore the options and prepare a proposal around your needs.