OUR PROCESS
How we’ll work together.
When you work with us, you'll always know what to expect. Four stages, two entry points, and sustainable, evidence-based solutions.
Start with a conversation.
01
Our engagements begin with a scoping conversation. No pitch, no prescribed solution. We want to understand what the organization is experiencing, what has already been tried, and what success would look and feel like.
Data collection + analysis.
02
We use what you already have—exit interviews, engagement surveys, HR metrics—and supplement with research of our own: structured listening, stakeholder interviews, observation, and validated instruments.
Findings + recommendations.
03
We share what we learned and work through it together. The output is a written recommendations report with clear, prioritized next steps built from what we found.
Implementation + measurement.
04
We define what success looks like before we begin (e.g., clarity of expectations, manager effectiveness, engagement data), follow a clear roadmap, and track progress so you can see what’s changing and why.
TWO ENTRY POINTS
Start focused, or start comprehensive.
Both paths begin with curiosity and end with structural solutions that endure. The right starting point depends on your timeline, resources, and the urgency of what you are facing.
START FOCUSED
Culture Snapshot
3-4 weeks · Fixed scope, fixed price
A short, focused observation of one component of your work (e.g., onboarding, a recurring meeting, a communication practice). We look closely at how it’s working and share written recommendations with prioritized next steps.
WHAT IS INCLUDED
Structured observation + interviews on one focused process
Brief synthesis grounded in what's already working
Written recommendations memo with prioritized next steps
A debrief conversation with you (and your team if useful)
OUTCOMES
Clarity on what's working and what's getting in the way in the area we focus on
A grounded view of root causes, not just the symptoms showing up
Confidence about what to do next
BEST FOR
Leaders who suspect a specific process is breaking and want a clear-eyed look before investing more.
Starting Focused.
A 120-person software company.
Exit interview data surfaces two recurring themes: new hires feel underprepared in their first 60 days, and the experience varies significantly by team and manager. Leadership wants to understand the scope before committing to a solution.
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The Head of People wants a focused look at one thing before committing to more. We agree to scope the engagement around a single touchpoint: onboarding from offer acceptance through the 60-day mark.
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Two onboarding sessions observed, materials reviewed, recent hires and managers interviewed. Two teams have built strong onboarding sequences on their own. Three others have nothing beyond first-day logistics. The variation isn't a management failure—it's an infrastructure gap.
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Clear, practical recommendations for immediate implementation: adopt what the high-performing teams are already doing; build a shared framework; assign accountability explicitly; add 30- and 60-day check-ins; revise the first-day orientation to address culture and expectations, not just logistics.
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New hire survey scores at 30 and 60 days. Consistency of onboarding experience across teams at six months.
Four months later, the Head of People reaches out again. The onboarding redesign was a success, but something new has surfaced. Managers lack a shared framework for feedback and expectation-setting, and the onboarding gap was only one place it showed up. That conversation becomes the foundation for a full Culture Assessment.
START COMPREHENSIVE
Culture Assessment
4-8 weeks · Custom scope
An org-wide or team-level diagnostic using the Appreciative Inquiry framework, supplemented with tested instruments and structured listening. Includes findings, a prioritized implementation roadmap, and customized follow-up consultation through the first phase of change.
WHAT IS INCLUDED
Discovery interviews + structured listening across the org
Data analysis using existing HR + engagement signals
Findings + prioritized implementation roadmap
Customized follow-up consultation for sustainability
OUTCOMES
A clear picture of what’s working and what’s getting in the way across the organization or team
Shared understanding of the system-level patterns driving current challenges
A concrete, prioritized path forward
BEST FOR
Leaders who need to address organizational deep and/or persistent challenges at a systemic level.
Starting Comprehensive.
A 75-person nonprofit in the violence prevention space.
Voluntary turnover has been rising for two years. Engagement scores are low, particularly around manager communication. Staff report feeling unseen. A new executive director wants to understand what's driving the problem before committing to a solution.
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The ED shares the survey data and her instinct that the problems run deeper than management style—that the organization has absorbed significant disruption and people are exhausted. We agree to begin with a full assessment.
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Two years of exit data reviewed. Three engagement surveys analyzed. All managers interviewed. Listening sessions held across program areas and seniority levels. What emerges: an organization that absorbed a leadership transition, a funding crisis, and the pandemic without ever pausing to process any of it together or adjust the work to the changing context. Managers aren't unkind—they have no shared framework for recognition, feedback, or support. The problem isn't lack of interest or ability. It's lack of structure.
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Findings shared in a collaborative session rooted in Appreciative Inquiry—starting from what's working, building toward a shared vision of what's possible. The implementation roadmap includes four structural investments: an org-wide feedback norms framework; a manager supervision structure with shared tools and accountability; a six-month leadership development and team building workshop series for managers; and a change champion network.
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KPIs defined before implementation begins. At project close: manager confidence ratings, psychological safety scores, and feedback framework adoption. At 12 months: voluntary turnover rate and engagement survey scores in manager communication—the dimension that prompted the engagement.
At 12 months, voluntary turnover has decreased. Manager confidence is up across the board. The feedback norms framework is in active use. The engagement survey shows measurable improvement in exactly the dimension that prompted the engagement.
We start wherever you are.
