our method
NATURE CONNECTEDNESS: Thinking Outside
(Nature Connectedness Research Group)
We draw on Richardson’s research to distinguish between simple 'contact' with nature and deep 'connection'. For us, the natural world is not just a backdrop; it is our primary source of inspiration. Wherever possible, we take our work outside. We believe that physical environment shapes cognitive process. By removing teams from sterile, artificial meeting rooms and immersing them in living systems, we encourage 'nature-connected thinking'—a mode of reflection that is naturally more systemic, empathetic, and long-term.
DESIGN FOR SOCIAL CHANGE: Maps, Manifestos & Power Stanford d.school. Key Texts: ‘The Secret Life of Maps’ (Carissa Carter), ‘You Need a Manifesto’ (Charlotte Burgess-Auburn), ‘Design for Social Change’ (Lesley-Ann Noel). We ground our creative practice in the frameworks of the Stanford d.school, using design as a strategic tool to navigate complexity and challenge power structures. • The Map: Following Carter, we treat maps as arguments, not neutral records. By asking participants to re-map their challenges using non-traditional coordinates (such as connection, values, or time), we alter the data landscape, revealing new perspectives from beneath normative bias. • The Shift: Applying Noel’s work on equity-centered design, we use these tools to dismantle the "power-over" dynamics of traditional systems, replacing them with the "power-with" dynamics of collaborative change.
COGNITIVE LINGUISTICS: Metaphor as Structure George Lakoff & Mark Johnson (‘Metaphors We Live By’) Metaphors are not just poetic flourishes; they are the fundamental mechanisms of thought that structure our actions. If we conceptualise an organisation as a "Machine," our management strategies are limited to "fixing," "efficiency," and "parts." Our work focuses on identifying and shifting these root metaphors. By introducing new cognitive frames (e.g., "The Ecosystem" or "The Steward"), we create a new structural reality where regeneration and resilience become the logical, dominant modes of governance.
EPISTEMOLOGY: The Creative Act & Tacit Knowledge Michael Polanyi (‘The Tacit Dimension’) Polanyi famously argued, "We know more than we can tell." Leaders and communities possess deep Tacit Knowledge—embodied wisdom that cannot be articulated in formal reports or spreadsheets.We use the creative act of making as a heuristic device. It bypasses the "critical editor" of the brain, allowing this tacit, embodied knowledge to be externalised and made explicit. We use creativity not for play, but as a rigorous tool for extraction and synthesis.
SOCIAL ANTHROPOLOGY: Wayfaring & The Meshwork Tim Ingold (‘The Life of Lines’ / ‘Making’) We draw heavily on Ingold’s distinction between the static ‘network’ and the living ‘meshwork’. While a network connects isolated points, a meshwork is composed of entangled lines of life, growth, and movement. We help organisations see themselves not as rigid structures, but as fluid meshworks of relationships. We also adopt the stance of the ‘wayfarer’. We view strategy not as predicting a final destination from a distance, but as a process of "knowing as you go"—accumulating wisdom along a path. By engaging in ‘thinking through making’, we allow this embodied knowledge to emerge in correspondence with the material world, rather than imposing abstract plans from above.
SYSTEMS THINKING: Leverage Points & Visioning Donella Meadows (‘Leverage Points’ / ‘Tools for the transition to sustainability’) Everything we know comes back to Meadows capacity to use models to help make sense of the complexity that surrounds us. Two critical texts are fundamental to our thinking. Places to Intervene: Meadows identified twelve leverage points in a system. While traditional governance focuses on the lowest leverage points (parameters, numbers, subsidies), our work targets the highest: The Paradigm. By shifting the "mindset out of which the system arises," we enable transformative rather than incremental change. Tools for the Transition: Meadows argued that humanity possesses the technical tools for sustainability but lacks the cultural tools to use them effectively—specifically Visioning, Truth-Telling, and Networking. Our workshops are designed to operationalise these missing tools. We use creative practice to help leaders build a rigorous, shared vision of a sustainable future, moving them from 'knowing' the data to 'embodying' the necessary shift.
