Leading change in action. As we approach the end of the year, we’ve been reflecting on the rapid pace of change shaping our world and how the organisations we work with are constantly adapting to remain relevant, resilient, and impactful. We’re proud to support this journey by helping organisations lead change effectively through aligning their culture, strategy, and structure to meet current and future challenges. To find out more about what this involves, click here to read our deeper dive ripple paper on ‘Leading Change’.
This year, we’ve worked with a diverse range of organisations, from global businesses to family-run enterprises, and not-for profit foundations. Below we have outlined just a few examples of how we are supporting organisations to lead change in their contexts.
Haygrove is an international horticultural business with a strong commitment to sustainability. They say:“We wish to be at the front of a gathering wave of organisations that collectively contribute to a new definition of the word ‘Business’. Business is the vehicle through which most global populations seem to have chosen to organise themselves. We believe the world would be much better if business measured itself in concrete ways across all three bottom lines – Profit, People and Planet.”
We have worked in partnership with Haygrove since 2024 in a variety of ways. Currently, we are facilitating activities focused on strengthening organisational culture, leadership and teamworking. This involved working with various teams across the business, including in China (see below).
Earlier this year, we partnered with Birds Bakery, a highly successful fourth generation family business based in the UK. Initially we focused on activities to strengthen their organisational culture. This included re-defining their values and behaviours whilst enhancing communication and teamworking (see pictures below). The work has extended to strategy renewal, including attention to structure, plus coaching. Next year, the emphasis will shift to a Transforming Leadership Programme. To find out more about what we offer, click here.
Small Foundation is a remarkable organisation. Its role is to catalyse income-generating opportunities in rural sub-Saharan Africa by strengthening the Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSME) ecosystem through finance, technology, and knowledge. This year, our collaboration has included a combination of in-person and online activities. These have focused on activities related to organisational culture, whilst improving leadership and teamworking.
The importance of culture, values and behaviours. As you will see in the examples above, a core part of leading change is about strengthening organisational culture and living your values. See below an extract from one of our Ripple Papers about this. To find out more, click here.
“Understanding, living and leading the values of your organisation is not easy, but perhaps it is the most important element of authentic leadership. Values are an essential starting point, and they must also be revisited often to ensure that they are still living and breathing, clearly understood, and consistent with your purpose, mission and vision. To live, they must be demonstrated, role modelled, talked about, and shared.”
Although some things change, some things remain. We were delighted to recently meet up with our longstanding supporters Lord Paul Tyler, Nicky Tyler, Richard Harvey, and Kay Harvey for a festive get together. They have been involved in multiple ways since we were established in 2014. They have made a remarkable contribution to our work. We have deeply benefitted and are hugely thankful for this.
Change Maker of the Week
Quote: “At the end it’s not about what you have or even what you’ve accomplished. It’s about who you’ve lifted up, who you’ve made better. It’s about what you’ve given back.” ― Denzel Washington
Wishing you all the best for this festive season and thank you for your continued support. We are looking forward to 2025, and the opportunities that lie on this new horizon!
Best wishes,
Lorna, Ian, Rosie and Kemal