How I Work

You keep returning to the same problems, despite repeated attempts to fix them. Different people in your organisation see the same situation completely differently. There’s no obvious “right” answer, and every option comes with trade-offs. You’re trying to strengthen leadership and decision-making under real uncertainty, or build a culture that can learn as it goes rather than just react.

If any of that sounds familiar, this is the kind of complexity I help organisations work through.

My practice combines applied research with practical facilitation. I draw on complexity-informed approaches including the Cynefin Framework, Estuarine Mapping, systems thinking and human-centred design, alongside selected principles from Design Thinking and Lean. These are not applied as fixed methodologies, but adapted to fit the realities of each organisation.

My approach is grounded in a MBA and original research undertaken during my PhD, which explored how teams develop the capacity for collective sense-making in complex, high-uncertainty environments. Since then I have continued to refine this work through applied research, consulting and leadership across healthcare and other complex systems, including as a consultant, senior lecturer at UCT, a coach at the D-School Africa, and a Director of the Collaborative for Emergency Care Africa (CEC Africa).  

I work extensively with narrative methods, organisational sense-making and real-time learning. Rather than relying solely on retrospective reports or performance metrics, I help organisations use stories, experiences and patterns to understand what is emerging while it is happening — creating opportunities to adapt before problems become entrenched. I believe that organisations already hold much of the knowledge they need. My role is to create the conditions for that knowledge to become visible and shared, guiding the next steps.

Ultimately, my work is about building organisational capability. Not simply solving today’s problem with a quick fix, but helping teams develop the confidence and capacity to navigate whatever comes next.

See how we can work together and how I can add value to your organisation below. 

• Your organisation keeps returning to the same problems, despite previous fixes
• Different people see the situation differently
• Your organisation is facing complex challenges with no obvious solution
• You want to strengthen leadership and decision-making
• You are navigating complexity and uncertainty
• You seek to build a learning culture
• You are curious whether facilitation, research or something else entirely is the right tool for what you are facing. 

Working sessions that help teams surface assumptions and make sense of complex situations together.

Applied, hands-on sessions in complexity tools, human-centred design and sense-making methods.

I design and conduct applied research support that generates actionable insight.

My preferred method is using SenseMaker®, but I also use organisational diagnostics and integrative mixed-methods.

Building the capacity for collective sense-making and adaptive decision-making. 

Keynotes and conference presentations on Complexity Leadership and Sense-making. I am also available for podcasts and webinars.