Preparing people for collaboration in complex place-based systems.

Context • Connection • Cohesion

I help individuals and teams working on place-based projects build shared understanding of a challenge before stakeholder engagement and solution design begin.Place-based collaboration is inherently cross-sector and multi-stakeholder, and decisions made without context often create unexpected challenges such as competing perspectives, low engagement, unintended consequences, or discovering too late that the source of a problem lies elsewhere.Together, we slow down the earliest stage of a project to notice what is easy to overlook - the people, relationships, histories and local conditions that shape how change takes place.

About You

You work in policy innovation, local government, architecture and design, a community organisation, social enterprise or purpose-led business.

You may be noticing that what seems like an obvious starting point for a place-based change project - whether climate, health or economy - becomes more uncertain once different perspectives are brought into view, and asking:

  • Why do other people see this challenge so differently?

  • Are we sure we’re starting in the right place?

  • What are we missing here, and how can we get ahead of it?

  • Who else do we need to speak to, and how should we approach them?

  • How do we avoid a(nother) false start?

The earlier these questions are explored, the more likely effective engagement and collaboration becomes.

If you are a programme manager responsible for enabling others to deliver place-based change through learning programmes, innovation cohorts, accelerators, local government leadership programmes or enterprise support initiatives, get in touch to discuss programme delivery and enrichment at the same time.

Working together

I work with project leads and teams at the earliest stage of place-based projects, helping them notice what conventional project planning often overlooks.

Drawing on systems thinking, design thinking and behavioural science, I help teams move beyond one-size-fits-all approaches and develop the skills to notice what is already in place before considering what should happen next.Together, we explore different perspectives, values, lived experience and other contributing factors to build a stronger understanding of the challenge in context and establish the conditions for meaningful engagement and collaboration.This work begins by learning to:

  • Arrive with a question, not a solution.

  • Find an appropriate place to begin.

  • Understand why different things matter to different people.

  • Discover what change already looks like in a particular place.

  • Notice what prevents change, or makes it possible.

Depending on the project, this usually takes one of three forms:

1:1 or small team coaching & consultancy
Working alongside project leads to sense-check the starting point and develop a research plan, and introduce practical tools and methods that support early-stage thinking throughout the project.

CPD & creative learning experiences
Designing and delivering creative, design-led workshops, learning resources and train-the-trainer materials that build the capability to understand place, navigate complexity and collaborate more effectively.

Programme design input & facilitation
Supporting organisations to deliver and strengthen learning programmes, innovation cohorts and leadership initiatives that prepare participants for working in complex place-based contexts.

The aim is always the same: to strengthen the foundations of a project before significant time, resources and relationships are invested in the wrong direction - whether at the very beginning, while there is still scope to shape how the challenge is understood, or when it becomes clear that deeper understanding is needed before continuing.

Examples

The following examples show the kinds of situations I support - where early-stage clarity, context and shared understanding help translate global agendas into local contexts.

When systems-level ideas conflict with local reality

A community green space was being proposed as a climate-positive intervention in an area of significant urban deprivation. Through design research, it quickly became clear that the proposed intervention would not be used as intended. Further work revealed a more urgent, locally relevant need. Resources were redirected to a community hub focused on vulnerable local young people, and a cross-department team was formed to address social and environmental priorities together.

When global ideas meet local contexts

Global health communication leaders were seeking new ways to support country-level engagement beyond standard health framings. Introduced behavioural research methods to explore how meaning might shift across cultural and everyday contexts, and identify alternative entry points for engagement in place. This resulted in a number of non-health-related angles for place-based practitioners to research with local stakeholders.

When initial engagement attempts are met with hostility

A public-sector partnership working on local economic transition was struggling to bring cross-city stakeholders together without tensions rising in early conversations. Introduced and led a structured engagement and inquiry process to establish common ground among stakeholder groups, and identify more effective approaches to building collaborative relationships in the local context.

When climate communication is failing to resonate

A local government team working on climate engagement was struggling to connect with young people through standard communication approaches. Designed and demonstrated replicable participatory research methods inviting young people to shape the framing of climate issues from their own perspectives from the outset, leading to more relevant and grounded engagement over time.

When purpose-led ideas struggle to gain traction with investors

A social enterprise developing urban hubs for climate skills was finding it difficult to gain investor confidence, despite strong social purpose and clear intent. Clarifying the operating model, strengthening the articulation of value, and developing evidence of comparable social and practical impact helped balance the communication as a legible and scalable proposition across UK cities.

In each case, the work strengthened the conditions for cross-sector, place-based collaboration by improving how the challenge is first understood from different perspectives, and by ensuring that those perspectives are included in the early stages of inquiry.

About me

Over five years working across climate, health, economic and urban development, I have become increasingly interested in how place-based projects begin.

I have come to see that the quality of outcomes is often determined by the quality of the starting point. I help teams strengthen this early stage by developing a clearer understanding of context, surfacing assumptions and areas of uncertainty, and exploring different perspectives.Combining five years of applied cross-sector research, ten years of independent design and innovation practice, and an MSc in Sustainable Development in Practice (Distinction), this work draws on systems thinking, design thinking and behavioural science, and brings together technical insight and human experience to connect systems-level challenges with the realities of place.I have worked with local government, universities, community organisations and social enterprises, as well as organisations including the World Health Organization, Design Council, University of Bath and the Centre for Sustainable Design, helping translate climate, health, economic and innovation agendas into local contexts.One pattern remains consistent throughout: better collaborations begin with learning to notice what is already there.

Contact

My work focuses on strengthening the shared starting-point that makes place-based collaboration possible.

If you are working on a place-based project and want to better understand the challenge in context before moving into design or delivery, I would be delighted to hear from you.You can get in touch via email, LinkedIn, or the contact form below: