01.
Focused change enquiry
Examine a particular concern, opportunity or decision. A concise decision brief sets out what the evidence supports, what remains uncertain or contested and what warrants attention now.
Organisational & social change · Practice & research
Change is complex.
How we take part
matters.
Change in practice
What you set out to change is not always what changes
A new policy, structure, technology or programme can alter everyday work considerably while producing something different from what was intended. Valuable improvements may sit alongside unexpected difficulties. Familiar practices may continue, new possibilities may emerge, and the purpose of the initiative may itself need reconsideration.
Plans enter an ongoing history of decisions, commitments and work. People interpret what is happening, anticipate others' responses and act amid relationships, responsibilities and resources developed over time. A change initiative becomes part of this activity, influencing it and being changed through it.
Our approach
An approach grounded in everyday organising
Working alongside you, we follow what happens in particular decisions, conversations and episodes of work. In a meeting, for example, a concern may be raised but receive little attention, while another changes what people prepare for. We examine how people understood the situation, how their responses affected what followed, and how rules, technologies and prior commitments enabled or constrained their actions.
We bring different accounts and evidence into the enquiry, including those that challenge the initial explanation. Our own involvement can affect what people notice, say and do, so we examine those effects too. Together, we consider what is worth pursuing or protecting, which assumptions need revisiting and what further action or enquiry is justified. The purpose of the work can develop as we learn.
Working with us
Support for the decisions you face
You may be considering a change, working through an initiative or trying to make sense of its consequences. We agree the focus and form of support with you, and revisit them as the work develops.
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02.
Organisational enquiry and mapping
Investigate a situation across different perspectives, organisational boundaries or a longer period. A working map and interpretation help you consider how concerns and actions become consequential, what possibilities are emerging and where influence may be possible.
03.
Change and programme advisory
Work alongside your team as an initiative develops. We connect examination of emerging consequences with practical decisions, coordination and follow-through, including when to adapt, stop or protect something that is working well.
Practice & research
Practice and research that inform each other
Polymetric brings together organisational change and project delivery experience with research into organisational and social life. Our work draws on process and complexity perspectives and on the different professional backgrounds of our team.
Practical work raises questions for research, while research can challenge our explanations and recommendations. We learn from unexpected and unsuccessful cases alongside apparent successes. Across both, we attend to whose concerns are taken seriously, who can influence decisions and what the consequences mean for those affected.
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