about us

our purpose

what we do

We exist to catalyse new ways of acting and being that make universities amazing places to work.

We first help people understand where they are so they can make informed decisions.

Then we pilot and deploy tools and programmes that make a measurable difference.

All our tools have data and stories, logic and magic, at their heart: they are practical, engaging and safe to try.

who we work with

Most of our work is with universities, research and education organisations.

We also work with local government, government agencies, charitable organisations, and commercial enterprises who are interested in shaping a positive working culture or who are influencing others to be better in the world.

All our clients have a strong sense of purpose, are striving to make a positive contribution to society, and take an active interest in the wellbeing of their people.

Our Story

Then Somehow was founded by Steven and Katharine Rabson Stark in 2014, to support their work with universities.

Katharine held a number of senior roles at King’s College London and wanted to rebalance her life, while making the most of her skills and experience. Steve was a founding partner in a training organisation focused on productivity, that was particularly effective in HE settings. The problem was that while people increased their capacity they tended to take on more of the same rather than focus on the most important things. They were part of a culture that was often limiting and in many cases damaging them.

Realising this was a much more pressing challenge Then Somehow set out to understand the difficulties and design practical ways to change things. Small things, big things, connected things.

‘We are bound by our desire to help people, and make work better.’

Why we exist

Work culture is about what people feel, believe and do at work.
It is the DNA of an organisation, and in blunt terms, dictates whether you thrive or die.

With the pace of change in the world ever increasing, organisations are realising that culture is the bedrock of their success, and that a healthy culture provides resilience in the face of that change.

However, it’s one thing to know that culture is important, another to see it, understand it and change it.

Leaders are often left wondering what can we do? Where do we start? How do we know what difference anything we do will make?

We exist to catalyse new ways to think and be, so that universities become even more amazing places to work.

‘We exist to make the invisible visible. And change practical and measurable.’

How we work

We work on the culture of work.

We work on behaviours.

We invent, design, test and deploy tools and programs that help make work better.

We use research methodology to ensure rigour in the measurement and collection of stories and insights.

And we use creative and coaching methods to help people get more from work.

We test and iterate tools constantly to make them better, based on feedback.

We measure, map and track progress so you know how you are doing and where to focus.

And we offer a suite of tools that help you make positive change.

And when we know these tools are proven, we open them up to partners so that they too can gain the benefits with their clients.

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