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We’ve been reflecting on the patterns we’ve seen across the universities we’ve worked with over the past year – and one theme stands out more than any other. There’s something…

The hidden power of psychological safety in Higher Education Research by Harvard Professor Amy Edmondson and Google’s Project Aristotle found that teams with strong psychological safety outperform others because people…

Life in Higher Education – or any organisation – seems to get busier, faster, and less predictable every year. The time Executive Leadership Teams have for reflection, relationship building, and…

The UK Higher Education sector is facing a critical moment, defined by financial pressures and market volatility. In 2023/24, many universities reported major deficits, and in 2025 the situation intensified,…

What is isomorphy and why it matters in organisations There is a principle – known as isomorphy – that patterns repeat across different levels of a system. What happens at…

Who would you be if you didn’t have your job? Years ago I was the managing director of a radio station in Brighton. At the time, the station was being…

How do you lead through uncertainty? In times like these, it’s no wonder we all feel overwhelmed. Trade wars. Actual wars. Funding cuts. A fragile economy. In fact, a recent…

The Changing Landscape of Higher Education According to the Guardian one in four major UK universities are reducing staff and budgets to manage deficits. We think it might be more…

What is the iceberg model of organisational culture? The Iceberg Model is a compelling framework which uses the metaphor of an iceberg to show how the things that people do…

I’ve been chatting with my colleague Pete Burden about workplace culture and levers. I’d used that word in an article we wrote in 2018 about how to change the culture…