For those interested in the philosophy behind our work, the following model will be of interest. In the years since Future Considerations was formed we frequently come back to this model as a central framework whenever we are designing and delivering an intervention with a client.

The ‘integral model’*

The model illustrates that for change in any organisation to be lasting and meaningful, any intervention must engage with all four dimensions. For example, a restructuring programme may seem to focus on the

• ‘Its’ (new structures, processes, reporting lines and operational strategies).

But it will require working with the other levels:

• ‘It’ (building skills and changing behaviours to succeed in the new structure),
• ‘I’ (deep beliefs and attitudes of stakeholders towards the restructuring), and
• ‘We’ (what needs to change in the organisational culture and values for the restructure to be a success).

Our belief is that change in any one quadrant, however well managed, will be constrained by a lack of change in the other quadrants. Therefore, in all of our engagements, from the smallest to the largest and most complex, we bring an ‘integral’ way of thinking. For example:

• Our strategy implementation work does not just generate new strategies (‘Its’), but also generates genuine commitment and support for these strategies (‘I’), effects a real shift in the culture of the leadership team and organisation through aligning them with the new strategic direction (‘We’) and, over time, we work with clients to build the skills necessary to get the results which the strategy requires (‘It’).
• Our leadership development programmes work at the underlying drivers for a leaders behaviours (‘I’) as well as hard skills (‘It’). But we also work with the organisation throughout a programme to ensure strategic alignment (‘Its’) and culture change (‘We’) so that the leadership programme results in tangible improvements to business performance in the shortest possible time.
• Our sustainability projects, similarly, work at all four levels to bring about meaningful and lasting change.

Read more: The U-Process – an approach to change.


* Based on the work of Ken Wilber