Organisational Development
“Facilitation is the art of making things easy, making it easier for humans to work together and get things done.” - adrienne maree brown
Organisations rooted in social change carry a particular kind of tension.
The values are clear. The commitment is real. And yet the day-to-day reality - of meetings, decisions, relationships, strategy - can feel like it's working against those values rather than with them.
I work with arts organisations, charities, CICs and community groups to create space for the thinking that rarely gets prioritised: about culture, about how you work together, about what you're really trying to build and whether your structures support that.
Why a different approach matters
Conventional approaches to organisational development - leadership training, strategy days, away days built around PowerPoints - tend to reproduce the same habits they're trying to shift. They privilege analytical, verbal, executive ways of knowing and leave other kinds of intelligence out of the room.
I take a different approach. Not because creativity is a nice add-on, but because how you think together shapes what you're able to see and do together. When you invite more of people's intelligence into a room, you get better thinking and more honest conversations.
How I work
I weave together arts-based methods, systems thinking, and a facilitation style that is warm, rigorous and genuinely responsive to what emerges. By arts-based methods I mean accessible, practical activities open to anyone: visual mapping, simple making, movement, creative prompts. These surface ideas, feelings and experiences beyond words alone, and create space for different ways of communicating and contributing.
I draw on fifteen years of experience as a practitioner, including founding and growing Arts Education Exchange through all the complexity that entails: securing funding, building teams, navigating conflict, developing governance, and trying to hold values under pressure. I know what this work actually feels like from the inside.
What this might look like
- Strategy and vision work with leadership teams
- Culture-building and values development across a whole organisation
- Facilitated away days, planning days, or team development sessions
- Support navigating conflict, transition or organisational change
- Developing more collaborative and inclusive ways of making decisions
This is not a fixed menu. Most of what I do is designed specifically for the organisation I'm working with.
Who this is for
Arts organisations, charities, CICs and community groups, particularly those rooted in social change and values-led practice. Organisations navigating growth, difficulty, transition or the gap between their stated values and their lived culture.
If you lead or work in a school and are thinking about culture and ways of working, the Education Consultancy page may be more relevant, though there is overlap and I'm happy to talk through what fits.
"One of the most powerful moments came when we realised, through Ollie's facilitation, that many of the 'conflicts' we felt were actually shared hopes expressed in different languages. That insight changed how we listen and move forward together." - Director, Neurodivergent-led Arts Charity, South East
"We have worked with Ollie over several months. Ollie has really helped us to open up our thinking, reflect and plan forward. Ollie spent time really listening to us and understanding our organisation, and then helped us to implement systems, strategies and ways of working that reflect our values as a Neurodivergent-affirming organisation." - Education Network Lead
A few questions people ask
Is this only for organisations in crisis or difficulty? No. Some of the most useful OD work happens when things are going reasonably well but a team wants to think carefully about how they're working and where they're heading. You don't need to be in trouble to benefit from space to think.
How long does this kind of work take? It depends entirely on what you're trying to do. A single facilitated session can shift something significant. Longer programmes over several months allow for deeper culture change. I'll always be honest about what's realistic in a given timeframe.
Do you work online or in person? Both. I'm based in Margate and work across the UK. In-person work is focused in Kent and South East England, with travel available elsewhere by arrangement.
Curious about how this could support your team or organisation?
I offer a free 30-minute discovery call to explore your challenges, priorities and possibilities.