Synnovate

SYNNOVATE

Workshops That Make Organisational Systems Visible

Organisations rarely fail because of poor intentions.
They struggle because priorities compete, initiatives accumulate,
and improvement efforts fragment over time.

Explore

Strategy is set in meetings.
But consequences emerge elsewhere.

In classrooms. Across teams. Inside onboarding processes. Through leadership attention. Most organisations lack a shared way to examine how one decision creates pressure elsewhere.

Priorities compete without visibility
Initiatives accumulate beyond capacity
Decisions create downstream strain
Improvement efforts fragment over time
"The aim isn't agreement. It's clarity before commitment."

Structured tools for leadership teams

Synnovate workshops introduce structured tools that allow leadership teams to surface hidden assumptions, trace second-order effects, identify system strain, and sequence improvement before acting.

System Visibility Kit

Surface hidden patterns and competing priorities

Sense-Making Tree

Trace second-order effects of decisions

Leadership Nine-Map

Align action across leadership roles

Coherence Mapping

Map implications across time and roles

Outcomes Typically Include

Reduced initiative overload
Improved leadership alignment
Greater visibility between governance and delivery
Clearer sequencing of improvement work
Shared language for decision-making
"Before initiatives fragment effort or create unintended consequences elsewhere in the system."

Alignment across mission, pedagogy, and governance

Many schools struggle to sustain coherence between mission, pedagogy, leadership, governance, and improvement planning.

The Learning Deck supports alignment across these domains through shared conceptual language, visible planning frameworks, and structured dialogue tools.

  • Leadership meetings
  • Professional learning
  • Governance discussion
  • Classroom planning
Visit Learning Deck

Strategic coherence under pressure

Leadership teams often operate with localised visibility, conflicting incentives, or incomplete system feedback.

  • Strategic alignment
  • Cross-functional collaboration
  • Leadership decision-making
  • Culture under pressure

Using the same structural logic adapted for organisational contexts.

"Strategy informs practice. Governance understands delivery. Leadership anticipates consequence."

Not a training programme.
A structured thinking system.

Designed to help organisations surface patterns, coordinate attention, and sustain coherence across roles and time.

Lead Deck

Frame Deck

Plans Deck

Team Deck

Dynamics Deck

Board Deck

Modular in use. Shared architecture.

Strategy informs practice
Governance understands delivery
Leadership anticipates consequence
Nik Bishop

Three decades of leadership in high-complexity environments

Developed through international school leadership where policy drifted from practice, initiatives created hidden strain, and improvement depended on coordination rather than effort.

Organisations rarely struggle to decide what matters. They struggle to sustain attention on it together.

Book a Conversation

Discuss whether a Synnovate workshop would support your organisation.

Leadership alignment
Improvement sequencing
Governance clarity
Organisational coherence

Diagnostic Conversation

Most organisations seeking support are not short of commitment, expertise, or effort. They are navigating competing priorities, initiative overload, delivery strain, or leadership misalignment — often without a shared way to examine how these pressures interact across the system.

What to expect

This diagnostic conversation provides an opportunity to:

  • Clarify the nature of current organisational strain
  • Identify where coherence may be fragmenting
  • Explore second-order effects of ongoing initiatives
  • Determine whether a structured workshop would be useful

The session is exploratory. Its purpose is not to prescribe a solution — but to better understand the dynamics currently shaping leadership attention, improvement efforts, and organisational culture.

In some cases, a Synnovate workshop may be recommended. In others, alternative next steps may be more appropriate.

Format

45
45-minute online session

System-level diagnostic discussion

PREP
No preparation required

Come as you are

Suitable For

Leadership teams Schools Boards Cross-functional teams Executive groups

Request a Session