Hornbeam Partners

│Thinking│Strategy│Delivery│

“Addiction is finding a quick and dirty solution to the symptom of the problem, which prevents or distracts one from the harder and longer-term task of solving the real problem.”

Donella H. Meadows

“Solving Complex Problems, Together.”

We help organisations turn complex problems into clear opportunities. Whether you’re working with government systems, trying to make your voice heard or deliver change in complex environments, we make sure you’re equipped to act purposefully and deliver results with stakeholders.

We are senior, experienced and likeminded people with strong values and principles about doing the right thing in the right way to make lasting impact for people and places.

Have You Ever….?

… felt like your team or stakeholders are spinning their wheels, but not making real progress?

… been frustrated that efforts seem focused in the wrong places?

… struggled to get everyone on the same page and moving in the right direction?

… had the feeling of groundhog day—tackling the same problems over and over?

… wanted to make a bigger impact but felt stuck in the same old patterns?

… found it hard to cut through the ‘noise’ of (re)activity to really focus on what is important

We’ve been there, too. With senior leadership in sectors like farming, environment, biosecurity and education, we’ve faced these challenges on the ground and when running major services and programmes - both in physical and digital worlds. To pinch a saying from our good friends John and Hazel at Group Partners, we get frustrated when we see effort invested in fixing the wrong problem really well.

We’ve learned what works - and what doesn’t - when tackling long-term, complex issues where feedback loops are often unclear and the status quo works well for many stakeholders.

We regularly hear that (conceptual) systems are ‘broken’ but our experience is that this is rarely the case. Systems operate as designed, so the trick is finding why they work in the way that they do, for who and why stakeholders may either be protective or dissatisfied with its real-world impacts.

What We Do

We help clients engage with complex challenges, co-creating strategies for getting things done through clarity of thought, effective design facilitating collective delivery.

Understand the Problem
We uncover the root causes and help you see the full picture.

Create a Clear Path Forward
We work with you to align goals and create a way forward of working that everyone can get behind.

Deliver Results
We can stay with you through delivery, making sure your progress stays flexible and on track, no matter what comes up.

Why Work With Us?

With over 20 years of experience solving complex problems in challenging sectors, we know how to bring people together and get them engaged. Our personable, hands-on style helps us build trust, facilitate conversations, and drive progress. As a small but well-connected business, we give you the personal focus you need, while tapping into a network of experts to deliver the full range of skills required.

Let’s Get Started

Ready to get moving on your toughest challenges?

  • “If you do not understand your role in the problem, it is difficult to be part of the solution.”

    David Peter Stroh

  • "For every complex problem there is an answer that is clear, simple and wrong."

    H. L. Mencken

  • "We act as if simple cause and effect is at work. We look for the one action, or the one person, that created this mess. As soon as we find someone to blame, we act as if we've solved the problem."

    Margaret J. Wheatley

  • "Cursory inspection of the world suggests it is a giant complex with dense connections between its parts. We cannot cope with it in that form and are forced to reduce it some separate areas which we can examine separately."

    Peter Checkland

  • "A bad system will beat a good person every time."

    W. Edwards Deming

  • “Listening to both sides of a story will convince you that there is more to a story than both sides.”

    Frank Tyger

  • “A system is never the sum of its, parts it's the product of their interaction.”

    Russell Ackoff