One Degree | Organisational Consultancy

Our Models & Methods

Understand the problem before deciding on the solution.

Improving organisational performance requires more than recognising that something isn't working. We need to understand what's causing it, how confident we can be in our findings and which improvements are worth making.

One Degree uses a structured set of practical methods to investigate performance, interpret evidence, agree priorities and support improvements that last.

Explore Our Methods How We Work

Our Approach

A methodical approach, without unnecessary complexity.

We shouldn't recommend changing something until we have a sound understanding of why it needs to change.

An organisation might be experiencing missed deadlines, poor cooperation, inconsistent performance or frustration between different levels of leadership. Those are useful indications that something needs attention, but they don't necessarily tell us what's causing it.

A communication problem might have its origins in unclear responsibilities. What appears to be a lack of accountability may be the result of conflicting priorities or decisions nobody has the authority to make.

That's why our work combines several different sources of evidence, examines possible explanations and considers the consequences before recommending action.

The models below give that work structure. They are tools for disciplined thinking and practical delivery, not a set of boxes that every client must work through.

Diagnosis to Improvement

How we investigate performance and decide what to do about it.

Six complementary methods help structure our diagnostic, reporting, prioritisation and improvement work. The methods applied depend on the nature and scope of the engagement.

Understand the Organisation

6C Diagnostic and SCOPED

We begin by understanding what the organisation is trying to achieve, how work is organised and what may be helping or hindering its performance.

6C

Organisational diagnostic framework

Clarity Coordination Choices & Action Conditions Contribution Connections

The six areas provide a structured way to examine organisational performance, from clarity of direction and decision-making to coordination, working conditions and the relationships that affect delivery.

SCOPED

Evidence collection methodology

Surveys Conversations Observation Policies & Procedures Examine Decisions & Delivery Data

SCOPED helps determine which evidence sources are relevant. It prevents conclusions being drawn solely from individual opinions, a survey or a limited number of conversations.

What this contributes: A clearer picture of the organisation and a broader evidence base for understanding its performance.

Analyse the Evidence

CLEAR

Evidence needs interpretation. We examine what different sources are telling us, whether recurring patterns are emerging and how strongly the evidence supports possible explanations.

CLEAR

Evidence analysis methodology

Classify Look for Patterns Examine Causes Assess Confidence Review Significance

CLEAR provides a structure for distinguishing individual observations, repeated patterns, possible causes and the level of confidence we can reasonably place in the findings.

What this contributes: Findings supported by evidence, with their significance and limitations made clear.

Report and Agree Priorities

BRIEF and SCALE

A useful diagnosis must lead to informed decisions. We bring together the findings, explain their implications and distinguish the improvements that matter most from those that can wait.

BRIEF

Diagnostic reporting structure

Big Picture Review Scope & Limitations Insights Across the 6Cs Effects on Performance Forward Improvement Roadmap

BRIEF brings the diagnostic findings into a coherent report. It explains what was examined, what emerged, what the evidence does and does not support and what improvement could involve.

SCALE

Improvement prioritisation methodology

Significance Confidence Action Urgency Likelihood of Implementation Enablers & Dependencies

SCALE helps assess what deserves attention first. A problem may be important but difficult to address immediately, or an apparently straightforward improvement may depend on another decision.

What this contributes: An evidence-informed explanation of what matters, why it matters and how improvement might be prioritised.

Implement and Sustain Improvement

Once priorities have been agreed, attention turns to making improvements in practice and ensuring they endure.

3A

Improvement delivery methodology

Act (Now) Advance (Next) Anchor (Sustain)

3A distinguishes immediate action, subsequent improvement and the work required to make changes part of normal organisational practice.

What this contributes: A practical way to organise improvement without losing sight of long-term sustainability.

Supporting the Engagement

How we maintain focus, accountability and quality.

The diagnostic and improvement process is supported by methods for ongoing advisory work, managing engagements and maintaining delivery standards.

Ongoing Advisory

STEER

A structure for ongoing leadership and organisational advisory, keeping attention on performance, alignment and practical action.

Scan Performance
Test Alignment
Explore Challenges
Establish Actions
Review Results

Engagement Management

PACT

A practical structure for managing consultancy commitments and making clear what needs to happen, who is responsible and how progress will be reviewed.

Priorities
Accountability
Checkpoints
Transition

Delivery Assurance

PRIME

The principles that guide the quality, independence and practical value of our consultancy delivery.

Principal-Led Delivery
Relevant & Rigorous Interventions
Integrity & Independence
Measured Progress
Embedded Improvement

Application

Methods That Fit the Work

The scale and nature of an engagement determine which methods are appropriate.

A focused Performance Review may require a limited evidence collection exercise, while a complex organisational improvement engagement may call for more extensive examination and ongoing advisory.

The intention is not to create unnecessary work. It is to apply enough structure and rigour to support sound decisions.

An Organisational Perspective

Performance extends beyond individual leadership behaviour.

Our organisational perspective considers five interconnected leadership responsibilities. Each may influence how effectively the organisation functions, coordinates its work and achieves its objectives.

Strategic Leadership

Operational Leadership

Tactical Leadership

Organisational Leadership

People Leadership

People Leadership & Team Performance

The KISS Team Performance Model.

Alongside our broader organisational methodology, KISS focuses specifically on the conditions that help people work and perform effectively together.

Kindness, Integrity, Simplicity and Standards support four important team-performance conditions: Constructive Challenge, Trust, Alignment and Consistency.

KISS is not a replacement for the organisational diagnostic. It's a more focused model for understanding people leadership and team behaviour.

Explore the KISS Model

Kindness Constructive Challenge

Integrity Trust

Simplicity Alignment

Standards Consistency

Our Services

Different services. A consistent approach to performance.

These models and methods support our services, but they aren't separate products you need to purchase or complete in sequence.

Performance Review

Investigating what's helping or hindering organisational performance, using relevant evidence to identify significant issues and improvement priorities.

Explore Performance Review

Organisational Improvement

Working with an organisation to address identified problems, improve coordination, strengthen accountability and make improvements sustainable.

Explore Organisational Improvement

Ongoing Leadership Support

Providing continuing independent challenge, alignment and practical leadership support as organisations work towards their objectives.

Explore Ongoing Leadership Support

Let's Talk About Performance

You don't need to know which method your organisation needs.

That's something we can establish by understanding what you're trying to achieve, what isn't working as expected and what you've already tried.

If you'd value an independent perspective, we can start with a conversation.

Schedule a Conversation