The Theta Waves People Diagnostic
Understand what is happening across your organisation and where to focus first
When several people issues appear at once, it can be difficult to distinguish the underlying causes from the visible symptoms.
Leaders understand the strategy and commercial pressures. Managers experience where responsibilities, decisions and expectations become unclear. Employees see how leadership choices and people practices affect their everyday work. People data may reveal increasing turnover, absence or other emerging risks.
Each provides part of the picture. Bringing the evidence together reveals the patterns between them and helps establish which issues require action, which strengths should be protected and what can reasonably wait.
The Theta Waves People Diagnostic provides an evidence-based understanding of the organisation, a People Strategy aligned with the needs of the business and a prioritised roadmap.
When is a People Diagnostic useful?
The diagnostic is particularly valuable when:
The business is growing but its people foundations no longer fit the scale it has reached.
Retaining good people is becoming harder.
Leadership responsibilities, decision-making or accountability have become unclear.
The organisation is navigating leadership change or restructuring.
Managers are handling similar situations in different ways.
Employees appear less engaged or less confident in the direction the business is going in.
Leaders can see the symptoms of a people problem without having a complete picture.
The business is considering significant investment in its people and needs to establish where that investment will make the greatest difference.
Building the full picture
The diagnostic brings together four connected perspectives:
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The financial position, market conditions, ownership, funding, regulation and external pressures affecting what the business needs from its people.
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The business strategy, leadership priorities, growth plans, recent decisions and changes affecting the direction of the organisation.
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The organisation’s structure, roles, capabilities, people data, policies, processes and approach to decision-making.
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What people experience in practice, including communication, trust, accountability, leadership, development and confidence in the future.
I bring the evidence together to identify the recurring patterns, gaps and contradictions that may be difficult to see from within the business. The findings then shape the People Strategy, priorities and roadmap.
Commercial & External Context
Organisational Reality
Business & Leadership Context
Employee Reality
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Triangulation & Diagnosis
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People Strategy & Roadmap
Priorities for now, the next 6-12 months and later
How the diagnostic works
Determine the brief
We begin with the circumstances surrounding the business, what has prompted the diagnostic and the questions the leadership team needs to answer.
We agree the scope, timetable, people involved and information required.
Gather the evidence
I meet with leaders, review the relevant organisational information and hold confidential one-to-one conversations with employees. Depending on the scope this may include the following:
Organisation structure and reporting lines,
Roles and responsibilities,
Employee turnover and other available people data,
Performance and development arrangements,
Policies and key employment practices,
Existing engagement data or previous people initiatives.
Employee comments are reported as themes rather than attributed to individuals. The approach to confidentiality is explained clearly at the start.
Identify the patterns
I compare the commercial context, leadership perspectives, organisational foundations and employee experience. This reveals:
Organisational strengths that should be protected,
Themes supported by several sources of evidence,
Differences between leadership intention and employee experience,
Symptoms connected to a wider underlying issue,
Areas of immediate risk or opportunity,
Activity that can reasonably wait.
Set the strategy and priorities
The findings are translated into a People Strategy shaped around what the business needs now and where it is heading.
The roadmap sets out what requires immediate attention, what should follow and what can be addressed longer term.
What you receive
At the end of the diagnostic, you receive:
An honest, evidence-based diagnosis of the organisation.
The strengths, risks and underlying issues affecting your businesses performance and growth.
A People Strategy aligned with the needs of the business.
Priorities ranked by business impact and urgency.
A practical roadmap setting out what to address now, and longer term.
A clear view of what can wait, avoiding unnecessary activity and investment.
A leadership presentation and discussion to explore the findings and agree the response.
From diagnosis to delivery
The diagnostic establishes what the business needs from its People Strategy and the order in which the priorities should be addressed.
If there is an internal People team, I can either hand over the roadmap, work alongside them or provide strategic oversight as they deliver it if necessary.
If that capability does not exist within the business, I can lead the implementation directly, taking ownership of the agreed priorities and ensuring the work moves from recommendation into practice.
This can include:
Leading delivery of the prioritised People roadmap.
Establishing clearer structures, roles and accountability.
Strengthening contracts, policies and core people practices.
Introducing performance, development and progression frameworks.
Developing managers and leadership teams.
Facilitating leadership, culture or values work.
Providing Executive Coaching for individual leaders.
Acting as an ongoing Strategic People Advisor as the business grows or changes.
The appropriate next step depends on the findings and the capability already available within the organisation.
Client perspective:
“From day one, Kate took the time to understand the business properly, personally meeting every employee across Europe to get an honest, unfiltered picture of the organisation.
She designed and led a complete cultural reset, shifting us from a civil-service type mindset to a performance-driven company with accountability and momentum. She made incredibly tough decisions with integrity and full organisational buy-in.
Kate doesn’t ‘do HR’ in the traditional sense, she connects people decisions directly to business performance and explains the ‘why’ behind every change.
She is trusted by people at all levels from junior to board, commercially aware, fast, accurate and utterly committed.”
— ANDREW, FOUNDER & CEO
Start with a conversation
If you would benefit from a fuller picture of what is happening across your organisation, we can begin with a confidential conversation about the business, what you are currently seeing and the questions you need the diagnostic to answer.