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
1. Define the questions
We agree what the business needs to understand, the scope of the diagnostic and the timetable.
2. Gather the evidence
I speak with leaders and employees and review the relevant organisational information, people data and practices. Employee conversations are confidential, with findings reported as themes.
3. Diagnose the issues
I bring together the commercial context, leadership perspectives, organisational reality and employee experience to identify the strengths, risks, underlying patterns and priorities.
4. Set the direction
You receive an evidence-based diagnosis, a People Strategy and a prioritised roadmap for now, next and later, presented and discussed with the leadership team.
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.
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.