Introduction
Let's start with something I hear from leaders all the time: "I’ve got a great team of smart individuals. We’ve got clear goals and a vision. We've put good processes in place. So why do I feel like the team isn’t fulfilling its potential? It’s like we’re stuck in a lower gear.
Sound familiar? If you're nodding, you're in good company. It's one of the most common frustrations I encounter when working with smart, capable leaders.
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Getting stuck rarely has simple causes. Sometimes it's the invisible patterns from past changes still influencing us. Sometimes it's the complex web of relationships and unofficial practices that's grown up over time. Sometimes it's the perspectives we haven't heard or the assumptions we don't even know we're making. Getting unstuck requires both skilled observation—seeing what's really happening beneath the surface—and wise action that works with these patterns rather than against them.
Here's the thing: it's not that your people are being difficult. They're being human. And that's actually good news, because once we understand how to work with this reality rather than against it, we can make remarkable progress.
Why Traditional Approaches Fall Short
Think about it: we often run our organisations as if they were machines—engineering processes, designing workflows, setting targets. This approach has its place. It can drive impressive efficiency gains.
But here's what I've learnt from years of working with organisations: when we focus only on the visible metrics—KPIs, profit margins, operational efficiency—we miss something crucial. We miss the less visible but often more powerful forces at work:
Team dynamics shaped by past experiences
Unofficial workflows that actually keep things moving
Unspoken rules that guide behaviour
Relationships that either enable or block progress
Habits that we’ve built over time that no longer serve us
Hidden assumptions that limit what seems possible
These human elements aren't bugs in the system; they're features. And they're constantly evolving, whether or not we acknowledge them.
A Practical Way Forward
This guide is your introduction to a different way of seeing and leading your organisation. I'll share practical approaches that I’ve used to help other leaders unlock potential in their teams:
Uncover what's really creating stuck points in their organisations
Spot patterns and possibilities that others miss
Turn different perspectives into advantages rather than obstacles
Make steady progress even in uncertain situations
Design small experiments that lead to bigger shifts
You'll find tools you can use right away, along with insights that open doors to deeper understanding. Think of this as your first step into a more effective way of leading—one that works with human nature rather than against it.
The approaches we'll explore come from solid research, complexity theory ideas and real-world experience, but I promise to keep things practical and jargon-free. My role is to handle the complexity science so you can focus on applying it to get more out of you and your team.
Even thriving organisations run into hidden barriers that quietly hold them back.
This free guide shows you how to move beyond those obstacles and spark lasting momentum.
Inside, you’ll learn how to:
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Spot the hidden patterns that block progress
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Turn fresh perspectives into breakthroughs
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Unlock momentum with small, practical experiments
Drawn from real-world experience and years helping leaders move through complexity with clarity and confidence.
Simply complete the form to get instant access to the guide.
Get Your Free Copy
Part 1: Why Smart Organisations Get Stuck
The Myth of the Perfect Solution
Let me share something that might surprise you: some of the most intelligent and well-intentioned organisational solutions actually create the problems they're trying to solve. I've seen this play out countless times, and understanding why it happens is the first step to doing things differently.
When Solutions Create Problems
Consider expense systems—something every organisation has. Over time, they tend to become more complex as we add rules to prevent misuse. It makes perfect sense on paper. But here's what actually happens:
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The system becomes so cumbersome that senior leaders delegate it to assistants
Assistants develop creative workarounds to get legitimate work done
We only discover how dysfunctional things have become when someone's assistant is away sick and the leader has to do it themselves, without the expertise or workarounds
The very rules meant to prevent problems end up hiding them instead
Expense systems are a relatively trivial thing, but you can see how it happens. Now scale that to the bigger issues and projects you’re dealing with in the organisation, like compliance, like call centres, like quality management. The real insight isn't that people are trying to game the system. It's that complicated solutions often mask deeper patterns until they emerge as crises.
The Ghost of Changes Past
Here's something that took me years to understand: your organisation's past isn't just history—it's actively shaping what's possible right now, often in ways we don't consciously recognise.
Let me illustrate with a story. I once worked with a government organisation that seemed mysteriously resistant to change. Nothing dramatic—just a persistent drag on any new initiative.
When we dug deeper, we discovered why: for the past decade, they'd experienced major structural changes every three years, the last one only two years earlier. People weren't consciously blocking progress; they were unconsciously waiting for the next big reorganisation they "knew" was coming.
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This isn't unusual. In another case, a life assurance company's "simple reorganisation" hit unexpected turbulence because half their staff had previously experienced a "reorganisation" that led to 35% redundancies. Same word, very different meaning. These hidden meanings and unconscious patterns shape behaviour more powerfully than any official directive.
The Hidden Cost of Getting By
One of the most dangerous patterns I see in organisations is this: smart, committed people finding workarounds to get things done. It sounds positive—and in the moment, it is. But it creates three significant problems:
It hides system failures from leadership
- Problems appear solved when they're actually just worked around
- Issues only become visible when they're too big to ignore
- Quick fixes become permanent features
- Real patterns stay invisible
It creates unpredictable risks
- Informal solutions depend on specific people
- Small workarounds can cascade into bigger problems
- Success depends on unspoken understandings
It masks power dynamics
- Who can bend the rules and who can't
- Which departments have informal influence
- Where the actual decisions get made
- What really drives behaviours
I've seen software teams create elaborate informal systems to hide necessary costs, multinational training programs falter because they didn't account for past experiences, and improvement initiatives create unexpected political tensions.
Not because anyone did anything wrong, but because organisations are more complex than our solutions assume—and because the real drivers of behaviour often lie beneath the surface.
Why This Matters Now
Understanding these patterns isn't just about avoiding problems. It's about seeing opportunities that others miss. When we understand how our organisations really work—not just how we wish they worked—we can:
- Make changes that actually stick
- Spot potential issues before they become crises
- React more quickly to external opportunities
- Turn customer frustrations into opportunities to leapfrog the competition
- Build on what's already working (even if it's informal)
- Uncover hidden barriers before they block progress
- Turn unconscious patterns into conscious choices
The key isn't just knowing these patterns exist; it's developing the skill to spot them and the wisdom to work with them. That's exactly what we'll explore next.
Part 2: Navigation Principles for Complex Times
Seeing the Bigger Picture
Science fiction author William Gibson once observed that "The future is already here, it's just not very evenly distributed." The same is true in your organisation. The patterns, behaviours, and approaches you want to see more of already exist somewhere. Your challenge isn't inventing the future; it's learning to spot it in the present, often in unexpected places.
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Looking Through Different Eyes
One of the most powerful moments in my work with leaders comes when they see their organisation through others' eyes. It's often surprising:
What looks like an exciting opportunity to you might feel threatening to others
What seems like a clear mission to you might mean something completely different to another team
What appears to be a minor obstacle to you might be a major blocker for others
What you see as resistance might be wisdom you haven't yet understood
This isn't about who's right or wrong. It's about understanding more of the space you're operating in (we sometimes call it the landscape). Because when you see these different perspectives, you start noticing patterns and possibilities that were invisible before.
Setting Direction Without Imposing Too Much Control
Let me share an approach we used successfully with the UK Department of Transport. Instead of creating abstract statements about "good leadership" (they’d tried that, but it hadn’t got them the results they hoped for), we helped teams identify specific examples from their own experience:
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"More like this"
When Sarah's team adapted the procurement process to meet an urgent community need
"Less like this":
When the regional office stuck to protocol despite clear evidence it wasn't serving citizens
"More like this"
When a junior team member's contrary view led to a better solution.
"Less like this":
When expertise was used to shut down exploration of alternatives
This approach does four powerful things:
Makes abstract goals concrete and recognizable
Acknowledges both positive and negative examples people already understand
Gives teams clear reference points for making their own decisions
Creates space for noticing unconscious patterns
The key is that you're not prescribing exact solutions, but nor are you saying “anything goes.” You're setting clear boundaries and direction, then letting people find their own path within them.
Learning Together
When different groups look at the same situation, they often see entirely different things. Rather than seeing this as a problem, we can use it as a source of insight. Here's a simple but powerful set of questions I use to help teams learn from their different perspectives:
"What surprised you about how others see this?"
"What similar patterns do you notice?"
"What key differences stand out?"
"What consequences might these differences have?"
These questions help teams move from judging differences to learning from them. I've seen them transform contentious meetings into a genuine exploration of new possibilities and uncover hidden patterns that were blocking progress
Watching for Signals
The most valuable insights often come from unexpected places. When leaders learn to monitor broadly, they start noticing:
Informal workarounds that point to systemic issues
Quiet successes that can be amplified
Small tensions that might grow into bigger problems
Unspoken rules that guide behaviour
Where energy flows and where it's blocked
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The goal isn't to control these elements but to understand them. Because understanding how your organisation actually works, not just how it should work, is the key to helping it evolve.
Making These Principles Work For You
These navigation principles might seem simple, but they're powerful when applied consistently:
Look through different eyes to see the full picture
Use real examples to set clear direction
Learn from differences rather than trying to eliminate them Watch for weak signals that might become important
Notice what's beneath the surface
Part 3: Making Progress Real
Let me share a story that captures the essence of breaking free from stuck patterns. A technology company felt caught between their hardware and software teams' different ways of working. But instead of forcing collaboration through traditional methods, they tried something different: they started with lunch.
Yes, lunch. At a workshop together, the teams developed a portfolio of small experiments to try. One of these experiments made just two changes to lunch arrangements:
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This example illustrates three key principles for getting unstuck in complex situations:
Small changes can have big effects
Indirect approaches often work better than direct ones
Create conditions for new behaviours rather than mandating them
Building Your Portfolio of Experiments
When teams feel stuck, it's tempting to reach for big solutions. I see this pattern repeatedly: the harder things feel, the bigger the solution we try to create. But I've found that thinking in terms of small experiments often creates more movement, more possibility, and more empowerment.
I worked with an organisation that was struggling with communication between departments. Instead of rolling out a new communication protocol, they started by simply asking each team what made their best days work well.
The patterns they discovered led to natural experiments that felt obvious in hindsight:
Quick conversations in hallways often resolved issues that had been stuck in email chains for weeks
Some of their most effective communication happened during shift changes, not in formal meetings
These observations led to natural experiments that felt obvious in hindsight: small changes to shift handover timing, creating informal meeting points near busy corridors, and adjusting coffee break schedules to increase natural overlap between teams.
When you're looking for these opportunities, pay attention to what already works. Where do people naturally collaborate? Which informal patterns help things flow smoothly? Often, the seeds of your solution are already present; they just need space to grow.
Think of your experiments as learning opportunities rather than solutions. They should be small enough that failure won't cause problems but concrete enough to see results. I worked with one team that was paralysed by the fear of making mistakes. We shifted their thinking by asking, "What's the smallest thing we could try that might teach us something useful?" That simple question unleashed a flood of practical ideas.
The Power of Different Perspectives
Here's something crucial I've learned: getting unstuck requires bringing different perspectives together not once, but twice. First, when understanding the situation, and then again when designing experiments. Let me explain why this matters.
I once worked with a retail chain where store managers and head office had very different views about what was causing their challenges. Instead of trying to prove who was right, we brought them together to explore their differences. The breakthrough came when they realised they were all seeing important pieces of a bigger picture - and suddenly, conversations that had been going in circles started moving forward.
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Sometimes the most valuable insights come from unexpected places. In one organisation, it was a junior team member who spotted the pattern everyone else had missed. Why? Because she was new enough to question things others took for granted. This taught me something important: sometimes the perspective that initially seems most challenging to your view holds the key to getting unstuck.
Creating Spaces for Progress
Rather than trying to mandate change, focus on creating spaces where better patterns can emerge more naturally. This might mean physical spaces, like our lunch example, or metaphorical ones – times and places where people can interact differently.
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I remember working with a government agency where everything felt stuck in endless meetings that went nowhere. The breakthrough came from an unexpected source: a team leader who changed how she ran her weekly updates. Instead of starting with problems to solve, she began each meeting by asking people to share something unexpected that had worked well that week. This small shift changed the energy completely. People started connecting ideas across departments, spotting patterns they hadn't seen before, finding solutions in unexpected places.
Signs of Shifting Momentum
How do you know when things are starting to flow again? Watch for subtle changes in how people talk about their challenges. I worked with one organisation where I knew we'd turned a corner when I heard a team leader say, "Now I understand why they see it that way." It wasn't that they agreed with every perspective—it was that they'd started seeing pathways where before they only saw walls.
The most powerful shifts often show up quietly at first:
Questions that open up new possibilities rather than shutting them down
People spontaneously connecting ideas across traditional boundaries
Informal experiments emerging without being mandated
Different groups starting to build on each other's insights
Starting Small, Starting Smart
Let me share how one team put this into practice. They were stuck with what seemed like an impossible challenge: improving customer service while reducing costs. Instead of tackling this head-on, they started by spending time watching their most effective customer service representatives at work. They noticed these representatives had created unofficial shortcuts that both saved time and improved customer satisfaction.
Instead of dismissing these workarounds as violations of protocol, they got curious. Why did these particular approaches work so well? What patterns could they learn from? This led to a series of small experiments that eventually transformed their entire approach to customer service.
Navigating Common Challenges
Let me share one last story that brings all this together. A financial services company I worked with was initially paralyzed by their approach to change. They tried to measure and control everything, creating elaborate tracking systems for every small initiative. Progress had ground to a halt.
Then something interesting happened. In one department, a team leader took a different approach. Instead of tracking metrics, she started each week by asking her team two simple questions: "What surprised you this week?" and "Where did you see something working better than expected?"
At first, people were sceptical. But gradually, these conversations revealed patterns nobody had noticed before. Small successes that could be amplified. Informal networks that were getting things done. Hidden obstacles that could be easily removed.
Within three months, this team had made more progress than other departments had achieved in a year. Their secret? They'd stopped trying to force change and started working with the patterns that were naturally emerging.
Your Path Forward
This approach might feel unfamiliar at first. One leader described it to me as "learning to see in the dark." You start by noticing small details, subtle patterns. Then suddenly, like your eyes adjusting to darkness, you start seeing possibilities everywhere.
Start with something small but specific:
Find one meeting where different perspectives create tension. Instead of trying to resolve the tension, get curious about it. What might you be missing?
Notice where energy flows naturally in your organisation. What small change could help that energy spread?
Look for one place where "resistance" might actually be wisdom you haven't understood yet.
Watch for those quiet moments when stuck conversations suddenly start moving again. What made the difference?
Remember, you're not looking for perfect solutions. You're creating conditions where better patterns can emerge and grow. As one leader put it after working through these approaches: "For the first time in years, I feel like I'm discovering possibilities instead of just solving problems."
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The Next Step
Let me end with what happened next at that financial services company. Seeing the success of that one team's approach, other departments got curious. Instead of trying to replicate exactly what had worked elsewhere, each team experimented with their own version. Some focused on regular walk-and-talk meetings. Others created informal cross-team lunches. One group simply started each day by sharing unexpected successes.
None of these changes seemed dramatic on their own. But together, they shifted the entire organisation's energy from stuck to flowing. As their leader reflected later: "We stopped trying to force the river to flow uphill and started working with its natural direction. Everything got easier after that."
That's exactly what getting unstuck looks like. Not one big dramatic change, but many small shifts that build on each other. Not forcing movement, but creating spaces where movement naturally emerges. Not having all the answers, but getting curious about different perspectives.
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Your organisation already has these possibilities within it. Your role isn't to design the perfect solution—it's to help those possibilities emerge and grow. Start small, stay curious, and watch what happens. You might be surprised how quickly things start to move.
The path forward is there, even when it feels like you're completely stuck. And once you start moving, you'll wonder how it ever felt so impossible in the first place.
Take that first small step tomorrow. Watch what emerges. Build on what works. The rest will flow from there.
Remember
Getting unstuck isn't about forcing solutions. It's about seeing your organisation differently and creating conditions where better patterns can emerge naturally. As clients often tell me, this approach opens up entirely new ways of seeing and acting—it's "totally innovative" while remaining practical and applicable.
The goal isn't to solve everything at once. It's to help you and your team find your way forward, one step at a time.
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About the Author
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Tony Quinlan, founder of Narrate, specialises in helping organisations get unstuck through practical applications of complexity and narrative approaches.
Working with organisations ranging from global corporations to UN programs in conflict zones, he helps leaders translate complex challenges into actionable steps forward. His work spans multiple sectors, including healthcare transformation, cultural change in multinational corporations, and international development programs.
What sets Tony's approach apart is his ability to make complex ideas practical and engaging. Whether working with large multinational teams or small local groups, he helps people see their challenges differently and find new ways forward. As one client put it, he's an "excellent facilitator, able to keep the audience focused and create an effective interactive session."
Want to explore how these ideas might help your organisation get unstuck? Book a free initial consultation today!