folkwela
Welcome!
This page is shared via human connection. So if you're reading this, we've met, and it was fantastic getting to know you. Thanks for checking out Folkwela!
Nā tō rourou, nā taku rourou ka ora ai te iwi
Māori proverb:
With your food basket and my food basket the people will thrive
TL;DR
Hello, I’m James.
Scroll to the end of this page to share your email with me. I’ll send a quick reply, so we can continue our conversation.
Otherwise, read ahead to get a sense of my approach to system change and the experiences that shape my work, creating the presence and clarity to guide change and transformation.
Building Towards What’s Possible
Folkwela is beginning to take shape.
Guiding people, teams and organisations to navigate change. Providing both the structured delivery and embodied presence to co-create spaces where diverse, opposing views are held safely, allowing tension to become the generative energy required for transformative outcomes.
We need both the head (office) and the heart (service) to align in purpose. When we are grounded in shared reality, we can design and adapt to system change in a way that works for everyone.
I’m actively developing my change practice in collaborative models, à la human-centred design × systems thinking [+], to approach complex challenges with an inclusive, growth mindset.
How I got here
I’ve worked in some interesting spaces: from facilitating rehabilitation programmes in prisons, to aligning leadership and co-design across government ministries and community organisations as a programme change lead.
Through these experiences in project delivery, service design and change strategy, patterns emerge around complexity and people…
Change is always, always, more complex than the envisioned linear plan.
Misalignment is common at the outset, conflict is natural, and the absence of its presence is not a sign of assent.
Finding alignment for change, for me, became the art of safely surfacing and holding many legitimate, but competing truths with one hand, while championing the common ground illuminated with the other. Weaving the tapestry of a shared reality to find the way forward. A skill that turned out to be just as important with senior stakeholders, as it was during the challenges of facilitating group therapy in prison.
The frameworks I used as a change manager (PROSCI, Kotter etc.) are generally well suited to linear transformations, somewhat suited to defined agile developments, and become quite limited during uncertainty and complexity.
This led me to the search for better methods, and to be able to work more universally, across different forms of organisation.
Folkwela is an expression of this continuing development: my interest in working with the diversity of human dynamics, and navigating the complex changes of today’s world together.
Say hello…
Drop your name and email. I’ll send a note back, and you’re welcome to grab a virtual coffee if you’d like a chat.