Aspens, a charity offering care for individuals with autism and complex learning disabilities, was facing significant internal fragmentation following a period of rapid growth and multiple mergers. While their services were united under one brand, culturally they remained disparate. Staff and leadership across different sites held varying values, behavioural expectations and communication norms.
Despite having documented values, there was little shared understanding of how these should play out day-to-day. Leadership felt disconnected from the front lines, and decision-making was hampered by unclear priorities, siloed thinking and a system that unintentionally rewarded adherence to process over real impact.
The approach
Innate Change began with discovery and understanding, first through one-on-one coaching with the CEO and key trustees, then via workshops and away days with the leadership team. This led to a dual-strategy proposal:
- Top-down: Coaching and leadership development, including personalised PDPs (personal development plans), helping senior staff align their own growth with what Aspens needed to become a more agile, sustainable organisation.
- Bottom-up: Rollout of Innate Change’s “One Degree” programme – a social movement-inspired framework designed to activate change through human connection, peer learning and distributed ownership.
One Degree is about small shifts with exponential impact. It asks every individual to do “just a little bit more, a little bit better or a little bit differently.” The content is drawn from the organisation’s own ambition, in this case, building one culture.
The turning point
While early efforts focused on creating desire for change, the breakthrough came during an all-staff call. Dom challenged attendees to take ownership of culture within “five feet of where you stand.” It was the moment where abstract ideas around culture became practical and personal. Leaders began to understand culture not as a distant, head office-driven initiative, but as something lived and shaped by everyone, every day.
The outcome
- Leadership transformation: A more aligned leadership team emerged, supported by custom development plans and a redefined leadership approach.
- Organisation-wide connection: Staff across geographically and historically divided services began sharing stories, building learning habits and forming a clearer picture of Aspens as one organisation, not many.
- Trust-based rollout: Rather than imposing a top-down timeline, the process adapted to the pace of the organisation. Fast-moving areas inspired others, creating cross-pollination and momentum from within.
Importantly, trustees were brought closer to the culture conversation, helping ensure that future decisions remain grounded in Aspens’ values.
Reflections
Dom describes the project as a partnership: “We weren’t there to fix things. We were there to help them see what was already there and nurture it.” What he’s most proud of? Staying true to Innate Change’s values of facilitation and emergence, resisting the urge to impose answers, and instead empowering Aspens to own their culture.
Aspens now faces the future not with fear, but with agility: asking what they need to know, how they need to flex and how they can lead with alignment and intent.
“Creating a positive culture has improved the lives of the people we care and support, alongside our wonderful staff team. It is not a quick fix and the investment may take years to be realised as a whole, but already it has made a positive impact across Aspens”
Robert Shanahan, Chief Executive Officer, Aspens
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