Close-up of water creating ripples as a droplet falls into a still body of water.

From friction to flow—by design.

Every reaction has a reason. Resistance isn't a problem. It's a signal. It's our job to listen, not push it aside.

Consulting that works with how you actually operate.

At Our Root.

What makes us different? We start by listening underneath, treating resistance as signal, and flexing structure to fit.

  • Hearing Underneath

    We listen to your experience and observe how decisions unfold. The real issues often live in the gap between how work is supposed to happen and how it actually does.

    Four people sitting around a coffee table in a modern office or meeting space, discussing something with glasses of water and a pitcher on the table, with an intricate wall design and exposed brick in the background.

  • Every Reaction Has a Reason

    Hesitations, workarounds, and resistance are signals. We use them to uncover what’s not working and design changes that address the root.

    Close-up of a textured, weathered tree trunk with concentric rings and a knot in the center.

  • Roots Without the Bind

    We tailor frameworks to the way your team actually operates, so solutions fit in practice, not just on paper.

    Two floating islands connected by a rope bridge, with each island featuring a tree—one with bare branches and the other with lush green foliage, set against a sky with clouds and sunlight.

Sound Familiar?

  • Fighting Your Own Tools

    "I just want to get my work done without firefighting every day."

  • Cookie-Cutter Solutions

    "Help me find a way that works for us, not a Silicon Valley clone playbook."

  • Missing the Point

    "If you're not asking how we actually decide things around here, you're missing the point."

  • Nothing Sticks

    "I've tried three different 'solutions'—none fit how we really operate."

  • Change Fatigue

    “We can’t handle another rollout that burns out our people.”

What We Do.

We help mission-driven organizations find clarity and flow by addressing the hidden sources of friction. Our work is a blend of systems-level thinking and human-centered design to ensure change sticks.

  • Aerial view of a winding river flowing through a snowy, glacier-covered landscape.

    Align People, Process, and Systems

    We work across the full organizational ecosystem so every part reinforces, rather than fights, the others.

    Explore Alignment
  • A rocky coastline with a small cave in the cliffs and water flowing out from it.

    Transform Resistance into Insight

    We treat hesitation, workarounds, and pushback as valuable signals that point to smarter, better-fitting solutions.

    Gain Insight
  • A dried, leafless tree branch with a small cluster of green leaves and a white butterfly resting on the leaves.

    Build Lasting Capability

    We co-create practical changes with your teams and hand over the tools, playbooks, and confidence to sustain them independently.

    Build Capability
Let's Talk!

How We Work

  • Root

    See how work happens.
    We trace decisions, handoffs, and hidden workflows across boundaries, exposing where things flow and where they snag.

  • Reveal

    Surface the real drivers.
    We bring unspoken patterns, resistances, and workarounds into the open, turning hesitation and friction into usable data.

  • Realign

    Design solutions that fit.
    We co-create practical shifts with your teams, tested in real time, shaped by your culture, not a template.

  • Run

    Test, calibrate, embed.
    We roll changes out safely, iterate quickly, and measure adoption as it happens, so what works sticks.

  • Relinquish

    Build independence.
    We hand over the tools, confidence, and capability for you to sustain progress long after we’re gone.

See Our Work in Practice

The Rootline

Short, practical notes on turning friction into flow - signals to watch, patterns to fix, tools that stick.

Rootline Blog
Welcome to Root & Branch!
Welcome to Root & Branch!

Every organization has its own patterns. Some you can see - org charts, workflows, the latest software rollout. But most live underneath. The unspoken rules. The workarounds people invent because the “official” process doesn’t work with reality.

Read More →
When Resistance Isn’t Resistance
When Resistance Isn’t Resistance

Every org right now is scrambling to “use AI.” The pressure is everywhere: boardrooms, inboxes, LinkedIn feeds. Leaders rush to pick a tool, announce it, and expect everyone to jump on board.

But here’s what happens: teams stall. Workarounds pop up. People nod in meetings, then quietly keep using their old systems. Leadership calls it resistance. We call it the system saying: this doesn’t fit yet.

What’s really going on?

Read More →
The Shadow Organization Running the Show
The Shadow Organization Running the Show

Every company has two organizations. The one on the chart - neat boxes, reporting lines, processes. And the one underneath - the shadow organization. That’s the network of side conversations, shortcuts, and quiet “this is how we really do it” rules.

Most leaders don’t like to talk about it. It feels messy, even threatening. But here’s the truth: the shadow organization is the one actually running the show.

What does it look like?

Read More →
Change Fatigue Isn’t About Too Much Change
Change Fatigue Isn’t About Too Much Change

Every leader I talk to says the same thing: “Our people are tired of change.” The assumption is it’s the sheer amount - too many initiatives, too fast. But that’s not it.

People can handle a lot of change. They do it in their own lives every day. What wears them down isn’t quantity. It’s misfit.

What does misfit look like?

Read More →