Most organisations have already tried the obvious answers.
New strategy. New systems. New people.
The problem was sitting in the gaps between them.
I'm Geoff Mallinson.
I work in the gaps.
Not the strategy. Not the technology. The beliefs people are carrying about why change won't work here. The way work is actually designed — not how it looks on paper, but how it flows day to day. The culture that's been quietly absorbing every change effort and returning to its previous shape.
Most approaches never get there. They work on the presenting problem — the one that's visible, the one that's easy to name — and leave the underlying system untouched. Which is why the results don't hold.
The organisations I work with have usually tried the obvious answers already. What they need is someone who can see what's actually in the way, and stay in the work until it shifts.
What this looks like in practice
EdTech regional turnaround
The Oceania operation of a global EdTech provider had stopped believing it could win. I rebuilt the conditions for the team to perform — psychological safety, role clarity, work redesigned around the strategy. The commercial results followed. Employee satisfaction: 38% → 90%. Revenue:27%+ year on year.
Merger without losing the people
Mergers produce exodus when people can’t see themselves in what’s being built. With 1,000 staff and 5,000 volunteers carrying distinct cultures, the work was to build genuine belief in the shared direction — not manage the process. Staff turnover stayed below 3% throughout. Donation revenue up 24% in year one.
Work design first. Culture followed.
The organisation needed to scale quickly. Rather than starting with culture, I started with the work — redesigning how it flowed, removing friction, using technology to create capacity. That earned permission to go further: rebuilding leadership, forming teams with clarity and alignment, and building the culture that could absorb growth and handle pressure. Frontline capacity doubled with no additional overhead. NPS: 42 → 82.
“He is strategic and considered, bringing options to the table about how to proceed, particularly when the issues were complex or sensitive. This enabled us to walk through scenarios looking at them from more than one perspective before making decisions.”
What makes the difference
Most consultants are specialists. They see the strategy problem, or the operating model problem, or the technology problem — and miss what's sitting in the gaps between them. That's usually where the real problem is.
I work across all of it. Twenty years across education, healthcare, faith-based, NFP, and commercial organisations has given me a cross-functional map that specialists don't carry. I can see the strategy that's sound but built on broken work design. The culture problem that's actually a role clarity problem. The technology implementation that failed because nobody addressed what people were afraid of.
The other thing: I apply research, not instinct. Organisational psychology, behavioural science, work design theory — not as jargon, but as diagnostic tools. When I tell you why your team is behaving the way it is, I can show you the mechanism. That's what makes the intervention stick.
How I work
Search and rescue taught me one thing about complex problems: waiting for certainty costs you more than moving with incomplete information. Get the picture fast, start in a direction, stay adaptive. That's how I work.
Into the problem
I get across your organisation quickly through sharp observation, direct conversation, and structured diagnosis. I’m looking for the real constraint — not the one that’s easiest to address.
Into the design
Once we know what we’re solving, I build a plan that fits your context, your team, and your constraints. Evidence-based and honest about what’s possible.
Into the work
I don’t hand over a document. I stay in the work with your team through implementation — testing what works, adjusting what doesn’t, and building your organisation’s capability to hold the change.
Not sure where to start?
The Human AI Readiness Diagnostic is a structured half-day for leadership teams navigating AI-driven change. It maps where your organisation is actually stuck — culture, capability, role clarity, fear — and what's worth addressing first. $2,500. A clear picture, not a vague report.
Learn more
I'm Geoff.
Twenty years working inside and alongside organisations trying to do something that matters — education, health, faith-based, NFP, commercial — and hitting the same walls.
I bring a psychology-informed lens to strategy and change. That means I pay attention to how people actually think and behave, not just what the structure says should happen. I've built and led teams through turnarounds, digital transformations, and cultural change that stuck. And I'm a serious user of AI — which means I can help you navigate what it actually does to your organisation, not just what it promises.
Outside this work, I lead search and rescue teams. The discipline is the same: read the situation fast, commit to a direction, stay adaptive, and don't stop until the job is done.
Start a conversation
No pitch. No obligation. Just a conversation about where your organisation is and whether I can help.