Performance Edge conducted decompression interviews with 12 team members to hear their positive/negative experiences, listen for key themes, uncover paradoxes and understand their potential impact.

Themes were reported back – first to the Directors, then to the team on the day – using ‘strength of feeling’ and ‘volume of response’ as indicators of importance and impact.

Through a collaboration exercise to kick off day 1, the team collectively took ownership for the decompression themes, narrowing down to the three most important that were in their control. These themes became a lens through which to view all activities and conversations over the two days, helping to maintain focus on the path ahead.

Human intelligence is more than hunting for problems. As well as drawing out things to resolve, decompression interviews are about listening for what’s going well: things to exploit and explore.

• Resolve: Needs addressing – could create conflict if not dealt with
• Exploit: Already going well and could be replicated elsewhere
• Explore: Offers potential for significant benefits or increases in performance