SDI Company Profile for Nestle UKI edited

Company Profile
for Nestlé UK&I

What makes SDI different?

SDI is a niche consultancy that assists leaders and organisations to realise their potential. We have
forged a prominent position in the market for leadership development through our unique results-
oriented and holistic Self Managed Learning framework.
Nestlé UK&I has already seen and felt the benefits of our approach through the Leading 4 Change
programme where leaders have:
zz taken a step back to clarify their own motivations and aspirations
zz taken valuable feedback and translated it into action
zz taken time out of the business to work on the business
zz taken on the value of multiple perspectives and valuing difference
We put each leader at the centre of their own learning ... there is nowhere to hide. And within
the safe and confidential space we create, there is no need to hide. We support each person to
take ownership of their strategic development needs, whilst accepting and providing support and
challenge for others.
In this way, there is synergy between individual and business impact plus the opportunity to
dramatically increase levels of transparency and collaborative working across the organisation once
a critical mass of leaders is reached. This greater level of social capital, residing in the relationships
between people, has a positive impact on the bottom line.

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Who else have we worked with?

Our clients appreciate the depth and range of our experience and capabilities and our willingness
to share this. Our content-free frameworks and enabling approach ensures we provide a service
that is bespoke to the context and culture of each individual client, regardless of sector. Examples
include:

Private sector:

Public sector:

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What services do we provide?

Learning is the key. There is no change without learning – organisational change cannot happen
without people learning. Some of this is quite practical but, in a chaotic world, much now needs
to go far deeper. People need to learn to think and work in new ways, to unearth assumptions,
to release preconceptions and past ‘truths’, to focus on what might be ‘possible’ and let go of what
they think should be ‘likely’. Above all, they need to be able to drive the learning for themselves.
That kind of learning is complex –and it can’t be gained in the classroom. Learning needs to be
located in the real opportunities of the organisation and in the actual relationships and concerns
of the people who work in it. It requires a strategic approach to development and therefore we
support our clients in the following ways:

LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT

Programmes where leaders at all levels take time out to work strategically on themselves and their
businesses via both in-house (as in the current Leading 4 Change programme in Nestlé UK&I) and
consortium programmes for board level leaders, where one leader from each of up to six non-
competing organisations join a group.

STRATEGIC DEVELOPMENT

A ‘content-free’, transferable approach to assist teams to develop strategic plans that translate
into implementation. Our ‘U model’ creates a flow from Purpose through to individual Action and
ensures alignment of both the ‘thinking’ and the ‘doing’.

ORGANISATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

We undertake organisational diagnoses through action research methods, recognising organisations
as complex, open social systems. We assist teams to formulate change strategies and interventions
that align strategies, structures and processes with the necessary changes in culture, mindset,
behaviour and attitude.

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TEAM DEVELOPMENT

We work on team ‘development’ rather than team ‘building’ as we recognise that people need to
learn to work in a variety of teams and be able to respond to changing team membership or shifting
priorities and tasks. Team ‘building’ is a static metaphor where the removal of a ‘cornerstone’ from
the team can result in its partial or complete collapse. Our approach is learning based. We aim to
develop capabilities that can be sustained over time and applied in changing circumstances.

INDIVIDUAL DEVELOPMENT

We provide direct coaching and mentoring as well as developing coaches and mentors in
organisations. We work at all levels though we have particular expertise in coaching and mentoring
senior leaders.

THOUGHT DEVELOPMENT

We engage in research - both commissioned and our own. Our approach is highly practical - much
of it could be characterised as ‘action research’ - and is linked to direct application. We develop
materials to support learning in organisations in our areas of expertise. We also share our thinking
through publishing books and articles.

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How do we work with our clients?

Our values are enshrined in the way we work with our clients and we operate within the following
clear principles:

Relationship and openness - we develop relationships based on transparency in all we do,

we do not shy away from tough messages and we proactively share our expertise to empower
our clients

Professionalism and specialism - we continue to develop our deep expertise, we practice

what we preach and we concentrate on what we do best

Cost effectiveness and reliability - we provide exceptional value for money with no hidden

extras and we demonstrate our dedication to client service and value

Curiosity and reality - we ask a lot of questions, listen to and probe the answers and assist

people to take action in the real world

Pro-activity and flexibility - we anticipate client needs and we change plans to meet

evolving demands and priorities
Our own business model eschews assumptions of or aims for our own ‘growth’. Our driving
purpose is to work in partnership to deliver exceptional results for our clients - to support the
growth and aspirations of their businesses and to enable them to mobilise their own resources more
effectively.

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Who are we?

Established in 1982, SDI has been a ‘social enterprise’ for over 30 years. Our chair, Prof Ian
Cunningham, created the SML approach in the mid 1970’s and we have been developing it ever
since.

Our mission is to make the world a better place. Firstly, by assisting people to take back ownership
for their own learning and, secondly, by helping people create the social capital that transforms the
places in which they work.

Our team consists of highly skilled experts in learning, facilitation, coaching and organisation
development with a rich balance of organisational and academic experience. With a global network
of associates, our core team includes:

Chair : Professor Ian Cunningham
Managing Director : Anne Gimson
Research Director : Dr Graham Dawes
Operations Director : Liz Barlow
Development Director : Vikki Matthews

Our profits are donated to the registered UK charity, Centre for Self Managed Learning Limited
where our main project brings our unique ways of working to children and young people around
the world. We help them to define their personal definition of what ‘a good life’ might look like,
we equip them with the skills and abilities to explore and manage their own learning and we
demonstrate how they can work effectively with others to achieve their goals.

Bateson House, 23 Western Raod, Abergavenny, Monmouthshire, NP7 7AB, UK
Tel • +44 (0) 1873 852181
Email • [email protected] | Web • www.stratdevint.com

Strategic Developments (International)
Limited Registered Office: 145-157 St. John Street, London, EC1V 4PY
Company Registration Number 1637020 VAT Number: 620857345

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