About

At Alchemy Research & Consultancy we support people to find practical approaches to organisational and personal development. We work with enterprises of all scales from solopreneurs to national organisations. We specialise in working with enterprising creatives from any sector.

As organisational and personal development consultants we offer a range of consultancy services:

• Organisational reviews
• Transition management and change strategies
• Management and leadership development
• Coaching and mentoring
• Team development
• Facilitation

For further details see our consultancy page.

In order to inform and constantly develop our consultancy practice we undertake research in a number of areas:

• Organisational learning
• Diversity management
• Organisational change and transitions
• Specific organisational issues such as mergers and acquisitions, permanently failing organisations and organisational turnaround

For further details see our evaluation and research page.

To support you with achieving change in action Alchemy provides a range of learning and development opportunities from workshops on understanding change to business planning for creatives. If you would prefer some one to one support we offer a number of coaching packages designed to help you at different points in your career.

Alchemy Values

Our work is underpinned by a number of values:

Keeping it real

• Working with honesty and integrity
• Being grounded
• Being aware and empathetic

Challenging assumptions

• Testing viewpoints and conventions
• Seeking appropriate evidence
• Keeping an open mind by asking questions and not leaping to conclusions or solutions

Pushing expectations

• Building confidence and being ambitious for Alchemy and our clients
• Thinking and working creatively
• Being open to making mistakes and learning from them

Making connections

• Building partnerships and working with others wherever possible
• Spotting patterns and ideas that connect however different they may be
• Bringing insights from all sectors

Making mischief

• Not taking ourselves too seriously
• Being playful and experimenting
• Testing boundaries

Primary Spirit

Alchemy’s primary spirit, its reason for being, is based on helping people navigate change. In an ever changing world we can help build your confidence so that what you do stays relevant, allowing you to deliver on your vision, and having the courage to change direction or improve what you do. We think everyone should have the opportunity to:

• Be passionate about their work
• Work in a healthy environment
• Enjoy what they do
• Develop and grow through their work
• Be challenged and stretched by their work

Alchemy & Alice

Alchemy is defined as the infant of chemistry, aimed chiefly at ‘transmuting other matter into gold, and discovering the elixir of life’ (Chambers Dictionary). So while the original practice of alchemy may have evolved into the natural sciences it began with the sense of something magical, a process of transformation, creation or combination.

It seemed to sum up our approach to OD and research; the interlinking of change and ambition, and that sometimes there is something inexplicable that happens in human systems and learning. However rationally we plan, or think we act, there is always a little something that cannot be explained, some magic that happens, this is what we try to recognise in our work.

You may also have noticed Alice from Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland features throughout the website. Alice has become a powerful symbol for us; she serves as a useful vehicle for considering the complexities, confusions and joys of personal and organisational development. That wonderful sense of making the familiar unfamiliar and seeing it from different perspectives.

How many Mad Hatter’s Tea Parties or Quadrilles have you experienced in your work?