Change in a changing world. What approaches might help?
The Power of the Pause. When everything around us is speeding up, our instincts can urge us to match that pace. But what if the most powerful action you can take is to pause? In this interactive workshop, Dr. Nick Wilding and Dr. Sharon Varney will guide you through a live Action Research cycle. Experience firsthand the methodology that underpins our Doctorate in Organizational Change.
Monday, 1 December, 2025
12:30-2pm GMT (London)
Zoom Webinar
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Event overview
Have you reached a stage in your career where you're considering breaking free of the confines of traditional leadership and management models to drive change differently? Join this workshop to learn how to use reflective inquiry to navigate complexity. Connect with two of the faculty leading our upcoming intake on the Doctorate in Organizational Change and explore if our Action Research approach is the right next step for you and your career. Spend an afternoon among like-minded professionals considering embarking on a radical new approach to effecting change within our warm and welcoming community.
Meet the Speakers I Faculty
Nick Wilding
Head of Organisational Development, Scottish Government; Adjunct Faculty, Ashridge Doctorate in Organisational Change (Hult).
Nick is a practitioner–scholar of organizational and systemic change. At the Scottish Government, he leads ARE Corporate, enabling whole-system transformation to support a just transition on climate and biodiversity across Scotland’s largest directorate. His practice blends organizational development, collective leadership, and coaching (individual, team, and systemic) to open and sustain spaces for inquiry that shift culture and unlock practical action.
Over two decades across public service and civil society, Nick has designed and stewarded communities of practice and inquiry, including ULab in Scotland, Art of Hosting initiatives, the International Futures Forum Transformative Innovation network, and UK/Ireland networks on action inquiry and community resilience. He brings a strong action-research stance to complex, cross-boundary challenges and supervises doctoral work on the Ashridge Doctorate in Organizational Change. Nick holds a PhD in action research and a master’s in human ecology.
Meet the Speakers I Faculty
Sharon Varney
Leadership and Organisational Development Consultant, Author, and Educator.
Sharon is an expert in leading and developing organizations in complex, fast-changing environments. Her work bridges practice and research to help senior leaders navigate ambiguity, build adaptability, and sustain change that makes a real difference.
Drawing on a background in global industries including oil & gas, finance, and manufacturing, Sharon now works across sectors to support strategic transformation, leadership development, and organizational design. Her doctoral research explored how leaders make sense of complexity in organizational life, shaping her distinctive approach that combines systems thinking, action research, and lived experience of change.
An author and practitioner known for “pushing the leading edge of practice,” Sharon creates space for learning and reflection amid uncertainty, helping people and organizations act with clarity and humanity in the face of complexity.
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