Social Development is a gradual and holistic approach to individual, group, organisational, inter-organisational and community development.

The intention is to promote conditions where people can act, reflect, learn and improve performance within environments of trust and growth and at the same time understand the systems and broader context in which they work.

Social Development interventions are consensual processes, dependent on the organisation's phase of development and their individual needs and priorities. A range of insightful and powerful development processes are drawn on, and prescribed solutions discouraged. Organisations, teams, individuals and their leaders are supported and facilitated to fully explore their own situations and dilemmas, to gain insight into their own developmental needs, challenges and dilemmas -- as a first step. They then have the individual and collective wisdom for unfolding and acting on the most sustainable and enduring solution.

The conceptual and philosophical roots for this approach to Social Development are drawn from the inspiring work of Bernard Lievegoed - (scholar of philosopher Rudolf Steiner and a pioneer of OD in the late 1940's and a founder of the Nederlandse Pedagogiese Instituut - NPI), and the worldwide Association for Social Development - ( The ASD is an active worldwide association of Social Development practitioners).

A key aspect of our approach to Organisation Development involves discovering the organisation "Will" , and helping it to become explicit. The difference between the organisations "Will", its "Head" or conscious Vision, and"Heart" or social sub-structure defines, to large extent the organisations challenge. A healthy organisation must find congruence in these three realms.

Where organisations are confronted by the need to change or take a bold step into the future - the big question is - "is there sufficient Will/commitment to do this?". We believe that the more the collective organisational Will is engaged, the more likely the solutions are to be sustainable and lasting.