space for learning is an organisational consulting practice, established in 2007 by Dr Sharon Varney. We specialise in leadership, organisation design and organisational development (OD&D) in complex organisations.
We show you how to create space for learning
It’s a challenging world – are you running to stand still?
Success isn't a solo endeavour
It's created by people working together
We understand complex organisations
We don’t create complicated solutions to control complexity. They don’t work. They just add to the burden of organisational life. Instead, we work with you to create space for learning in continually evolving organisations.
We help you make sense in the midst of complexity, so you can make more informed choices about how to respond.
Creating space for learning is vital when you’re seeking to transform your organisation. It’s powerful when you want to develop your leaders and bring out the talent in your people. It’s essential when you want to engage your workforce and enhance communication and knowledge-sharing.
Making it work in five...
- Land change with your people
- Adapt in a changing world
- Activate leadership
- Energise your people
- Get unstuck in culture change
Thought and practice leadership:The value of an idea lies in the using of it
Our Team
Testimonials
I worked directly with Sharon over a 2+ year period when she helped us to develop our OD team and our in-house OD capabilities. Her flexible and realistic approach meant she was able to start where we were and helped us to go where the organisation needed us to go. I particularly appreciated her ability to simplify concepts for the team, engage patiently with those less keen on OD and work alongside me in partnership. Our combined work reshaped the team’s capability and helped the organisation to become more sophisticated in service delivery whilst cutting delivery costs.
EL – OD Director, public sector
Sharon brings warmth and lots of energy to every piece of work. She is able to combine a rigorous academic approach to organising and evaluating ideas in the field of complexity with a very practical consulting application of what that means for real people working in organisations. Her writing and presentation is both accessible and relevant and she is rapidly becoming a thought leader in leadership and organisational development. It is always a pleasure to work with Sharon. She brings learning to life and is always inspirational.
VG – OD consultant
Thank you and the ASPIRE programme for providing a space and opportunity to think about work, my role in work and work-life balance. Without the course I don’t think I would have thought deeper about my career and leadership direction … I just wanted to say the ASPIRE course is superb – and keeps the brain cogs whirring long beyond the end of the course!
SJ – ASPIRE participant, clinician
Thank you so much for the fantastic guidance and support in helping us with the Organizational Energy workshop. The response to the workshop was amazing and overwhelmingly positive! It was great to see the energy and interaction in the rooms as we identified our team’s emotional profile and in helping us identify strategies to boost our productive energy and help us get ‘unstuck’. With so much change we’ve been experiencing, the session was just what we needed.
JC – Change lead, multinational oil & gas company