Jim Ewing spent his professional life with people living at the learning edge – individuals, teams, groups, companies and organisations. Changes of circumstances are part of life – loss or possibility, events, surprises or transitions – and when we can no longer ignore them, they demand our attention.

Jim’s practice supports people to brave the uncertainty of change helping let go of the past and what is no longer serving a useful purpose, and to embrace a more fulfilling future. Changing minds, making choices and creating stories with the minimum of fuss. His transition tools offer frameworks for transformative conversations for steep changes and life redesigns. The tools are maps, designed to bring the many human responses triggered by change and uncertainty to the surface for examination – critical work raising awareness in ourselves and others of the forces in play in the human system. However, this is only part of the story – we must also acknowledge the context we are operating in and the external forces at work. The maps provide just enough scaffolding to enable a conversational, casual, no frills (and no waiting) intervention for individuals and groups, a guide for the skills and knowledge needed to design the way forward on our journey.

The core suite consists of five maps – The Insight Cycle, Stucco, Implemento, Impacto and TransforMAP. These are introduced below.

Additional maps are available for specific circumstances, for example Invento (to create a compelling scenario to proceed from where we are to a desirable future), Quanta (to raise our knowledge about complex interactions of Intentions, Forces & Powers) and Relato (to understand and manage critical stakeholders & relationships).

Advanced practitioners can also access further techniques including EmpowerMAP (a framework for coaching relationships which maps our lives and those of our organisations, enabling us to work at turning points towards empowering futures) or Power + Edge to use feedback to explore uncertain spaces to find meaning, direction and learning to better able us to handle uncertainties. To further develop your own skills in these areas contact us.

The Insight Cycle is the entry point for our work with the maps. The Cycle reveals four related domains of experience, common to organisations, groups and individuals. The interaction of these four concepts generates personal and organisational change, learning and transformation.

Stucco brings fresh thinking to old problems, breaks out of vicious cycles, and helps us to know what to do when everything else we have tried has failed.

Implemento can be used to design action plans that confront reality, engage resistance and provide 'hindsight in advance'.

Impacto enables us to enrol people in the shortest possible time, clarify and address barriers, and deliver messages in a way that tests understanding and commitment.

TransforMAP is a guide for making headway through the uncertainty, confusing feelings and conflicting thoughts which accompany significant change.