Q: What has been your path into consultancy at Roffey Park?

Emma Du Parcq: Since my first part-time job in retail, I’ve been fascinated by what makes organisations successful and great places to work. I suspected, long before diving into the research, that there was a connection between work environments where people felt valued and engaged, and the benefit they created for customers. In my early retail career, being face-to-face with customers every day, I gained a strong understanding of customer needs. As my career moved into finance and later into sales and marketing and then education, I gained a solid foundation in what drives business success, as well as how data plays a role in decision-making.

I’ve been lucky to be involved in and lead large transformation projects with companies like Boots and IBM, and at the University of Cambridge. I am especially interested in how people respond psychologically to change. The reputation Roffey Park Institute has for learning, development and helping organisations deliver what really matters felt like a perfect fit and I joined the team two years ago, initially leading programmes and then an extended responsibility for client consulting.

Q: What are the biggest challenges organisations are facing right now?

EDP: Right now, many leaders are struggling to adapt their organisations to respond quickly enough to a fast-changing, complex world. Some haven’t yet realised that ‘what got them here won’t get them there’.

Others can see the need for change but struggle to implement it with their people. In some organisations, the top team disagrees amongst themselves on the steps needed to improve performance and culture, and misalignment can hold organisations back. A critical part of our work is helping leaders align with purpose, find common ground and agree on a way forward that everyone feels compelled to adopt.

Another major issue is understanding the different motivations, preferences and needs of a diverse and multigenerational workforce. Many businesses focus on short-term goals and fail to adequately plan for the future — including succession for key roles and the development of future skills.

Q: What future trends should organisations prepare for?

EDP: When people talk about future trends, they often jump to technology. Technology is usually an enabler, not the solution in itself. There’s no doubt when used well, technology gives businesses a competitive advantage, allowing them to be more efficient and deliver better, faster and cheaper products and services. But technology isn’t a silver bullet and won’t transform an organisation without an intentional change in leadership.

Another trend to watch is the future of work. Many organisations, especially public services, charities and long-established firms, are structured in ways that worked for a prior industrial age. These hierarchical models are no longer fit for purpose – they aren’t conducive to the agility and innovation organisations need to thrive in today’s knowledge economy. As we move away from manufacturing to brain-based work, organisations need to rethink how and where we work and how we create the conditions to help our people manage their well-being.

Q: From your work with leadership teams, what do effective teams do well?

EDP: Effective teams are built on trust. It may sound simple, but feeling trusted and being trustworthy is rare to see in practice. Deep trust is about having regular, open and sometimes difficult, conversations. It’s about saying what you do and doing what you say. It requires putting the needs of the business before personal agendas and setting ego aside. We are wired to want to be liked and respected, and so it’s not easy to admit mistakes or welcome someone else’s good ideas. Trust also means being willing to fail and experiment; we know that failure is a necessary ingredient of learning and growth.

Q: Is building trust more difficult in a hybrid or remote working environment?

EDP: It’s true that humans thrive on connection and face-to-face interactions create a unique energy that’s hard to replicate remotely. However, it’s still possible to build trust in hybrid settings — we do it successfully every day at Roffey Park. While remote work can make relationships take longer to develop, maintaining some in-person contact where possible really helps nurture and maintain trust and healthy working relationships. That’s why Roffey Park Venue is such a great place for work meetings, workshops, events and conferences.

Q: Gallup’s State of the Workplace Report 2022 found that only 21% of UK workers are engaged. Why do you think this is and what can be done to improve it?

EDP: It’s shocking really, isn’t it? I believe the design of too many jobs doesn’t consider our unique human needs. We’re unlike machines — we need breaks, a sense of purpose and the knowledge that our work will contribute to the bigger picture. As people, we want the opportunity to use our skills, to grow and connect with others. We innately seek connections with others to work towards a common goal and the isolation that can come with remote working can make this harder. This is why we help organisations optimise their hybrid working models.

Engagement also hinges on creating an inclusive organisational culture where everyone feels safe, valued and a sense of belonging. When employees aren’t engaged, this inevitably affects customers too and ultimately, performance suffers. Put another way, engaged employees are crucial to achieving business success, so creating the conditions for people to thrive isn’t just a nice thing to do, it’s essential and it’s everybody’s responsibility, through everyday actions. Leaders – ignore this at your peril!

Q: What does a typical day look like for a Roffey Park consultant?

EDP: Broadly, my work is divided into three areas. First, I spend time with clients — speaking with prospective clients about the challenges they’re facing and working together to find solutions. This involves me travelling to client sites to lead workshops or working online in small group learning sessions.

Secondly, I connect with my colleagues; we’re a close-knit team and I value the energy that comes from our regular collaboration. Finally, I dedicate time to keeping up with the latest trends and continuing my own professional development to ensure I’m always bringing fresh insights to my client work.

Q: What advice would you give someone wanting to enter the field of change and transformation consultancy?

EDP: Firstly, you need to understand that it’s never about you and what you know; it’s about the client and their needs. While knowledge is important, what truly matters is how you engage with clients, asking powerful questions and exploring how you help them learn and grow through facilitation, coaching and occasionally, by gently challenging their worldview.

At Roffey Park Institute, we don’t simply provide solutions; we work with clients to understand their challenges and develop sustainable, long-term improvements that improve their ability to adapt in future. It’s more about facilitating capability growth than a quick fix. I’d recommend developing your facilitation and coaching skills and to get a good grounding in organisation design and organisational development. We offer programmes to help you develop these skills.

Q: What would you say to a new consultant struggling with results and not seeing successful outcomes?

EDP: It’s important to know you’re not alone — this work is tough. My advice is to reach out and connect with others in similar situations. For example, joining one of our open programmes can be a great way to learn from others. Additionally, build a network of supportive colleagues or professionals through LinkedIn, industry groups or attend free events like our Navigator webinars. Sometimes, sharing experiences and getting feedback from others can reignite your motivation and provide fresh perspectives.

Q: Magic wand time — what would your three wishes be?

EDP: I’d like to see leaders show more curiosity and authentic humility. Asking more questions, experimenting and learning together makes a significant improvement in decision-making and problem-solving approaches, rather than feeling that as the boss, they must have all the answers.

I’d also like to see investors, governments and other powerful stakeholders focus on long-term strategies rather than short-term gains as that’s what sustainability really means. Lastly, I wish for more people to recognise the power of asking great questions and deep listening. These skills come naturally for the best OD practitioners and coaches, but they are skills that we can all learn that can really help organisational success.