The following pages describe the Cambridge Leadership Associates (CLA) Adaptive Leadership Case Consultation methodology that has been used by thousands of people across private, public and non-profit sectors.

The structure of this process can feel awkward at first, but is designed to surface new interpretations and areas of activity that would not be realised in traditional dialogue. The value of the consultation often comes from the diagnostic breakthroughs, helping the Case Presenter see the situation in a fundamentally different way than he or she presented it to the group.

This diagnostic process requires the group to be free to brainstorm without constraint: there are no bad ideas, nor are there avenues closed to exploration. What often happens is that as themes develop, the group will gravitate toward one or two ideas about how to look at the case that are new and perhaps even uncomfortable for the Case Presenter.