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The latest thinking from across business, in brief.
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What Is Included

Hot Topic
& Checklist

A key topic for great leadership, right now.

High performance
management

The latest ideas and fresh thinking from around the world.

Innovation
leadership

New findings on building the innovative enterprise.

Expert
Viewport

Guest expert shares their latest insights on the future of leadership

Recent Hot Topics
Research

Data Analysis Methods

Data analysis helps organisations understand performance, investigate outcomes and make informed decisions. This hot topic examines four common approaches: descriptive, diagnostic, predictive, and prescriptive analysis. It explains the questions each approach can address, how they may connect and the limits of the conclusions they support. It also explores how workplace purpose, available evidence and intended decisions should guide the choice of analysis.

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KnowledgeBrief

Data Analysis Methods

Dynamic Systems Thinking
Research

Dynamic Systems Thinking

Dynamic systems thinking is the ability to anticipate how a change in one part of a service can affect people, behaviours, relationships and outcomes elsewhere in the wider system over time. A service map shows a snapshot; this way of thinking asks how that picture behaves once it starts to move, helping leaders spot ripple effects and unintended consequences before they commit to a change.

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KnowledgeBrief

Dynamic Systems Thinking

From Pain Points to Opportunity Briefs
Research

From Pain Points to Opportunity Briefs

Service maps surface far more pain points than any team can act on at once. This Hot Topic shows how to move from a map full of friction points to a small number of well-evidenced opportunity areas, then how to write an opportunity brief that hands each one to a design team with the evidence, scope, and success measure it needs to move forward.

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KnowledgeBrief

From Pain Points to Opportunity Briefs

Choosing a Mapping Approach
Research

Choosing a Mapping Approach

Service designers can choose from several ways to visualise a service, most commonly a service journey map, a service blueprint or an ecosystem map. Each shows a different picture of the same service, so picking the right one, for the right reason, at the right stage, is a skill leaders need to understand. This overview explains what each approach is suited to, what evidence it depends on and whose perspectives should shape it.

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KnowledgeBrief

Choosing a Mapping Approach

Service Mapping in Service Design
Research

Service Mapping in Service Design

Service mapping is the umbrella term for visualising how a service actually operates, how people experience it and the wider factors that shape it. Rather than describing a service in writing, leaders use maps such as journey maps, service blueprints and ecosystem maps to see the whole picture at a glance, highlight pain points and identify where a service could work better for both users and the organisation delivering it.

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KnowledgeBrief

Service Mapping in Service Design

Turning Evidence into Insight
Research

Turning Evidence into Insight

Research generates piles of notes, quotes, recordings and numbers. This resource explains how leaders can turn that raw material into findings and insights they can trust and act on, using simple, repeatable methods for sorting, analysing and testing evidence before it shapes a decision.

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KnowledgeBrief

Turning Evidence into Insight

Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods
Research

Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods

Service designers rely on two kinds of evidence: qualitative research, which explains why people feel and behave as they do, and quantitative research, which shows how many people are affected and how often. This Hot Topic explains the main methods, how they complement each other, why feedback loops matter, and how to involve the right people so evidence reflects real users.

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KnowledgeBrief

Qualitative and Quantitative Research Methods

Framing Research Questions and Objectives
Research

Framing Research Questions and Objectives

Before choosing a research method or proposing a fix, service designers need to know what they already know, what they are assuming, and what they still need to learn. This Hot Topic explains how to separate knowns from assumptions and unknowns, spot evidence gaps, and write research questions and objectives that focus the study on what genuinely needs investigating.

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KnowledgeBrief

Framing Research Questions and Objectives

Understanding User Needs, Pain Points and Opportunity Areas
Research

Understanding User Needs, Pain Points and Opportunity Areas

Good services start with understanding people, not assumptions about them. This Hot Topic explains how to tell user needs, pain points and opportunity areas apart, and how each one plays a distinct role in shaping a service that genuinely works for the people who rely on it.

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KnowledgeBrief

Understanding User Needs, Pain Points and Opportunity Areas

Inclusive and Sustainable Service Design
Research

Inclusive and Sustainable Service Design

A service is more than its front-end journey: it is a system of research, governance, delivery channels, data, and resources. Barriers to inclusion and sustainability usually form inside that system long before launch, not just at the point of delivery. This Hot Topic explains where those barriers commonly arise and why service designers should consider them from the outset, rather than retrofitting a solution once it already exists.

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KnowledgeBrief

Inclusive and Sustainable Service Design

How we can help

Become a Leader Your Employees Want To Follow

Become a Leader Your Employees Want To Follow

What makes a great leader?

Creating a Happier and Healthier Workforce

Creating a Happier and Healthier Workforce

Sustain a positive and psychologically healthy workforce

Better Management Training, Better Results

Better Management Training, Better Results

Our professional development courses are available to individuals or teams. Funded via the apprenticeship levy, the UK’s government apprenticeship scheme.

Essential Training to Grow Your Small Business

Essential Training to Grow Your Small Business

You can now get the same leadership, management and customer service training as the world’s most successful companies – funded via the government apprenticeship levy.

Maximise your Apprenticeship Levy

Maximise your Apprenticeship Levy

The Apprenticeship Levy, now in its third year, can on the face of it appear complex and inflexible and is often overlooked as a solution to recurring HR and L&D challenges. The good news is, the Levy doesn’t have to be disruptive at all.

Trusted by Over 700 Organisations
and More than 2,000 Learners

“The quality of support I have received from my coach has been extremely high. His coaching is considered, tailored and aligned to my personal experience, career stage as well as my day-to-day balancing of responsibilities. My apprenticeship has helped to bolster my confidence that I am taking a reasonable approach with some challenging clients.”

Liane Langdon

Director

Clarity Consulting Associates

“The apprenticeship with KnowledgeBrief was transformative, improving my leadership, strategic decisions, and confidence. I gained skills in planning, change management, financial acumen, and stakeholder engagement. Completing with distinction, I secured a new contract and expanded my consultancy.”

Sally Kee

Programme graduate

Grosvenor Health and Social Care

“The coaching course through KnowledgeBrief was well-structured, balancing theoretical and practical knowledge. The platform is easy to navigate, providing access to support and promoting a solid understanding of coaching fundamentals. The resources provided have been comprehensive.”

Sandra Ajidahun

Senior Talent Partner

Publicis Groupe

“KnowledgeBrief has great content and is detailed in the area I am developing in. The system is very clear and easy to use and navigate. Thanks to my Skills Coach for his support and guidance. I apply my course knowledge and experience, such as team performance, leadership styles, and the Eisenhower Matrix, to manage tasks effectively.”

Jonny Burrows

Assistant Manager

Cheltenham College

“The apprenticeship has greatly enhanced my understanding of strategic work and how different areas of the organisation operate. It has boosted my confidence to ask questions and take on senior-level tasks. Studying has pushed me out of my comfort zone, showing me my capabilities and improving my overall performance.”

Lauren Mitchell

HR Manager

Canterbury Oast Trust

“The support has been timely and professional and, since starting, I have increased my knowledge through the online platform and workshops. I'm covering subjects like business understanding, communication, and operational plans - which has boosted my confidence. I have thoroughly enjoyed the experience and would recommend it.”

Jason Windsor

Operations Manager HVAC

DENSO Manufacturing UK Ltd

“As a result of this apprenticeship, I have gained confidence at work. I've developed key skills in project management, communication, and technical processes, and have improved my performance through focused feedback. I am now better prepared to contribute to the team's goals and tackle future challenges.”

Cristian Condurache

Software Engineering Team Lead

Reach

“I have seen positive work improvements using what I’ve learnt about leadership, communication, and decision-making. I highly recommend the easy-to-use KnowledgeBrief platform with visual progress tracking, extra resources, and valuable information.”

Sharon Boia

EHS Manager

Abcam

“This journey has strengthened my strategic vision, stakeholder management, team and organisational influencing skills, and, most importantly, my confidence in communication. The structured learning and the tailored guidance has proven invaluable in giving me direction and purpose as a senior leader.”

Sam Dykes

Accounts Manager

Milling International Marketing Ltd

“This course improved my performance by helping me create strategies, demonstrate values, develop my team, identify growth areas, and gain leadership principles like communication, conflict resolution, and strategic thinking. I highly recommend it to anyone looking to strengthen their leadership abilities and make an impact.”

Linda Evans

UK Head of Product, Pricing & Marketing

Ferdinand Bilstein UK

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