What does Adaptive Edge do?

Adaptive Edge is a UK strategy and innovation consultancy. We help organisations decide what to change, then make the change real: strategy built with the people who must carry it, AI adoption inside real work, and behaviour change that sticks.

How is Adaptive Edge different from a traditional strategy consultancy?

We do not hand over a deck and leave. Strategy is made in working sessions with your own teams, so the people who must deliver it own it from day one. We prove an approach in one team before asking the whole organisation to change.

Who does Adaptive Edge work with?

Global organisations across healthcare, industrials, media, retail technology and financial services, including ITAB Group, Freudenberg, Sky and Sandvik Coromant. Engagements run across Europe and beyond, remote and on site.

How does Adaptive Edge approach AI adoption?

We put AI to work inside real workflows rather than running abstract training. Teams learn on their own live work, we measure what actually changes, and we scale only what proves useful.

What does a typical engagement look like?

Most engagements combine focused research, co-created working sessions, and hands-on tools built for your context. They range from a single workshop to a multi-phase transformation programme.

How do we start a conversation?

Use the contact form on the site. We usually begin with a short call to understand the decision you are facing, and we will tell you plainly if we are not the right fit.

Why it's (almost) impossible to be judgemental and curious at the same time

By Nathan Waterhouse · 2023-11-14

Take my friend, Sarah, for instance. Recently stepping into her new role as a relationship coach, she confided in me, her voice tinged with frustration, 'I just can't help feeling bad when my client is upset. It's like their pain becomes my pain.' Her struggle wasn't unique. In a workshop on empathy, I witnessed a similar challenge. A student, Jack, admitted with a hint of guilt, 'I keep judging the person I'm interviewing for my research. I know I'm supposed to empathize, but I find faults in them without even trying.'

Both Sarah and Jack were grappling with the intricate dance of empathy. It's a dance where the steps aren't always clear, and missteps are common. We often believe empathy means saying, 'I get it, the same thing happened to me…' But this approach, well-intentioned as it may be, risks us hijacking someone else's narrative. Our conversation partner, eager to connect, might nod in agreement. But in reality, their story, their emotions, might be taking a completely different path.

The intersection of judgment and curiosity is where empathy either thrives or withers. When we judge, we're putting on a pair of glasses that only lets us see in black and white; we categorize, we evaluate from a lofty perch of perceived superiority. Curiosity, on the other hand, equips us with a kaleidoscope, where colours and patterns shift, and a richer picture emerges. It's about embracing the nuances of someone else's experience without the filter of our own biases.

Studies underscore this dichotomy. A fascinating piece in 'Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience' (Gruber, Gelman, & Ranganath, 2014) revealed that curiosity lights up our brains in ways judgment cannot, paving the path for richer learning and understanding. Another, in the 'Journal of Experimental Social Psychology' (Todd & Kashdan, 2007), connected high scores in curiosity with greater empathy, suggesting that a curious mind is more adept at stepping into another's shoes.

Roman Krznaric, in his book 'Empathy: Why It Matters, and How to Get It,' argues convincingly for a curiosity-driven approach to empathy. He suggests that it's not enough to simply 'relate' to others. True empathy requires active, open-minded engagement, and a willingness to set aside our scripts and listen to the stories unfolding before us.

So, the next time you find yourself slipping into judgment, pause. Ask yourself, 'What can I learn here? What haven't I understood yet?' This simple shift in perspective can transform an interaction, moving it from a place of judgment to one of genuine, empathetic connection. It's about keeping the story theirs, not ours, and in doing so, we not only become better coaches, researchers, and friends but also more understanding humans.

References: Gruber, M. J., Gelman, B. D., & Ranganath, C. (2014). States of curiosity modulate hippocampus-dependent learning via the dopaminergic circuit. Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience, 9(5), 721–729. Todd, K., & Kashdan, T. (2007). The relationship between positive psychological functioning and social anxiety disorder. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 43(2), 271–278. Krznaric, R. (2014). Empathy: Why It Matters, and How to Get It. Penguin UK.