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FAQs

Frequently Asked Questions

What is Collaborate Business Solutions?

Collaborate Business Solutions is a UK-based organisational transformation consultancy. We help organisations move from task-focused, transactional ways of working to people-centred environments where individuals, teams and whole organisations genuinely thrive. Our work is grounded in the belief that when people feel seen, supported and understood, everything else, performance, culture and connection follow naturally.

‘Beyond Transactional’ is our philosophy and transformation framework. It describes the shift from organisations that are simply ‘getting things done’ to organisations that are ’empowering people to thrive.’ It means going beyond processes and productivity metrics to address the human experience at work; how people feel, how they connect, and how they grow. That is where real, lasting change begins.

We work with a wide range of organisations across the public and private sectors, including the NHS, WWF-UK, Arla Foods, and The University of Liverpool. Whether you are a small leadership team, a mid-sized organisation navigating change, or a large enterprise looking to transform your culture at scale, we tailor our approach to meet your specific needs.

We are based in the UK and work with organisations across the UK and internationally. We have experience of working across Europe, the Middle East and South America. Our methodology translates across sectors, cultures and geographies because the human fundamentals; connection, wellbeing, authentic communication are universal.

What is the Beyond Transactional framework?

Beyond Transactional is an integrated transformation framework that brings together three powerful approaches: Lumina Spark, the Emotional Culture Deck, and our two proprietary frameworks BREAKING™ and STRETCH™. Together, these create a complete system that addresses personality, emotion, resilience and sustainable growth at the individual, team and organisational level.

Most change programmes focus on process and structure. We start with people. Our framework recognises that emotions, personality and unspoken cultural norms can drive or derail performance and culture. By addressing these directly with practical, evidence-based tools, we create transformation that is authentic, sustainable and measurably impactful. We are not here to implement tools; we are here to enable real change.

Each element of our framework plays a distinct but complementary role and you don’t have to do them all. Lumina Spark provides deep awareness of personality and behaviour. The Emotional Culture Deck opens honest conversations about how people actually feel at work. BREAKING™ creates the structured space for meaningful reset and realignment. STRETCH™ builds the sustainable habits needed for ongoing growth. Together, they form a joined-up pathway from self-awareness to cultural transformation.

What is Lumina Spark and how does it work?

Lumina Spark is a sophisticated psychometric that goes far beyond traditional tools. Rather than placing people in fixed boxes or types, it creates a dynamic portrait that captures the full complexity of a person’s personality, including how we show up day-to-day, how we adapt in different contexts, and how our behaviour shifts under pressure. It gives individuals and teams a rich language for understanding themselves and each other.

Unlike MBTI or DISC, which assign fixed types, Lumina Spark recognises that human personality is fluid and contextual. It reveals how each person’s preferences, strengths and tendencies shift across different situations, preventing the reductive labelling that can limit self-perception and team dynamics. The result is a more honest and more useful picture of how people actually behave and what they genuinely need to thrive.

Teams that go through Lumina Spark develop a shared language for appreciating difference, reducing friction and communicating with greater empathy and ease. Rather than making assumptions about colleagues based on stereotypes or misunderstandings, teams learn to recognise and value the distinct strengths each person brings. This enables stronger collaboration and more psychologically safe environments.

Yes. Lumina Spark includes access to an app that makes personality insights available on the go, helping individuals and teams apply their learning in everyday working situations, not just during workshops or away days.

Collaborate have also developed a set of tools, Long Life Lumina, which continues to be bring to life and in conversations long after the workshop.

What is the Emotional Culture Deck?

The Emotional Culture Deck (ECD) is a facilitated card-based tool that gets people talking openly about how they feel at work, including the emotions that often go unsaid. It creates a safe, structured space for teams to explore what helps them thrive and what gets in the way, enabling the kind of honest conversations that build real trust and stronger, more emotionally aware cultures.

Most organisations focus on values, behaviours and strategic priorities. But emotional culture, how people actually feel at work, has an equally significant impact on performance, engagement, wellbeing and retention. When emotional culture is ignored, the costs are significant: disengagement, burnout, poor communication and talent loss. When it is acknowledged and cultivated intentionally, teams and organisations thrive.

By providing a structured and engaging format, the ECD removes the awkwardness that often prevents people from speaking honestly. It normalises emotional conversations at work, helping teams understand what colleagues need to feel supported, motivated and engaged. This openness is the foundation of genuine psychological safety.

Absolutely. In fact, it is one of the most powerful tools we use with leadership teams. Leaders who understand the emotional culture they are creating and what they need to do differently, become far more effective at motivating their teams, managing change and building environments where people genuinely want to give their best.

What is the BREAKING™ framework?

BREAKING™ is a proprietary framework developed by Collaborate, born from real lived experience of work-related stress. It addresses eight fundamental dimensions of human experience and gives individuals, teams and organisations a structured space to explore what authentic reset and transformation means for them, whether that is breaking away from unhealthy patterns, breaking out of limiting constraints, or redefining what success and fulfilment genuinely look like.

STRETCH™ is the companion to BREAKING™ and focuses on seven key habits that support sustainable growth while actively preventing overextension and burnout. Like a flexible guide, it adapts to the unique needs of each individual or team, whether they are developing new habits that propel growth, or setting healthier boundaries to protect their wellbeing. It is about growing in ways that are genuinely sustainable.

Both frameworks were developed by Collaborate’s founder, Louisa, based on personal experience navigating work-related stress and burnout. This authentic origin is what makes them different; they are not theoretical models, but practical frameworks shaped by genuine human experience. They speak to what actually happens when people are under pressure, and what is genuinely needed to reset and grow sustainably.

BREAKING™ creates the necessary space for reflection, reset and realignment, helping people understand what they need to let go of or challenge before meaningful growth can happen. STRETCH™ then provides the structure for building forward in a way that is healthy and sustainable. Used together, they create a complete cycle of transformation: from honest reckoning to purposeful, resilient growth.

Yes. Both frameworks are designed to work at the individual, team and organisational level, with an online tool available in 2026. When deployed across an organisation, they help identify systemic patterns, not just individual issues and build a collective culture of authentic reset and sustainable growth.  This is particularly powerful when combined with Lumina Spark data and Emotional Culture Deck insights for a full-picture organisational view.

What does a typical engagement with Collaborate look like?

No two pieces of work look the same, because we tailor everything to your specific context and goals. Typically, we begin with a discovery conversation to understand where your organisation is now and what you are working towards. From there, we design a bespoke programme that may combine coaching, team sessions, leadership development workshops and broader cultural transformation work, all drawing on our integrated framework of tools and methodologies.

All three, and the real power comes from connecting them. At the individual level, we focus on self-awareness, resilience and authentic growth. At the team level, we build genuine connection, psychological safety and shared ways of working. At the organisational level, we help you understand and intentionally shape your culture so that it enables people and performance to flourish together.

We measure success through meaningful transformation outcomes, not just tool completion or training hours. This includes changes in engagement, retention, leadership effectiveness, team cohesion, cultural health and wellbeing, assessed through conversation, data and direct feedback. We work with you to define what success looks like for your organisation before we begin, so that impact is always grounded in what matters most to you.

Meaningful transformation is a journey, not an event. While some organisations begin with a focused intervention such as a team development day or leadership workshop, the most lasting change happens through sustained engagement over time. We are experienced in designing programmes that fit your organisation’s capacity and budget, with clear milestones and regular review points to ensure momentum is maintained.

Yes, and this is where our work is often most needed. Periods of significant organisational change create uncertainty, disconnection and stress that, if left unaddressed, undermine both people and performance. Our framework gives you the tools to manage the human side of change proactively, maintaining trust, communication and engagement even during turbulent times.

Yes. Our founder is available to speak at UK and international conferences on workplace transformation, emotional culture, authentic leadership and sustainable wellbeing. If you are looking for a speaker who brings genuine insight, real experience and a refreshingly human perspective to these topics, we would love to hear from you.

How do I find out if Collaborate is right for my organisation?

The best place to start is a conversation. We offer an initial discovery call where we listen to where you are, what you are navigating, and what you are hoping to achieve. From there, we can share how our framework might help and what a tailored approach could look like for your organisation with no obligation or jargon.

We work with organisations of all sizes, from small leadership teams to large, complex enterprises. Our framework scales effectively whether you are working with a team of ten or an organisation of thousands, and we have experience across a wide range of sectors including healthcare, food and beverage, higher education, housing associated, conservation and the public sector.

Yes. While much of our work is delivered organisationally, we also work with individual leaders and professionals who want to develop their self-awareness, resilience and ability to lead and connect authentically. If you are a leader looking to grow in a sustainable, human way, we would love to speak with you.

You can reach us directly through our website contact form or by emailing us to arrange an initial call. We are always happy to have a straightforward conversation about where you are and how we might help.  A coffee catch up is always welcome.