Business Planning is a fundamental and basic requirement for any organisation that aspires to be successful and have effective control of its activities and resources. In practice, without effective business planning, not only are good opportunities likely to be lost but problems that are encountered are much more likely to pose a serious threat to the future of the organisation.

Obsidian can provide both those with a good understanding of business planning, and those perhaps with little experience of the process, with the experience and support that will enable them to develop a new plan or review an existing one. Our approach is designed to challenge current thinking and provide stimulating ways of developing new ideas in order that our clients can themselves develop a route that they believe will be best for their own particular circumstances.

Performance Management is the 'bedrock' for making the most of the knowledge, skills and experience of ones people. Whether it is establishing what a particular job entails, agreeing clearly in advance what is expected of each individual, reviewing actual performance, or taking appropriate steps to develop ones people, effective performance management is critical if one is to be a successful manager or leader.

Obsidian has considerable experience in the critical field of performance management. Every organisation's requirements and culture are different and we can help clients develop an approach that is practical for their own needs. This might be a competence framework, an appraisal process, a 360º feedback approach, an assessment or development centre, or any of the other areas covered by this subject.

Executive coaching is recognised as a highly practical way of improving the performance of managers. Time pressures on executives have increased enormously in recent years, which means that the more traditional ways of developing people (e.g. training programmes and workshops), are becoming more difficult to fit into busy schedules. Executive coaching is a cost effective way of developing people without taking them out of the workplace for lengthy periods since it is carried out on a one-to-one basis for relatively short periods (around two hours for sessions that may number no more than 3-4 over several months), with the focus wholly on the individual's particular needs.

Obsidian are well placed to provide executive coaching since all our consultants have held senior management positions during their careers and consequently have personal experience of the issues that executives face. At any one time we are likely to be carrying out assignments that in total involve 50 or more individuals.

Examples of work we've done recently include:

• Improving the Performance Management of Individuals
• Blended Research
• Strategy Review

See our case studies section for more examples.

Obsidian, in partnership with the British Antarctic Survey, runs a forum for those who run companies to debate the roles of business in society.

Summary of CSR seminar available as download.

Forum 4 report available as download.

You can keep in touch with Obsidian’s network and events by joining the Friends of Obsidian group on LinkedIn. Just click here.