Who is Groundwork?

In its current form, the Groundwork practice and Groundwork model were named and developed by James Ede and Rowan Simonsen in collaboration with Toke Møller. Groundwork practice has emerged out of, and is an integral part of The Art of Hosting, widely acknowledged as an effective approach for working, collaborating, leading and learning in complex systems around issues that matter.

There are countless highly skilled practitioners applying Groundwork practice every day without necessarily being aware of the subtleties of the work they are doing. And there are others who are aware, but who may not necessarily be able to describe what it is that they are doing. Our intention with naming it, giving it form and making it visible is to make it possible for more people to practice it more consciously.

Since the first Groundwork training in 2016, other practitioners have begun using and offering Groundwork practice to build capacity for organising and collaborating in their contexts. It is quickly becoming an important practice for an international community of leaders, innovators and change-makers who are passionate and committed to creating purposeful organisations and collaborating powerfully for results that matter.