CENTER FOR APPLIED
THEORY OF MIND
PERSPECTIVE TAKING, GAINING, SHIFTING & SHAPING
CONSULTANCY
Organizational Sensemaking
Understanding the minds behind organizational behavior
Organizations do not think, decide, or collaborate—people do. The quality of an organization therefore depends on how well its people understand themselves, understand one another, and make sense of the challenges they face together.
Using the CAToM Framework, we help organizations uncover the mental processes that shape communication, decision-making, leadership, collaboration, and change. Rather than addressing symptoms alone, we explore the underlying perspectives, assumptions, motivations, and relational dynamics that drive behavior across the organization.
Every intervention is tailored to your organization's unique context and combines practical application with evidence-informed methods to create sustainable change.
Together, we translate organizational complexity into shared understanding, wiser decisions, and more effective action.
Areas of expertise:
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Organizational sensemaking and decision-making
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Leadership and relational dynamics
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Communication and collaboration
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Organizational culture and psychological safety
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Team and stakeholder relationships
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Change, adaptation, and organizational learning
Team Development
Building teams that understand before they act
High-performing teams are not defined simply by talent or structure, but by their capacity to understand one another, navigate and negotiate different perspectives and think effectively together.
The CAToM Framework helps teams strengthen mentalization—the ability to understand the mental states that shape behavior. As this capacity develops, teams communicate more openly, manage conflict more constructively, make better decisions and collaborate more effectively under pressure.
Depending on the team's needs, we complement the CAToM Framework with established evidence-based approaches that support learning, behavioral change, and sustainable performance improvement. Every intervention is designed around the team's specific context rather than a standardised programme.
Our aim is not simply to improve how teams work, but to strengthen how they think, relate, and learn together.
The Process We Apply
Purpose & Partnership
Establish a shared understanding of the challenge, align expectations, and define what meaningful change will look like.
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Initial meeting(s)
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Clarify roles and boundaries
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Set goals and outcomes
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Create a contract or agreement
Make Sense Together
Develop a shared understanding of the mental, relational, and organizational dynamics that shape the challenge.
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Interviews and focus groups with employees, managers, or teams.
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Surveys and assessments (e.g., engagement, leadership style, job satisfaction).
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Observation of meetings or workflows.
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Review of organizational data: Turnover, absenteeism, performance, etc.
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Identify recurring patterns of interaction, assumptions, perspectives, decision-making processes, and organizational conditions that influence behavior and performance.
Shared Reflection
Move from insight to action.
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Hold a feedback session with client to review findings and align on next steps.
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Support client in choosing a path forward.
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Provide a feedback report — clear, actionable and aligned with business goals.
Co-Design & Implementation
Together we design interventions that strengthen individual and collective mentalization while addressing the organizational conditions that support sustainable change.
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Design interventions — examples:
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Leadership training
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Team workshops
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Communication training
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Process redesign
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Culture-building initiatives
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Pilot the intervention with a small group (if feasible).
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Roll out implementation with ongoing support and flexibility.
Continue Making Sense
Measure success and ensure changes are sustained.
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Use pre/post measures to assess impact.
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Collect feedback from participants and stakeholders.
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Analyze outcomes (behavioral changes, team performance, retention, etc.).
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Make adjustments based on what worked and what didn’t.
