For Companies

Behaviour Change Programmes for Companies: Build a High-Performance
Culture That Sticks

Most cultures fail not because the strategy is wrong, but because the behaviour layer is never reached. Quiet quitters do not respond to slide decks. Leaders do not become ready in two-day off-sites. We build the kind of culture people behave their way into, programme by programme.

Updated October 2026

$10T
Lost annually to disengagement
Gallup, State of the Global Workplace 2026
70%
Of transformations fail
McKinsey Transformation Research
50%
Of leaders feel unprepared
DDI Global Leadership Forecast
1 in 4
Don't feel safe to speak up
McKinsey Psychological Safety

Why This Page Exists

Most Training
Solves the Wrong Problem

UK organisations spent an average of £1,700 per employee on training in 2024 (DfE Employer Skills Survey), yet engagement, retention and leadership readiness keep slipping. Most programmes treat symptoms. We do the opposite: name the people problem, design the behavioural intervention, measure the shift. See our research-backed approach. How we measure behaviour change, baseline, observation and follow-up, is set out in the guide.

Got a specific challenge in mind? A 30-minute call gives you a clearer answer than the website ever could.

Book a Free Call

Six Tailored Programmes

Pick Your Biggest Problem

Starting points, we adapt scope, format and depth to your sector and team.

Problem 01

Disengagement & Quiet Quitting

Tailored Programme
Engagement & Culture Reset

A focused intervention that surfaces why people have checked out, and equips managers to listen, coach and recognise differently. The full design is on our employee engagement consultant in London page.

Anonymous behavioural diagnostic before the workshop
Live role-play of "stay conversations" with feedback
90-day manager action plan with tracking
Format: 2 daysGroup: Up to 100
Problem 02

Leadership Pipeline Gap

11%
of organisations rate their leadership bench as "strong", down from 18% in 2011DDI Global Leadership Forecast
Tailored Programme
Leadership Accelerator

A 12 to 16 week programme for emerging and mid-level leaders. Theatre-based simulations, 1:1 coaching and high-stakes decision labs, fast-tracking readiness and confidence. Formats and cohorts are set out under leadership training in London, the senior tier under executive training in London.

3 immersive modules (crisis, conflict, change)
Behavioural 360° at start and end
6 individual coaching sessions per leader
Format: 12–16 weeksCohort: 12–25
Problem 03

Inclusion & Tokenism

Tailored Programme
Inclusion in Action

DEI beyond awareness training. Immersive theatre, including the Goldsmiths-commended The Accused, confronts unconscious bias through lived emotional experience policy slides cannot reach. More on DEI training in London.

Choice of immersive event (e.g. The Accused)
Pre/post bias measurement (validated tools)
Manager debrief & behavioural commitments
Format: 1 evening + workshopsAudience: up to 300
Problem 04

Change Fatigue & Failed Transformations

Tailored Programme
Change Resilience Lab

A simulation-based change programme using our nuclear site simulation methodology. Teams live the change in a safe environment first, surfacing resistance, hidden alliances and political risks before launch. More on change management training in London.

Bespoke simulation built around your transformation
Stakeholder mapping & resistance forecasting
Embedded change-champion network
Format: 2–3 days + follow-upGroup: Leadership team
Problem 05

Psychological Safety Crisis

#1
predictor of team performance, out of 5 dynamics studiedGoogle re:Work / Project Aristotle (2015)
Tailored Programme
Speak-Up Programme

After an investigation, near-miss or whistleblowing incident, you need more than a policy refresh. Immersive theatre puts the moment of raising a concern in the room, confronting assumptions and silence head-on. More on psychological safety training in London.

Confidential pre-event culture audit
Live scenario rehearsal with professional actors
Manager skill-build on speak-up conversations
Format: 1–2 daysAudience: up to 300
Problem 06

Innovation Drought & Risk Aversion

6%
of employees feel actively encouraged to take risks and experiment at workAccenture Future of Work
Tailored Programme
Innovation Mindset Sprint

A 2-day sprint on the MARVELous Ideas methodology. Breaks risk aversion and rebuilds a culture of safe experimentation, fast prototyping and constructive challenge. Full programme page: innovation training in London. More on our problem solving workshop in London.

Live "pitch and tear-down" challenge with actors
Behavioural reframe of failure as data
Innovation rituals embedded in team routines
Format: 2 daysGroup: Up to 50

High-Performance Culture Programme

The Programme Behind the Promise

Engagement & Culture Reset is the programme behind the promise in the headline. It re-engages teams who have checked out and rebuilds the habits a high-performance culture runs on: a behavioural diagnostic first, then the conversations managers avoid, in the room with actors, then a measurement against your baseline. The thinking behind it is set out in our high-performance culture guide. For one team at a time it runs as high-performance team training in London.

Enterprise Programmes

When the Brief Is the Whole Organisation

Some briefs are bigger than one cohort. For those we design multi-cohort and enterprise programmes, the same bespoke scenario work repeated across teams and years with embedding in between, and the procurement route that applies is clarified in the first conversation: see corporate training in London. For leadership populations the enterprise tier is Format five: enterprise leadership development. Procurement and format questions are covered in the FAQs.

What's Included

Built Like a Production,
Not a Slide Deck

Every Sidestream engagement is a full creative production. Below is what's typically included, adapted to your scope, sector and group size during the diagnostic call. The client journey page walks through the stages from first call to measurement.

Phase 01

Design &
Pre-Production

  • →Strategic consultation & concept refinement with your sponsor
  • →Behavioural diagnostic mapped to a specific COM-B target
  • →Instructional design & detailed facilitation plan
  • →Bespoke narrative built around your sector & people
  • →Up to 5 internal simulations for pacing & QA
Phase 02

Production
& Materials

  • →Professional actor casting from our trained ensemble
  • →Script polish & character dossier finalisation
  • →Online rehearsals with the cast
  • →Custom participant materials, props & media (e.g. CCTV footage, briefings)
  • →Co-facilitator for complex scenarios
Phase 03

On-Site
Delivery

  • →Mandatory full dress rehearsal on-site
  • →3–4 hour immersive experience with phased disruption mechanics
  • →Up to 25 participants per cohort (scalable to 300 in event format)
  • →Structured debrief & reflection session
  • →Post-event manager toolkit for embedding behaviours
Investment

Quoted
Per Engagement

Every engagement is bespoke, so it is priced per engagement, with the price covering design, production and delivery, from a single workshop to bespoke corporate training in London for a whole organisation. After the free 30-minute diagnostic call, you receive an itemised written quote, no hidden costs, no upsell.

Public-sector, educational and not-for-profit rates are available on request.

How We Work With Companies

Four Steps to Real Change

01
Diagnostic Call

We start with a free 30-minute call. You describe the problem in your own words. We tell you honestly whether we're the right fit.

Week 0 · 30 minutes
02
Consulting

We measure what's really happening: validated psychometric tools, leader interviews, focus groups. You get a baseline that becomes your benchmark.

Weeks 1 to 3
03
Bespoke Design & Delivery

We design the immersive intervention around your data, your culture, your sector. Then we deliver it, workshops, simulations or full theatre events, including the working part of a corporate away day in London.

Weeks 4 to 7 · Delivery Week
04
Measure & Embed

We measure against your baseline three to six weeks after delivery and again at around 90 days. Booster sessions and manager toolkits keep behaviours sticky long after launch.

Weeks 9 to 16 · Embedding
Measuring behaviour change in five steps: define the observable behaviour, capture a baseline and choose observable indicators before delivery, re-measure three to six weeks after delivery and again at around 90 days, and isolate the training effect, for example with a comparison group measured over the same period. A timeline from left to right, not to scale, in three zones. BEFORE: Step 1, Define the observable behaviour before you train. Step 2, Capture a baseline, shown as a black point on the timeline. Step 3, Choose observable behavioural indicators: frequency counts, structured observation ratings, work artefacts. DELIVERY: a yellow block on the timeline. AFTER: Step 4, Follow up after the behaviour should have embedded, linked by a pink fork to two pink points: three to six weeks after delivery, and again at around 90 days. Below, a dashed grey line for Step 5, Isolate the training effect: a comparison group, a similar team that has not yet been trained, measured over the same period, with hollow points at the same three moments and no delivery block. Alternatives: a phased rollout, or a disciplined pre-and-post design. MEASURING BEHAVIOUR CHANGE IN FIVE STEPS BEFORE AFTER 1 Define the observable behaviour before you train 2 Capture a baseline 3 Choose observable behavioural indicators frequency counts structured observation ratings work artefacts 4 Follow up after the behaviour should have embedded three to six weeks after delivery again at around 90 days baseline DELIVERY 5 Isolate the training effect A comparison group: a similar team that has not yet been trained, measured over the same period or a phased rollout · or a disciplined pre-and-post design Not to scale. Measuring behaviour change in five steps: define the observable behaviour, capture a baseline and choose observable indicators before delivery, re-measure three to six weeks after delivery and again at around 90 days, and isolate the training effect, for example with a comparison group measured over the same period. A timeline from top to bottom, not to scale, in three zones. BEFORE: Step 1, Define the observable behaviour before you train. Step 2, Capture a baseline, shown as a black point on the timeline. Step 3, Choose observable behavioural indicators: frequency counts, structured observation ratings, work artefacts. DELIVERY: a yellow block on the timeline. AFTER: Step 4, Follow up after the behaviour should have embedded, with two pink points on the timeline: three to six weeks after delivery, and again at around 90 days. At the end, a white box with a dashed outline for Step 5, Isolate the training effect: a comparison group, a similar team that has not yet been trained, measured over the same period. Alternatives: a phased rollout, or a disciplined pre-and-post design. MEASURING BEHAVIOUR CHANGE IN FIVE STEPS BEFORE 1 Define the observable behaviour before you train 2 Capture a baseline 3 Choose observable behavioural indicators frequency counts structured observation ratings work artefacts baseline DELIVERY AFTER 4 Follow up after the behaviour should have embedded three to six weeks after delivery again at around 90 days Not to scale. 5 Isolate the training effect A comparison group: a similar team that has not yet been trained, measured over the same period or a phased rollout or a disciplined pre-and-post design

Re-measure the same indicators three to six weeks after the event and again at around 90 days. No baseline, no change, only a snapshot.

Sidestream's own method description, not a research finding.

What You Can Expect

Measurable
Outcomes

Measurement is baked into every programme. The figures here come from the research the method builds on. Your own results are measured against the baseline taken in the consulting phase.

d = 1.08
A large effect size for rehearsal over instructional video at teaching feedback delivery, blind-rated by two independent assessors. Randomised 2020 UCL study by co-founder Ben Laumann, n = 57 (method and limits).
+50%
Long-term retention from active retrieval vs. re-reading (Roediger & Karpicke, 2006, Psychological Science)

Questions Decision-Makers Ask

Before You Book the Call

The questions a CEO, CHRO or COO actually wants answered before the diagnostic call, answered honestly.

Client journey in six phases, from a free 30-minute call to measurement three to six weeks after delivery and again at around 90 days Six numbered phases in sequence. Phase 01, Week 0 · 30 minutes, Free Consultation: a 30-minute call with one of our founders. No deck. Phase 02, Weeks 1 to 3, Consulting: where confidentiality allows, interviews, focus groups and a behavioural diagnostic. Phase 03, Weeks 4 to 7, Bespoke Build: a custom scenario built around your sector and people. Phase 04, Delivery Week, Live Programme: from a half-day workshop to two or three days of live, immersive practice. Phase 05, Weeks 9 to 16, Booster and Rituals: manager toolkits, 15-minute weekly check-ins. Phase 06, 3 to 6 weeks and around 90 days after delivery, Measure and Scale: we re-run the diagnostic to measure delta on the behaviours we set out to move. Two measurement points: 3 to 6 weeks after delivery, and around 90 days after delivery. A bracket from phase 01 to the first measurement point reads: 12 to 16 weeks from the first call to the follow-up measurement, depending on format. Not to scale. 01 02 03 04 05 06 WEEK 0 30 MINUTES Free Consultation A 30-minute call with one of our founders. No deck. WEEKS 1 TO 3 Consulting Where confidentiality allows, we run interviews, focus groups and a behavioural diagnostic. WEEKS 4 TO 7 Bespoke Build A custom scenario built around your sector and people. DELIVERY WEEK Live Programme From a half-day workshop to two or three days of live, immersive practice. WEEKS 9 TO 16 Booster & Rituals Manager toolkits, 15-minute weekly check-ins. 3 TO 6 WEEKS AND AROUND 90 DAYS AFTER DELIVERY Measure & Scale We re-run the diagnostic to measure delta on the behaviours we set out to move. 3 to 6 weeks after delivery around 90 days after delivery 12 to 16 weeks from the first call to the follow-up measurement, depending on format Not to scale. Client journey in six phases, from a free 30-minute call to measurement three to six weeks after delivery and again at around 90 days Six numbered phases in sequence. Phase 01, Week 0 · 30 minutes, Free Consultation: a 30-minute call with one of our founders. No deck. Phase 02, Weeks 1 to 3, Consulting: where confidentiality allows, interviews, focus groups and a behavioural diagnostic. Phase 03, Weeks 4 to 7, Bespoke Build: a custom scenario built around your sector and people. Phase 04, Delivery Week, Live Programme: from a half-day workshop to two or three days of live, immersive practice. Phase 05, Weeks 9 to 16, Booster and Rituals: manager toolkits, 15-minute weekly check-ins. Phase 06, 3 to 6 weeks and around 90 days after delivery, Measure and Scale: we re-run the diagnostic to measure delta on the behaviours we set out to move. Two measurement points: 3 to 6 weeks after delivery, and around 90 days after delivery. A bracket from phase 01 to the first measurement point reads: 12 to 16 weeks from the first call to the follow-up measurement, depending on format. Not to scale. 01 02 03 04 05 06 WEEK 0 · 30 MINUTES Free Consultation A 30-minute call with one of our founders. No deck. WEEKS 1 TO 3 Consulting Where confidentiality allows, we run interviews, focus groups and a behavioural diagnostic. WEEKS 4 TO 7 Bespoke Build A custom scenario built around your sector and people. DELIVERY WEEK Live Programme From a half-day workshop to two or three days of live, immersive practice. WEEKS 9 TO 16 Booster & Rituals Manager toolkits, 15-minute weekly check-ins. 3 TO 6 WEEKS AND AROUND 90 DAYS AFTER DELIVERY Measure & Scale We re-run the diagnostic to measure delta on the behaviours we set out to move. 3 to 6 weeks after delivery around 90 days after delivery 12 to 16 weeks from the first call to the follow-up measurement, depending on format Not to scale.

Six phases, one outcome. Behaviour is measured three to six weeks after delivery and again at around 90 days.

Sidestream's own method description, not a research finding. Each phase in detail.

How much of my team's time will this take?

Less than you think. Plan for 2–3 hours of executive sponsor time per month plus participant time during sessions. The consulting phase (Weeks 1 to 3) needs HR/People as a partner. We do the heavy lifting on design, production and delivery.

What's the budget order of magnitude?

Engagements scale from a single workshop day to multi-month programmes with simulation production. We'll give you a written, itemised quote after the diagnostic call, no hidden costs, no upsell. Public-sector, educational and not-for-profit rates available on request.

How quickly can we start?

A workshop or short engagement: 4–6 weeks from signed quote to delivery. A full bespoke simulation with custom scripting and actor casting follows our client journey: consulting in weeks 1 to 3, the bespoke build in weeks 4 to 7, then the delivery week. We'll tell you honestly on the diagnostic call whether your timeline is realistic.

How is this different from McKinsey, Bain or our internal L&D?

Strategy houses define the change. Internal L&D communicates it. We do the bit neither of them does: get the actual behaviour to shift in the room, with actors, under pressure, with same-day feedback. We complement, not replace, your wider transformation work.

What if it doesn't work?

Every engagement starts with a measurable baseline (validated diagnostics, behavioural 360°, climate data) and a measurement against it three to six weeks after delivery and again at around 90 days. If the numbers don't move, the data tells us what to do next, we don't bury it. For first-time clients we can propose a contained pilot before any larger commitment.

Who actually delivers it?

Sidestream is led by Ben Laumann (UCL-trained organisational psychologist, MSc in Industrial/Organisational and Business Psychology) and a network of professional actors and behavioural facilitators. You meet the senior lead on the diagnostic call. More on the team →

When We Are Not The Right Fit

If you need compliance training that ticks a regulatory box, an e-learning platform, or a one-off keynote with no behaviour-change goal, we are not the right partner, there are excellent suppliers for each, and we will happily point you to them. We are the right partner when something specific needs to change in how your people behave, and you are willing to measure it.

How We Compare

Sidestream vs. The Alternatives

A CFO's-eye view of where each option fits, and where each one runs out of road.

Dimension Sidestream Strategy Consultancy Internal L&D
Defines the change Behavioural shift, jointly with you Strategy & operating model Communicates what's been decided
Designs the intervention Bespoke immersive scenario, live actors, debrief Slide decks, frameworks, governance Off-the-shelf or e-learning module
Where behaviour actually changes In the room, under pressure, with feedback Hoped-for downstream effect Rarely, that's the 70% gap
Time-to-first-impact Weeks (workshop) to months (programme) 6–18 months strategic engagement Variable, hard to attribute
Measurement Baseline, then behaviour 360° three to six weeks after delivery and again at around 90 days Operational/financial KPIs Completion rates, satisfaction surveys
When it's the right call Specific behaviour or culture shift, your team needs to do something differently You need a new strategy, structure or operating model Ongoing capability building, compliance refreshers

We work alongside both. You keep your strategy partner and internal L&D, and Sidestream sits in the middle as the behaviour layer neither of them covers.

Awards · Partners · Recognition

The Death of Jane Doe: recognised at the CorpComms Awards The Accused: commended at the Goldsmiths Public Engagement Awards 2018 Metropolitan Police The Innocence Project UCL · Imperial · Cambridge · Goldsmiths · Bocconi

Where We Work

Sectors We Design For

Tech & Scale-ups

A typical design here would put the scale-up team in front of actors playing sceptical investors, with behavioural feedback in the room.

Financial Services

Clients in this sector include major financial services firms, where we have completed vendor onboarding before delivery.

Creative Industries

Clients in this sector include an entertainment sector leadership team and a London-based creative startup.

Healthcare & NHS

A typical design here would put the speak-up moment and the compassionate-leadership conversation in the room with actors, measured against a baseline rather than a completion record.

Public Sector & Policing

Clients in this sector include Met Police Lewisham and the Innocence Project, our partners on The Death of Jane Doe. A typical design here would rehearse a ministerial briefing or a select committee appearance with actors in the room, then feed back on the behaviours that shaped it.

Legal & Justice

Clients in this sector include a UK courts and tribunals service, alongside Magic Circle work in the City of London.

Energy & Utilities

Clients in this sector include energy transition stakeholders in a UK nuclear site region, brought together in our nuclear site simulation.

Higher Education

Clients in this sector include Goldsmiths (The Accused, Top of the Cops) and UCL (Top of the Cops).

London, borough by borough

Serving Companies Across London

Sidestream can work with companies in any London borough. The four guides below cover the sector-specific behavioural challenges, procurement routes and venue logistics for each area.

Camden (HQ)
Creative, tech, academic, hospital City of London
Banks, insurance, law, Big-4 Canary Wharf
Banking, Big-4, tech, media Westminster & Whitehall
Civil Service, government
Eight area guides across London, from our base in Camden Schematic tile map of London, not to scale, drawn without map data. North London at the top, with Camden inside it, marked HQ: Sidestream is based at 58 Malden Road, NW5 3HG. Middle row from west to east: West London, Westminster & Whitehall, City of London and East London, with Canary Wharf below East London in a loop of the River Thames. South London runs along the bottom, south of the river. Each of the eight tiles links to its area guide. Camden: HQ Borough. North London: Home Territory. Westminster & Whitehall: Civil Service & Government. City of London: Financial Services. Canary Wharf: Banking, Big-4 & Tech. East London: Tech, Health, Education. West London: Media, Pharma, Aviation. South London: Health, Academia, Public Sector. NORTH LONDON Home Territory CAMDEN HQ HQ Borough WEST LONDON Media, Pharma, Aviation WESTMINSTER & WHITEHALL Civil Service & Government CITY OF LONDON Financial Services EAST LONDON Tech, Health, Education CANARY WHARF Banking, Big-4 & Tech SOUTH LONDON Health, Academia, Public Sector Eight area guides across London, from our base in Camden Schematic tile map of London, not to scale, drawn without map data. North London at the top, with Camden inside it, marked HQ: Sidestream is based at 58 Malden Road, NW5 3HG. Middle row from west to east: West London, Westminster & Whitehall, City of London and East London, with Canary Wharf below East London in a loop of the River Thames. South London runs along the bottom, south of the river. Each of the eight tiles links to its area guide. NORTH LONDON CAMDEN HQ WEST LONDON WESTMINSTER & WHITEHALL CITY OF LONDON EAST LONDON CANARY WHARF SOUTH LONDON

Eight area guides across London, from our base in Camden.

Schematic drawing by Sidestream, not to scale. No map data used.

See all London locations →

Behaviour Change Programmes for Companies: In Short

Sidestream builds bespoke behaviour change programmes for companies that reach the layer most training never touches: how people actually behave under pressure. We name the people problem, design the immersive intervention around your data and sector, then measure the shift against a baseline. Six tailored programmes give you a starting point, scope, format and depth are adapted to your team.

Related pages

For Companies

Ready When You Are

Bring Us Your
People Problem

Free 30-minute diagnostic call. No deck, no hard sell, just an honest conversation about whether we can help.

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