Understanding the Starting Point

Project Format · 4–8 Weeks · On Request

What happens when organizations no longer understand their own environment?

Organizations act on the basis of internal assumptions about their environment – about customers, markets, competitors, trends. But these assumptions age. What was once true may no longer be. What everyone in the organization holds to be true may simply be a story that has been told long enough.

An exploration makes visible what is actually happening outside. Not through surveys or market reports, but through systematic conversations with the people it concerns. The result is not a report that disappears into a drawer – but a clear picture of the starting point on which action can be taken.

What an Exploration Achieves

Clarity about the Starting Point

Before solutions are developed, the situation must be understood. We map the field: Who are the relevant actors? What dynamics are at work? What assumptions are we making – and which of them have been tested?

Voices from the Outside

Through 20–30 structured conversations with customers, partners, experts, or other relevant actors, we bring the outside world into the organization. No questionnaires, no data aggregation – real conversations that allow for the unexpected.

Patterns Instead of Opinions

We synthesize what we hear. What keeps recurring? Where do internal and external views align – and where do they diverge? The patterns show where the organization is on track and where it is deceiving itself.

Actionable Hypotheses

The result is not a 200-page study. It is clear, testable hypotheses about the starting point – formulated so that the organization can act on them. Not more knowledge, but better knowledge.

How an Exploration Works

Phase A

What do we actually want to know?

1–2 Weeks

Kick-off workshop (1 day): jointly sharpen the research question

Identify actors: Who do we need to talk to?

Develop interview guide: What do we want to learn – and how do we ask?

Clarify logistics: access, contacts, timeline

Phase B

Out of the building

3–4 Weeks

20–30 discursive interviews with relevant actors

Regular feedback loops: What are we hearing? What surprises us?

Condense interim findings and adjust the guide as needed

Peer group reflection: different perspectives on the findings

Phase C

What did we find?

1–2 Weeks

Formulate patterns and hypotheses: What do the conversations reveal?

Condense findings together with the client

Derive recommendations for action: What follows from this?

Final presentation and handover

“Everything said is said by an observer.”
— Humberto Maturana

When Is an Exploration the Right Choice?

Your market position has shifted – but you don't know exactly how

There are many internal opinions about customers and the market, but little systematic knowledge

You are planning a strategic initiative and want to build it on a solid foundation

Previous market research delivers numbers, but no understanding

Note

An exploration is NOT suitable if the answer is already predetermined and only needs to be confirmed. We work with an open outcome.

What Do We Need from You?

A contact person who accompanies the exploration internally

Access to relevant actors: customer lists, contacts, networks

Willingness to take the results seriously – even if they are uncomfortable

4–8 weeks for the entire process

“If the only tool you have is a hammer, you tend to see every problem as a nail.”
— Abraham Maslow

Practical Information

Duration 4–8 weeks (depending on scope and research question)

Scope 20–30 discursive interviews plus synthesis

Format Project-based, on request

Language German (English on request)

Deliverable Hypothesis document, presentation, optional follow-up workshop

Price On request

What Comes Next

After the exploration, your organization has a clear basis for the next steps. That could be a Sprint – working quickly and with focus on a specific question. Or an Analysis – a deep investigation of a specific issue.

The exploration does not prescribe the next step. It enables it.

Continue to Sprint All formats at a glance

Is an Exploration Right for Your Situation?

The best way to find out is through a conversation.

In 30 minutes, we will clarify whether an exploration is the right format for your question – and what a possible process could look like.

Schedule a conversation (30 min)

Or write directly: falk@vorfeld.studio

Who Leads the Exploration

Falk Engelmann

Thinks in systems, works with people. For over 18 years, he has been helping teams and organizations understand their own patterns – and intervene where change is actually possible.

Questions about the project format?

falk@vorfeld.studio

Or book a 30-minute conversation directly:

Schedule a conversation (30 min)

Also of interest:

Handling Complexity Effectively Organization Beyond the Agility Dogma

Conceptual Foundations

Discursive Exploration

No surveys, no data mining. Structured conversations that allow for the unexpected. The method relies on genuine dialogue: listening, probing, understanding – not querying and aggregating.

De-Generalization

From "our customers want..." to concrete observations in concrete situations. Generalizations are convenient, but they obscure reality. An exploration makes the differences visible.

Boundary Positions

The people at the boundary between organization and environment – sales, customer service, procurement – carry knowledge that rarely reaches decision-makers. An exploration activates this knowledge.

Myths, Dogmas, Fictions

Every organization tells itself stories about its environment. Some are true, some were once true, some were never true. An exploration distinguishes tested knowledge from internal narratives.

The Inner World of the Outer World

Organizations do not react to the market. They react to their internal image of it. When this image is outdated or distorted, even well-intentioned strategies fail – not in execution, but in their premise.

Inward Orientation

Organizations that primarily talk to themselves lose touch with the outside. Internal logics are mistaken for market logics. An exploration systematically breaks through this pattern.