What if the problem a business is trying to solve is only a symptom of something deeper?
In Episode 68 of Muhami Matters, Chris Adams speaks with Adrian Rhodes, founder of AR Consulting, about why leaders can become too close to their organisations to see what is really happening, and how an outsider perspective can uncover assumptions, overlooked stakeholders and unintended consequences.
Drawing on a career spanning advertising, qualitative research, management psychology and consultancy, Adrian explains how he approaches problems by challenging the client's original definition of them. The conversation ranges from policing and healthcare to retail, professional services and organisational decision-making, with practical examples of what can happen when the wrong question is being asked.
Chris and Adrian also explore the tension between analysis and implementation. They discuss groupthink, different approaches to work through the GC Index, the value of stakeholder mapping, and why a solution that meets 90% of the requirement can sometimes be more useful than a perfect answer that never gets implemented.
In this episode:
• Why a stated business problem may only be a symptom
• What outsiders can see that insiders sometimes miss
• How stakeholder blindness affects decisions
• The role of qualitative research in understanding organisations
• Groupthink and the suppression of challenge
• The GC Index and management psychology
• Strategy versus implementation
• Why "good enough" can sometimes be the right answer
• Managing AI with the same judgement used to manage people
About Adrian Rhodes
Adrian Rhodes is the founder of AR Consulting. His work combines management consultancy, qualitative research and management psychology to help organisations understand problems, stakeholders and decision-making more clearly.
Website: https://www.arconsulting1.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/adrian-rhodes-b101b64/
About the host
Chris Adams is the founder of Muhami and CJA Consulting. Through CJA Consulting, he works with professional services organisations on business development and marketing strategy.
About Muhami Matters
Muhami Matters brings credibility and clarity to legal and professional services, connecting listeners with trusted experts, respected industry specialists and practical insights.
Muhami Matters: https://muhami.ae/muhami-matters/
Muhami: https://muhami.ae/
CJA Consulting: https://www.cjaconsult.com/
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