JC Common Ground
Remove barriers. Build alignment. Create the conditions for better performance.
Helping leaders and teams move in the same direction and create momentum.
How we help
Leaders often come to us when a person or team dynamic is affecting how the whole team works — and how well it performs. They may already have a view about what is going on, but want an independent perspective and a fair, constructive way to get to the bottom of it.
We also work with teams navigating significant change, reshaping how they work together, or putting strong foundations in place from the start. Across all of this, the aim is to create the common ground where teams have the shared language, purpose, goals and expectations they need to move forward and thrive.
“There’s a challenge in this team — we need to get to the bottom of it so everyone can move forward and succeed.”
01 Resolve complex team dynamics
When people, priorities or expectations are pulling in different directions, we help surface what’s getting in the way and create the common ground needed to move forward.
Turn tension, disconnection and competing expectations into clearer understanding, productive collaboration and forward movement.
“A lot is changing - or needs to change - we need to make sure the team can embrace it and come through it clear, aligned and able to perform.”
02 Align around change
When change is necessary but difficult, uncomfortable or likely to meet resistance, we help build shared understanding of what needs to shift, how, when and why to build a shared commitment to achieving the change objectives.
Create the alignment, commitment and momentum needed to move change forward.
“We’re bringing a new team together — we want to get the foundations right from the start.”
03 Set teams up well
When a new team is forming, merging or taking on a new purpose, we help establish clarity early around roles, expectations, ways of working and what matters most.
Create strong foundations for collaboration, accountability and performance from the outset.
“We need our new leaders to be clear about what good leadership looks like here — and equipped to put it into practice.”
04 Support new leaders
When a leader steps into a new role or inherits an established team, we help them understand the context, surface assumptions and set clear expectations.
Put the conditions in place for trust, clarity and effective performance.
How we work
1. Clarify where you are — and where you need to get to
Understand the current context, surface what matters and get clear on the outcome you’re trying to create.
2. Zoom in and zoom out
Listen closely to leaders, team members and other relevant voices to understand how people are experiencing the current context, what their expectations are, what matters to them and what they are trying to achieve. We summarise and feed it back to test and refine our understanding. This builds trust. We then step back to examine the wider system. We want to understand what elements in the broader environment are contributing to the current challenges and restricting the desired change.
3. Build shared understanding, align action and sustain momentum
Make the implicit explicit, foster needed conversations, test assumptions and create enough common ground around what really matters. Then clarify what needs to shift — in behaviour, expectations, structures or ways of working — and establish practical ways to monitor progress, maintain accountability and keep the change moving. Where useful, we return to review what has shifted, what hasn’t and what needs attention next.
Common ground does not mean consensus.
It comes from creating enough shared understanding for different perspectives to be heard, tested and understood — and enough clarity about what matters, what is expected and how decisions will be made.
Taking a broader view of the context, and assuming people are generally trying to do a good job, allows curiosity and analysis to replace judgement and blame. The aim is not agreement on everything, but a workable basis for moving forward together.
About JC Common Ground
JC Common Ground is led by Janine Carruthers, an experienced consultant in organisational change, culture and leadership. She works directly with leaders and teams and, where needed, draws on a trusted group of high quality associates who bring complementary expertise and deep experience.
About Janine
Janine is known for helping leaders make sense of complex organisational situations — particularly where the formal issue is only part of the story. She creates the conditions for people to speak openly, surfaces what may otherwise remain implicit, and connects individual experiences with the wider organisational system.
Her style is direct, thoughtful and pragmatic. She is comfortable working with complexity, disagreement and sensitive issues, while keeping the focus on what will help people and organisations move forward.
Janine brings more than 20 years’ experience in organisational change, culture, leadership and consulting, including senior roles in a large global consulting firm and extensive work across public, private and not-for-profit organisations.
What clients say
“Janine Carruthers is an impactful, respectful and effective facilitator who helped myself and my team to clarify strategy, ways of working and improve team culture. She brings significant expertise to her role and shows sensitivity to organizational issues and concerns. I found her engaging and collaborative and recommend her highly.”
Professor Kathy Douglas
Associate Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Learning, Teaching and Quality
College of Business and Law, RMIT University
“Janine’s professional, yet compassionate and supportive approach helped my organisation have authentic and honest conversations which lead to huge leaps forward in our culture. With Janine’s expert guidance, we were able to build an aspirational but achievable plan to address past issues and create an amazing work environment moving forward.”
Senior executive, private sector client
Client name withheld due to the sensitive nature of the work; testimonial used with permission.
Selected organisations we’ve worked with recently
Let’s talk
You don’t need to have the situation neatly defined.
Sometimes the first useful step is simply making sense of what is happening, what matters most and where you want to get to.
A conversation can help bring different perspectives into view, clarify what matters and create the common ground needed to move forward.
Whether you’re navigating something complex, shaping what comes next or simply want a sounding board, I’d be happy to talk.
