By Holly Davis

I’m now over a month into my new role as Director of Delivery at Oxford Insights.

After spending the best part of 15 years in tech-focused agency delivery roles, I’d been considering a move into consulting for some time. I’d even made it to the final stages with a couple of consultancies before joining my last agency, but had also talked myself out of applying for roles where I thought I might be a great match, simply because I didn’t have enough consulting experience.

Then I came across a blog post Poss, our MD, had written about why Oxford Insights was looking to hire a Director of Delivery. Firstly, I loved this approach (much better than a LinkedIn job advert attracting a million applicants!), and secondly, here was someone with a really clear vision for the role.

What particularly resonated with me was how broadly Poss talked about delivery, encompassing so many of the things I’m passionate about, from developing people and shaping culture to helping an organisation grow without losing what makes it special.

For the first time in my career, I’d be leading a group of people, many of whom are far more qualified in their own domains than me. I joke about this, but Oxford Insights people are super smart. Many have PhDs and most speak multiple languages. Poss graciously reassured me, “But we speak business, Holly.” Very kind, but I think most of them speak that too!

This was exactly the type of challenge I wanted, though. My former manager reminded me that the crux of good leadership isn’t about knowing more than everyone else:

So, what exactly is the OI way?

One of the things that came up several times during my interviews was the “OI way”. It was clear that this was something important to the people at Oxford Insights, although at the time I wasn’t entirely sure what it meant.

My understanding was that it was shorthand for how OI approaches its work, but that it also went beyond delivery to encompass the culture, values and ways of working that make the organisation special.

I was curious to understand what that looked like in practice.

As part of my onboarding, I booked a call with almost everyone at OI and took the opportunity to ask them what they thought the “OI way” was.

It was great to see common themes emerge from these conversations, which spanned colleagues who have been here for more than five years to others who joined in the same month as me.

Here’s what I discovered…

We do work that matters

People talk about impact before they talk about services. Colleagues described helping governments account for public spending and make it go further, and choosing work that’s important and meaningful. There’s a real sense that people care about the outcomes of their work, not just the deliverables.

We care about getting it right

Several people described OI’s approach as “academic”, but not just in the traditional sense. It’s about asking the right questions, challenging assumptions and taking the time to really understand the problem we’re trying to solve. There’s a shared commitment to rigorous, evidence-based research and finding the right answer rather than the most convenient one. That commitment is reflected in the high standards, attention to quality and senior colleagues who stay close to the work.

We lead with values

OI sits where technology meets policy, and people see ethics as part of the job rather than an add-on. One colleague put it simply: “We’re happy to say no to work that doesn’t align with our values.” Another talked about “healthy success”: growth that doesn’t cost us our principles or our people.

We work together, openly and without much hierarchy

This was the most common answer. People described a collaborative, horizontal and agile way of working, where you mould yourself to fit the jigsaw puzzle and are open about what you’re doing and what you need help with. The team is close-knit, supportive and drawn from a range of backgrounds. Most importantly, people care deeply about the quality of their work, but equally about supporting the colleagues they work alongside.

Before joining OI, I’d spoken to people who’d worked for consultancies they’d described as little more than “a recruitment agency”. For some, consulting had been a somewhat lonely and isolating experience, where they rarely spent much time with the people at the organisation they’d chosen to join.

That couldn’t be further from what I’ve experienced at Oxford Insights.

The openness, autonomy, collaboration and willingness of staff to get involved in all areas of the business is one of the things that makes OI special. Team members may play a part in onboarding new starters, spotting sales opportunities, or improving processes, even if these aren’t part of their core responsibilities. At OI, there’s a real sense of shared ownership. For me, the challenge in my new role is how we continue to nurture those things while making sure we have the foundations in place to grow.

People aren’t just here to deliver great work for clients, they’re actively contributing to making OI a great place to work.

It’s the people that make the difference

At our away day yesterday, I spoke to Kris Wadia, our Senior International Advisor, about being a lifelong learner.

He told me about meeting Richard, our founder, when he was speaking on a panel and thinking to himself, “This is someone I can learn from and be inspired by, and a mission I can get behind.”

That really resonated with me.

I want to work with people I can learn from, who challenge and inspire me, who care about doing good work and who genuinely want to see each other succeed.

Four weeks in, I feel like I’ve found exactly that.

There’s undoubtedly a lot for me to learn, and plenty of opportunities for me to contribute, but what I’m most excited about is helping OI continue to grow while protecting the things that make it such a special place to work.

And if my first four weeks are anything to go by, I’m going to enjoy being part of it.