Andrew Cocks
Psychologist & Author
About Andrew...
An assessment psychologist specialising in the measurement and management of culture, Andrew has been one of the most influential thinkers in organisational and employee research for the last 20 years. Previous roles have included Group Head of Engagement and Employer Brand at HSBC and European Head of Employee Engagement for Watson Wyatt. He has worked with some of the world's largest employers and is a Fellow of the Royal Society for Arts. Over the years has lived and worked in 5 continents.
Andrew designed the multi award-winning CultureQuest, an assessment for organisations to help them measure culture and develop inclusive workplaces. He founded Conflux, his own consultancy in 2012 and lives in London with his family and Ned the dog. His first book, Counting the Dance Steps, was the fruit of his personal lockdown labours and was published in May 2022.
I have long known I had a book in me and COVID lock down gave me the time and space to make it happen. I set out with one aim in mind, which was to subvert the conventional wisdom about organisational culture, much of it perpetuated by management consultants and academics with little understanding of practicalities. As a result, Counting the Dance Steps pulls no punches in its criticism of lazy acceptance of received wisdom regarding what culture is and how to measure and change it. Special attention is given to the unthinking way we repurpose employee surveys which are not, and never have been fit for purpose, and the Management Consultancies whose consultants frequently obscure their ignorance through the use of buzzwords, platitudes and slipshod research. I know this first hand because I used to work for one. Thankfully no longer!.
If nothing else, I hope this book helps us move beyond the platitudes and clouded thinking to generate some meaningful dialogue about what is one of the most pressing business issues of our time.