Structured engagements
Four ways to work with Node Blend Zone
Each engagement is defined by scope, duration, and a specific set of deliverables. You know what you are getting and when it concludes before work begins.
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What each engagement description contains
Each section below describes one engagement: what situation it addresses, what it covers, how long it takes, what it produces, and what it costs. If you are uncertain which engagement fits your situation, the appropriate step is a short initial conversation — not a guess from the list below.
Duration
5–7 weeks depending on engagement
Deliverable
Written record agreed by all parties
Pricing
Fixed fee, stated before work begins
Continuation
No retainer, defined close point
What is included
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Separate conversations with each party before joint sessions
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Anonymised summary of each party's position, shared before joint sessions
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Facilitation by an adviser with no stake in the outcome
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Written record of what was agreed and what remains open
Engagement 01 · 6 weeks · ¥41,000 JPY
Stakeholder Alignment
This engagement is for organisations where owners, management, and department heads hold different views on direction — and where a decision has been deferred repeatedly because agreement has not been reached.
It is structured as separate conversations with each party, followed by joint sessions with all parties present. The separate conversations allow the adviser to understand each position without the dynamics of a group setting. An anonymised summary is prepared from these and shared in advance of the joint session, so that people arrive knowing that others' views have been heard and recorded.
Suited to: decisions that require the genuine agreement of multiple parties with different roles and interests. Not suited to situations where one party has clear authority and simply wants a recommendation to act on.
What is included
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Written term outline prepared before legal drafting begins
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Structured discussion of situations partners tend to avoid raising
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Coverage of objectives, contribution, control, and unwinding scenarios
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Advice to obtain independent legal review before any legal instruments
Engagement 02 · 7 weeks · ¥43,000 JPY
Joint Venture Preparation
This engagement supports companies entering a shared undertaking with a partner before legal arrangements are finalised. It covers the questions that tend not to be raised until they become problems: what each side expects to contribute and receive, how decisions will be made when the partners disagree, and how the venture would be unwound if it becomes necessary.
The output is a written term outline — a document that records what both parties have agreed to before legal drafting begins. This does not replace legal advice; it makes that legal process more likely to produce an instrument that reflects the agreement both parties actually reached.
Suited to: companies entering a first or new partnership arrangement where the terms have not yet been formally agreed. Not suited to disputes about existing arrangements already in legal form.
What is included
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Current responsibility mapping across all roles in the department
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Anonymised summary of what staff reported in individual conversations
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Proposed structure with the reasoning for each change stated
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Support in communicating the change to affected staff
Engagement 03 · 5 weeks · ¥35,000 JPY
Department Restructuring Support
This engagement supports the reorganisation of a department whose structure has grown by accumulation — where roles have been added over time without a review of how the whole fits together, resulting in overlapping responsibilities, unowned work, and unclear remits.
It begins with individual conversations with the people currently in the department, conducted separately and recorded anonymously. This produces a picture of the current state from the inside rather than from an organisational chart. The proposed structure follows from this, with the reasoning for each proposed change stated explicitly.
Suited to: departments where the current structure is clearly not functioning and where leadership is open to a proposal prepared from individual conversations with staff. Not suited to restructuring driven by headcount reduction targets.
What is included
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Four half-day sessions across three months
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Preparation review by the adviser before each session
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Written notes with agreed actions after each session
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Continuity with the same adviser across all four sessions
Engagement 04 · 3 months · ¥40,000 JPY
Advisory Session Series
This engagement is for owners or senior individuals who want structured outside thinking on a series of specific matters, without an open-ended retainer. It consists of four scheduled half-day sessions across three months, each addressing a matter that the client nominates in advance.
Before each session, the adviser reviews the nominated matter and any relevant material the client provides. Sessions are not open-ended discussions — they address a specific question, and the note produced afterwards records what was examined, what was concluded, and what actions were agreed.
Suited to: owners or senior individuals who have specific matters they want to think through with someone outside the organisation, and who want the discipline of a scheduled structure rather than an informal arrangement. Not suited to situations involving multiple parties who need to be brought into agreement.
Before work begins
The participants panel
Before any engagement begins, each party receives a written description of the roles involved, the time commitment expected from each, and what each party is being asked to contribute. This is not a formality — it is the point at which internal commitment is agreed explicitly.
Client side
- —Decision-makers attending joint sessions
- —Availability for separate conversations (1–2 hrs each)
- —Review and approval of anonymised summaries
- —Commitment to attend all scheduled sessions
Adviser side
- —Preparation of session structure and materials
- —Conducting separate conversations confidentially
- —Facilitation of joint sessions without steering outcome
- —Production of written records at each stage
Time expected
- —Separate conversations: 1–2 hours per person
- —Summary review: 30–45 minutes per party
- —Joint sessions: 2–3 hours each
- —Final record review: 1 hour
Choosing
If you are uncertain which engagement fits
Questions that point toward Stakeholder Alignment
- —Have the same people discussed this before without reaching agreement?
- —Does the decision require the genuine agreement of more than one party?
- —Is there a sense that some positions are not being stated openly in group settings?
Questions that point toward Joint Venture Preparation
- —Are you and a partner about to begin drafting legal arrangements?
- —Have you discussed what would happen if the arrangement needed to be unwound?
- —Are there matters neither side has raised because they feel premature?
Questions that point toward Restructuring Support
- —Has a department grown in a way that was never deliberately planned?
- —Are there responsibilities that no one is clearly accountable for?
- —Is leadership uncertain how the department currently functions from the inside?
Questions that point toward Advisory Sessions
- —Do you want structured outside thinking without a retainer arrangement?
- —Are the matters you want to address specific and nominatable in advance?
- —Do you have the authority to act on what the sessions produce without needing others' agreement?
If none of these describe your situation accurately, or if you are still uncertain, the most useful step is a short conversation. There is no obligation involved.
A short conversation is the right starting point
Send us a note with a brief description of your situation. We will respond within two working days and let you know whether we think any of our engagements would be useful.
Get in touch