Whether you are facing a monumental crisis like BP battling oils spill in the Gulf of Mexico or dealing with the challenges of a merger such as that of two South African medical aid schemes such as Bestmed and Telemed, only clear, effective and creative thinking and action will produce a satisfactory outcome.

There are countless stories of group and teams that succeeded against all the odds, from a tobogganing team from Africa competing in the Winter Olympics to the early completion of the Gautrain for the FIFA Football World Cup in South Africa. What is it that separates those that succeed and others never quite make it?

For instance, to suggest that it all comes down to great leadership does not tell the full story; there are simply too many different leadership styles and approaches to make head or tale of it. So is there a “magic touch” that all leaders and top teams share?

We believe that it all comes down to the ability of a group of people to work effectively together – and this does not mean getting people to like each other! Experience has shown that breakthroughs and excellence is derived from the process of interaction between people that creates outcomes greater than simply adding up the efforts of individuals.

In recent years there has been a rediscovery and resurgence of interest in the work of the late Henry Nelson Wieman, a leading American philosopher and academic in the early part of the twentieth century. He described a human process that he called Creative Interchange, in which people achieve exceptional collaborative performance.

Over the years, we have worked with Dr Charlie Palmgren in the US who has taken this concept and designed a simple and practical process, made up of phases and techniques that can be transferred to teams and organisations to establish a high engagement culture.

In the many year of application, we have been able to prove that Creative Engagement, derived from Wieman and Palmgren’s work, can indeed create the “magic touch” that so often eludes leaders who are striving to overcome human obstacles and achieve organisational goals.