Our Mission

We believe that only humanity can truly embody values-based behaviors and bring vision and strategic plans to life. Our mission is to forge a path where humanity and productivity coexist harmoniously.

By amplifying the unique needs and diversity of our people and building data-driven, collaborative environments, we develop cultures that systemically achieve remarkable results and drive inclusive innovation.

We are committed to transforming workplaces into dynamic environments where every individual is empowered to contribute meaningfully, creating a new paradigm for humanity and innovation in the workplace. 

What Problems Can Embodied Systems Solve?

Many organizations struggle to prioritize humanity and productivity - this impossible choice often leads to symptoms that indicate systemic belonging and effectiveness gaps:

  • Teams are overwhelmed by continuous change without seeing tangible improvements, leading to burnout and disengagement.

  • Diverse voices are often excluded from critical conversations, resulting in missed opportunities for inclusive innovation and growth.

  • Strategic plans and initiatives are frequently driven by assumptions and political pressures rather than true customer and employee needs.

  • Talented individuals are promoted without adequate support or training, leading to ineffective leadership and team frustration.

  • Persistent issues around inclusion and action undermine employee satisfaction and productivity.

Our approach is rooted in the principles of inclusivity, equity, and continuous innovation – so we don’t have to choose between humanity and productivity anymore. 

The Embodied Systems Manifesto

Done with them, not to them: We build operational frameworks that prioritize the needs and voices of all, ensuring that we address inclusion barriers head on and commit to continuous learning and collaborative innovation.

Slow is smooth, smooth is fast: Instead of quick fixes, we focus on creating systemic improvements that help us work together better while consistently meeting our most important goals. 

Outcomes over Outputs: We are committed to having better conversations and making time and space to align all initiatives and success metrics to outcomes that matter the most - we sacrifice checked boxes for getting it right.

Values in Action: We don’t talk about values, we talk about behaviors that would tell us if we are living into our values or not, and we normalize imperfection and practice.

Generative Failure: We are radically committed to learning from failure and feedback - we build systemic accountability that helps us face the problem as a team, while growing our capacity for generative feedback and connection.

When you partner with Embodied Systems with an appetite for and commitment to innovation, you can expect transformative outcomes such as: 

 

  • Inclusive practices lead to richer conversations, better decision-making, and more innovative solutions. 

  • Your organization will be better positioned to identify, scope, and adopt initiatives and changes that clearly enable your priority objectives. 

  • Managers are supported to develop and practice the skills necessary to lead with empathy, inclusivity, and effectiveness. 

  • Diversity, equity, and inclusion initiatives are fully integrated into your operations, leading to measurable and sustained impact. 

  • By creating a culture of belonging and inclusive innovation, employees are more engaged, motivated, and committed to the organization’s success - and they don’t have to sacrifice their own needs.

Working with Embodied Systems is a collaborative and iterative process designed to fit the unique needs of your team.

Here’s how it starts: 

Name It

We facilitate inclusive conversations that rapidly surface root causes to observable gaps in belonging and innovation.

We partner with your team to ensure all voices and relevant data are included to fully understand the problems at hand.

Align to Outcomes and Success Measures

We guide your diverse team through workshops to co-create a clear set of objectives and success metrics to reinforce shared understanding of where we are going and how we know we will get there.

This sets an important framework for designing and evaluating initiatives that will make an impact.

Identify Priority Initiatives

With the paint still wet on Outcomes and Success Measures, we facilitate working sessions designed to take an inventory of your initiatives:

  • What initiatives are currently keeping the lights on and positioned to help you achieve priority outcomes?

  • What initiatives might get to the root cause issues and completely change the scope of what is possible?

Kickoff Goal Cycles

This is when we turn initiatives into detailed project plans and define the initial Goal Cycle that will kickoff systemic change and inclusive innovation in your organization.

Goal Cycles might include the following areas of focus:

  • Specific work we will do to reach an incremental goal

  • Collaboration agreements that align our working environment to priority behaviors and practices for success

  • Training and skills development that will help us succeed in this Goal Cycle

Setting Expectations for Success

We believe that centering humanity and building systemic solutions to inclusion and innovation problems will change life as we know it.

We also believe that slow, scalable change in sustainable change. Here are a few things to keep in mind when getting started:

  • While the goal is to create systemic inclusion and innovation for every single person in your organization, it is essential to pilot and refine what works. This might look like creating a small, representative task force to lay some context and groundwork for scaling what works. Building systems can take some time, but the systemic impact is so worth it.

  • When it comes to learning and adopting new behaviors, skills, and operational practices, perfection should not be the goal. Find ways to normalize practicing and getting it wrong so that we can make space for continuous learning and results.

  • The first Goal Cycle will feel like its missing certainty and data - because it will be! Get comfortable with the idea that the first time won’t be the best time and give your team the opportunity to connect the dots and start to embody inclusive innovation.

  • Some of the best conversations and shared understanding comes from finding questions to explore together. Don’t forget to make time and space to surface and dance with questions just as much as you seek answers.

Who We Are

Since 2020, Embodied Systems has pioneered an approach to managing change and innovation that centers on DEIB (Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging) and Trauma-Informed requirements.

Embodied Systems partners with organizations to disrupt default cultural and operational norms, building systems and structures that embody equity and innovation values while continuously identifying the root causes of organizational challenges. The Embodied Systems toolkit is continuously developed to approach innovation through inclusion and trauma-awareness, ensuring these elements are not compromised.

Founder Emily Tornquist recognized and experienced the gaps in equity and trauma-informed practices within popular innovation and change management frameworks, which often make it easier for some but not all to participate in inclusive, collaborative change.

With over 15 years of experience in creating adaptive operational strategies and change management programs, Emily advocates for and consults on ensuring all stakeholders are included and supported through the design and implementation of transformative organizational changes. This is achieved by prioritizing the following core competencies:

  • Raising stakeholders' awareness, education, and skills to prioritize trauma-awareness and DEIB requirements.

  • Enhancing leaders' capacity to implement and continuously improve operational systems and structures that are inclusive, equitable, and innovative.