Collaborative R&D for Humane, Adaptive, Intelligent Workplaces

Mangrove is not a traditional consultancy. We’re a speculative design and R&D studio working with real organisations — from tech scale-ups and public bodies to arts organisations and beyond — to explore what becomes possible when we stop tweaking outdated systems and start redesigning from lived experience outward.

We treat organisations as living ecosystems, not machines. That means starting not with top-down charts or productivity hacks, but with qualitative, embodied insight: how people actually work, think, feel, and move through their roles.

In a world now shaped by AI, it’s not just what we do that matters — but how, and why. The arrival of powerful tools creates space (and necessity) to rethink how we work:

  • How do we design systems that support real cognitive diversity — not just accommodate it?

  • How do we use AI to adapt to people, rather than forcing people to adapt to systems?

  • How do we create humane, efficient, inclusive workplaces — not just compliant ones?

We’re especially interested in the messy middle:

Translating between different working styles, cognitive dialects, and internal tools or legacy systems — so people can engage meaningfully, without burning out or being sidelined. We believe the most “frustrating” frictions in an organisation often contain the seeds of its most valuable insights.

What We Offer

We bring together a multidisciplinary, diverse team — with experience spanning healthcare, investment banking, tech, film, education, and more — to apply design thinking, participatory research, and AI-native methods to the most human parts of work.

Our approach includes:

  • Polynomial Venture Design (PVD) – a method for exploring multiple possible futures in parallel, not committing to one fixed plan

  • Portable Intelligence Documents (PIDs) – living AI-powered companions that evolve with your team and context

  • Lightweight prototyping, somatic insight, and embedded experimentation — always reversible, always rooted in your real environment

We often begin with a short, pro bono sprint — for teams who are ready to move quickly and explore an idea without pressure. If it works, we build from there.

Not Inclusion as Sacrifice

Inclusion isn’t a trade-off. It’s a design lens that benefits everyone. We reject the idea of “accommodation” as an individual fix — and instead treat difference as a signal of where systems need to grow. When you reduce friction for the so-called “edge cases,” you make the whole system more fluid, efficient, and resilient.

Let’s Explore

If you’re someone within a public-facing organisation who’s curious, under-resourced, or a bit stuck inside a big system — we’d love to talk. This isn’t about overhauling everything. It’s about testing small, meaningful changes that show what’s possible right now — and how we might design workplaces that are truly fit for the future.

🔗 Read more about our research approach — HyperThick