At Capillary, we’ve always believed that change is not just a process—it’s a human experience. Behind every organizational transformation are individuals navigating uncertainty, growth, and opportunity. And now, more than ever, we know that understanding how people feel during change is as important as what they do.
That’s why we’re proud to announce our latest evolution in how we teach and facilitate change: integrating the Emotional Culture Deck into our learning and consulting experiences.
Developed by Riders & Elephants, the Emotional Culture Deck is a deceptively simple yet profoundly powerful tool that helps individuals, teams, and organizations explore and express their feelings, and as we know, those emotions drive their culture. And at Capillary Consulting & Learning, we’re bringing this game-changing method into the heart of our Change practice.
What Is the Emotional Culture Deck?
If you haven’t encountered it yet, the Emotional Culture Deck (ECD) is a beautifully designed card-based tool that prompts honest and often transformative conversations about how people feel—and how they want to feel—in their workplaces. It’s not about surface-level engagement; it’s about building deep human connection around the emotional currents that shape culture, decision-making, and behaviour.
Each card represents a specific emotion, with words such as joy, pride, and belonging and fear, frustration, and disconnection. Participants sort and reflect on these emotions through thoughtful exercises, illuminating what truly drives those feelings.
And here’s the magic: when people can name and share their emotions safely, they begin to own their experience. They can be an organizational leader, a leader of change or leading through the stakeholder engagement maze. They build trust. They foster empathy. They stretch themselves into more courageous, adaptive behaviours.
Emotional Culture Deck
Why Emotions Matter in Change
As change professionals, we’ve long known that logic alone won’t get you through transformation. You can have the best strategy, the most finely tuned communications plan, the most robust course schedules—but if you’re not addressing people’s emotional landscape, you’re only skimming the surface.
Emotions are the fuel of change. They influence how people engage with new initiatives, how they collaborate, how they resist, and how they grow. In fact, unacknowledged emotions are often the root cause of change fatigue, disengagement, and even failure.
So why has emotion been such a missing piece in traditional Change Management?
Simple: it’s hard to talk about. It’s vulnerable. It’s messy. And for a long time, it was considered soft.
But at Capillary, we know that what was once seen as “soft” is now the new strength.
Integrating the Emotional Culture Deck into Change Education
Our work at Capillary is centred on cultivating Change Enablers—individuals and teams who not only manage change but humanize it. With the introduction of the Emotional Culture Deck into our programs, we’re taking that commitment to a new level.
Whether you’re attending our flagship Certified Change Enabler (CCE) program or one of our modular workshops, you’ll now find experiences that include Emotional Culture Deck facilitation. Participants use the cards to explore:
- How they currently feel about changes in their work
- How they want to feel in an ideal future state
- Which emotions might derail them or their teams
- What emotional norms are shaping their workplace culture
These aren’t just “feel-good” conversations—they’re catalysts for insight and strategy. We use these emotional reflections to anchor change plans, guide communications, and design environments where people choose to show up and engage.
Emotional Culture Deck
The Power of Story and Connection
One of the most beautiful outcomes of using the Emotional Culture Deck is the way it creates space for storytelling. In a world that moves ever faster and communicates in bullet points, this tool causes us to pause and reflect. It invites us to be present.
Imagine a group of emerging change leaders sorting through emotion cards, finding words like “overwhelmed,” “hopeful,” “respected,” and “isolated”—and then sharing the personal stories behind their choices.
Suddenly, the group sees each other not just as colleagues, but as human beings navigating complexity. Empathy grows. Connection deepens. Real leadership begins.
This is what we mean when we say we’re teaching people to be Change Enablers, not just Change Managers.
Leading from the Heart
One of our favourite lessons from working with the Emotional Culture Deck is the shift it encourages in leadership style. So often, leaders feel they need to be stoic, composed, and directive during change. But the ECD flips that narrative. It teaches leaders to lead from the heart.
We guide leaders to explore:
- What emotions they want their teams to feel during change (e.g., inspired, supported, safe)
- What emotional signals they may be sending unconsciously
- How to intentionally role-model emotional openness without losing authority
In doing so, leaders become more than messengers of change—they become the emotional anchors of it. They foster psychological safety and authentic engagement.
Capillary’s Change Magic + Emotional Culture
At Capillary, we like to say we add a little change magic to everything we do. The Emotional Culture Deck isn’t a replacement for our proven frameworks, models, and strategies—it’s the magic wand that makes them sing.
We use a range of ECD canvases, guides, handbooks and blend these with our own foundations of change, culture, organizational design and disruptive change.
With Rich Batchelor, our Chief Change Agent, being the first ECD Consultant in the Americas, we have been keen to lead the way it develops growth opportunities. This also means that Rich can train you in the tools and start you off on your pathway to ECD success. We not only include the ECD Change Practitioner as part of the Certified Change Enabler, but we are now offering ECD Leadership Practitioner and ECD Stakeholder Practitioner courses from September 2025, with the ECD Culture Practitioner to follow in 2026
Emotional Culture Deck
Final Thoughts: Feel the Shift
As inspirational guides through change, I’ve learned this truth again and again: People will forget what you said, they’ll forget what you did, but they’ll never forget how you made them feel.
With the Emotional Culture Deck now woven into our practice, we’re not just transferring knowledge—we’re nurturing emotional intelligence, empathy, and courage.
So whether you’re stepping into your first change role or leading a transformation from the top, I invite you to join us. Come feel the shift. Learn to name your emotions. Learn to listen to others. Learn to lead with both your mind and your heart.
Because that’s how change sticks. That’s how culture thrives. And that’s how we build workplaces worth showing up for—every day.
Want to experience the Emotional Culture Deck in action?
Explore our upcoming courses and programs at www.capillarylearning.com or reach out to us through www.capillaryconsulting.com to design a custom Emotional Culture workshop for your team. Let’s co-create with humanity at the heart.
To browse more information or to book a meeting, please visit: https://capillaryconsulting.com/contact/
