What Our Work Looks Like

Magpie’s team has worked in high-consequence industries for over 30 years, helping organizations - over 1400 in total, including international manufacturers, aviation organizations, utility companies, oil and gas, and healthcare providers - activate change, design for performance, and build systems around safety and leadership for actual humans in real workplaces.

In an emerging market with few defined safety standards, a national UAS firm relied on Magpie’s team to design an SMS uniquely suited to the scope and scale of operations - and to the rapid growth of the organization. As one of a very small group of operators with a focus on building safety capacity and formalizing it into an SMS, they were able to pursue and win contracts with rigorous requirements, even when multinational competitors couldn’t. And their safety performance and leadership in the industry? World class.

A long history of success left a multi-state healthcare organization wondering how they could take their experienced teams to the next level, building improved outcomes for patients and more fulfilling careers for their teams. Magpie’s team completed an extensive review of organizational culture, using that data to build a communication model unique to the organization. To jump-start the use of improved communication tools, Magpie delivered an immersive training experience, using on-site simulation to build increased team buy-in and confidence in interpersonal skills among a group of leaders and influencers.

An air force in Europe needed a way to translate safety management systems to their own operations - and it wasn’t as straightforward as it seemed. Magpie helped design a plan for taking ICAO, IATA, and ISO standards and adapting them to the world of military aviation. Our team crafted and delivered a training and support plan to aid the implementation of SMS in a unique application.

A municipality reached out to Magpie to help understand their culture, shape leadership development, and re-think safety through the lens of human and organizational performance. We embedded with the city, shadowing work from trash collection to road maintenance and from water treatment to police and firefighting, using what we learned to develop and integrate a learning-focused safety system across all departments.

A mid-sized FBO chain was struggling not only to stand out in an increasingly competitive market but to find a way to level up their skills across a diverse network of locations. Magpie led a multi-year project for design and implementation of SMS across the chain, conducting the gap analysis, designing and delivering training, managing the implementation project, educating senior leadership, and aligning strategic planning to include a renewed commitment to safety. The company not only successfully implemented SMS, they saw increased retention and engagement because of grassroots involvement built into Magpie’s approach. Today, the company continues to see benefits in safety, too, and has achieved Stage II IS-BAH registration.

When an international charter operator had an in-flight accident in a foreign country, they relied on Magpie’s experience dealing with the media and regulatory entities. From coordinating with US lawmakers to secure the release of the aircraft and personnel, caring for the families involved, and managing reputational exposure, Magpie worked with a global network of experts to provide steady guidance through a long recovery.

An international airline sought to manage safety in part by understanding what about their organizational culture made them successful and what areas needed improvement. Magpie’s team of experienced professionals deployed a proprietary safety climate assessment study - supported by published scientific research - to provide actionable intelligence to the leadership team. Today, the airline is able to leverage the knowledge they gained to better manage engagement, turnover, and safety system design - with an ROI of 6:1 in the first year.

A senior leadership team at a multinational transportation firm was struggling to achieve front-line results that mirrored the organization’s strategic plans. Magpie’s consultants spent time with the executive team but also with front-line employees and their supervisors to better understand how work was being done. Using the knowledge gained through immersion, Magpie created training that allowed supervisors to implement strategic vision into everyday work more effectively and for executives to more completely understand the goal conflicts they created unintentionally. Using design thinking strategies, Magpie led the executive team through learning exercises to better understand their business and its impact on customers and employees, all toward an outcome of more efficient operations.

A state department of transportation decided that waiting for SMS regulation might put them on their heels, so they looked to gain insight early and plan ahead for FAA rule-making. To support that goal, they partnered with Magpie to create comprehensive training for all airport personnel to enable a smooth transition to SMS implementation and maturation. Our team met training design goals, delivered in-person training on time and on budget, and helped the airport group lay a foundation for the successful SMS they have in place today.

An air medical operator sought to change up their emergency planning, which had gotten stale over years of doing things the same way. Magpie designed and delivered an experiential scenario complete with live phone calls, simulated news websites, media inquiries, and social media interface. The training not only engaged participants fully, it left a lasting impression and identified gaps in preparation that were previously hidden, all while creating tools to give our client the confidence to continue building on those lessons.

Magpie’s team has worked with several US large hub, international airports - and others of all sizes - to implement human and organizational performance, manage safety more proactively ahead of FAA SMS regulations, and develop advanced safety knowledge. In every case, Magpie takes a clean-sheet approach so that we’re building on deep cultural knowledge and an appreciation of where the airport is and where it wants to be.