Helen Routledge

WORK HISTORY

EDUCATION

SKILLS

ABOUT HELEN ROUTLEDGE

Most organisations train people to understand the work.Very few give them the chance to rehearse doing it.That gap is where performance failures appear.If learning doesn’t reduce performance variance in the real world, it isn’t working.Most operational mistakes don’t happen because people lack knowledge. They happen because people are asked to make real decisions before they’ve ever practised making them.That’s the problem we solve at Totem Learning.We design capability rehearsal environments where teams practise critical decisions before they carry real-world consequences.These simulation environments allow organisations to stabilise judgement earlier - while mistakes are still contained and learning happens faster.For over 20 years I’ve worked at the intersection of learning science, behavioural psychology and game design.At Totem, my team and I build rehearsal-based simulations and AI-supported role-play used in complex operational environments.Recent outcomes include- 44% uplift in referral behaviour- 35% reduction in at-risk incidents-$12 million ROI delivered on a single programmeOur work is used across logistics, rail, FMCG, healthcare and professional services.What we specialise in- Capability rehearsal simulations that translate knowledge into reliable behaviour- AI-supported role-play that scales judgement practice across large workforces- Multiplayer environments where teams rehearse critical operational decisions- Behaviour-change design grounded in cognitive scienceI typically work with leadership teams who care less about completion rates and more about whether people can execute when it matters.If you’re exploring whether capability in your organisation is forming early enough to prevent costly mistakes later, I offer a short Strategy Sprint to benchmark where rehearsal currently happens and where judgement is forming too late.