The thinking is in the next question.

People say what they think when the next question is built from their last answer, and they are asked it alone. A meeting puts one question to 9 people for 2 hours. Metafora asks each of them their own, in about 4 minutes.

The interview

Metafora's own onboarding interview, answered by Katri Karvonen, partner at Harju & Co, a strategy boutique in Helsinki. The person is fictional; every question is the product's own.

Metafora: Your next engagement. What your next engagement needs to find out from the client’s people, and what interviewing them costs your firm today.
Metafora: What does your next engagement need to find out from the client's people before its first readout?
Katri Karvonen: We need to understand what the management team and board genuinely agree on—and where they are avoiding the difficult choices—before the January board offsite. I want the interviews to surface what people will not say to the CEO, not just produce polite summaries.
Metafora: When you say “what people will not say to the CEO,” what specifically do you need the interviews to uncover before the January board offsite?
Katri Karvonen: We need to uncover where people see real risks, disagreements and resistance around the strategy, especially the choices they are avoiding or only discussing privately. In this case, that means hearing the management team and board members separately and candidly, not just collecting polite summaries for the January offsite.
Metafora: What specific strategy risks, disagreements, or resistance do you need the interviews to make visible before the January board offsite?
Katri Karvonen: I don’t know the specific risks yet—that is precisely what the interviews need to uncover. I want to see where the management team and board disagree on the strategic direction, what they think the organisation cannot realistically deliver, and where resistance is being kept out of the room.
Metafora: What does interviewing these people cost your firm today?
Katri Karvonen: For the 18 people, the interviews alone are roughly 54 hours of work—three hours each for preparation, the interview and write-up. Then synthesis takes another two to three senior-consultant days, so from the first call to the first readout we are at roughly 80 hours of firm time.
Metafora: Which best describes the disagreement the interviews need to expose? — Katri Karvonen chose: Different views of the strategic direction
Metafora: What do people most need to assess when they say the organisation cannot realistically deliver the strategy? — Katri Karvonen chose: Its capabilities and capacity
Metafora: Where does the resistance most need to be made visible? — Katri Karvonen chose: Around the strategic choices
Metafora: Which part of the current interview work takes the most firm time? — Katri Karvonen chose: Write-up and synthesis

Discovery

Your next engagement

What your next engagement needs to find out from the client’s people, and what interviewing them costs your firm today.

What does your next engagement need to find out from the client's people before its first readout?

We need to understand what the management team and board genuinely agree on—and where they are avoiding the difficult choices—before the January board offsite. I want the interviews to surface what people will not say to the CEO, not just produce polite summaries.

When you say “what people will not say to the CEO,” what specifically do you need the interviews to uncover before the January board offsite?

We need to uncover where people see real risks, disagreements and resistance around the strategy, especially the choices they are avoiding or only discussing privately. In this case, that means hearing the management team and board members separately and candidly, not just collecting polite summaries for the January offsite.

What specific strategy risks, disagreements, or resistance do you need the interviews to make visible before the January board offsite?

I don’t know the specific risks yet—that is precisely what the interviews need to uncover. I want to see where the management team and board disagree on the strategic direction, what they think the organisation cannot realistically deliver, and where resistance is being kept out of the room.

What does interviewing these people cost your firm today?

For the 18 people, the interviews alone are roughly 54 hours of work—three hours each for preparation, the interview and write-up. Then synthesis takes another two to three senior-consultant days, so from the first call to the first readout we are at roughly 80 hours of firm time.

Which best describes the disagreement the interviews need to expose?

Something else…

What do people most need to assess when they say the organisation cannot realistically deliver the strategy?

Something else…

Where does the resistance most need to be made visible?

Something else…

Which part of the current interview work takes the most firm time?

Something else…

Which best describes the disagreement the interviews need to expose?Different views of the strategic direction
What do people most need to assess when they say the organisation cannot realistically deliver the strategy?Its capabilities and capacity
Where does the resistance most need to be made visible?Around the strategic choices
Which part of the current interview work takes the most firm time?Write-up and synthesis

The interviewer is an AI. This chat is private — only the summary you approve travels.

Your next engagement

I need to understand what the management team and board genuinely agree on, and where they are avoiding difficult choices, before the January board offsite. I want the interviews to surface what people will not say to the CEO, rather than produce polite summaries.

I need to uncover real risks, disagreements on the strategic direction, and resistance around the strategy, especially the choices people are avoiding or discussing only privately. In this case, I need to hear the management team and board members separately and candidly before the January offsite.

I do not yet know the specific risks; that is precisely what the interviews need to uncover. I want to see where the management team and board disagree on the strategic direction, what they think the organisation cannot realistically deliver given its capabilities and capacity, and where resistance around the strategic choices is being kept out of the room.

For 18 people, the interviews alone require roughly 54 hours of work: three hours each for preparation, the interview and write-up. Write-up and synthesis take the most firm time, with synthesis requiring another two to three senior-consultant days. From the first call to the first readout, this is roughly 80 hours of firm time.