meet dian small
The cultural architect
Architect. Culture Change & DEI strategist. Empowerment leadership coach.
Dian brings over 25 years of built-environment experience together with behavioural design, coaching ethics, and cultural intelligence to help leaders and teams make culture visible — and transform it with intention.
An architectural lens that reveals the invisible systems shaping how we work, collaborate, and create.
The IRIE Eye
“I came into this world with one eye closed… The medical term is strabismus amblyopia, but I call it my IRIE Eye. Growing up, that difference taught me to see the things others often miss — patterns, undercurrents, tensions, and unspoken dynamics. ”
This way of seeing became a lifelong practice.
It is the same perceptive lens that underpins the IRIE Cultural Transformation System™ — helping leaders and teams make visible the cultural forces shaping their work.
Over 25 Years in the Built Environment
Dian blends multiple disciplines to create transformational change:
Architectural thinking
systems, structures, and relationships
Behavioural design
how environments shape habits
Cultural Intelligence (CQ)
navigating difference with competence
Human-led facilitation
creating psychological safety and shared understanding
AI-supported coaching
reinforcing cultural habits in real moments
This multidisciplinary foundation is the architecture behind IRIE.
Professional Credentials
ARB Architect
CQ® Certified Trainer
Advanced Lego Serious Play Facilitator
Accredited Mediator - Diversity to Belonging
CMI Level 7: Strategic Cultural Change
CMI Level 7: Strategic Approaches to EDI
ILM Level 5: Innovation & Change
ILM Level 5: Leadership & Management
These credentials underpin a practice that is ethically grounded, professionally aligned, and designed specifically for the built environment.
A System, Not Just a Framework
The IRIE Cultural Transformation System™ is not a workshop series, assessment, or checklist.
It is a living cultural operating system — rooted in architectural logic, behavioural science, cultural intelligence, and professional ethics.
Like architecture, it has:
foundations
layers
rhythm
flow
lived experience
It meets practices where they are and guides them toward a culture that is:
Intentionally designed
psychologically safe
equitable
collaborative
and self-sustaining
IRIE isn’t theoretical — it’s lived, felt, and embedded.
Your Role as The Cultural Architect™
Dian partners with leaders and teams as a Guide: supporting them to see what's hidden, name what's emerging, and build what's possible.
Her mission is simple and bold: Make culture visible. So leaders can shape it.
