OUR COMPANY
Building the Most Advanced Intervention Capability for Businesskind
OUR CALL TO ACTION
It is not enough to simply call-out the extraordinary times.
Leaders and task forces deserve solutions built for extraordinary action.
OUR VISION
For Scramble™ to be the action leaders take to mobilize
their organization and set Precedent in defining moments.
O.U.R. PROMISE
Deliver Otherwise Unachievable Results™
RULES OF ENTANGLEMENT
We engage "Non-Standard" business situations.
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When you need take coordinated action beyond your organization's normal operating controls, capabilities, and capacities — this is Non-Standard.
These situations are defined by the collapse of your standard protocols and playbooks, fractures in the systems and structure, and destabilizing forces (of complexity, volatility, divergence, and disruption). These factors limit options, and create more uncertainty and risk in the perceived paths available.
Often times, following best practices leads to opposite results. Legacy SOPs fail. Solutions trapped in strategy decks feel impossible to achieve. And relying on more meetings to arrive at an approach results in plausible deniability, strategic ignorance, and performative alignment.
If you’re here, let's talk. Your time to Scramble is now.
We push for Precedent.
Our programs are designed and facilitated to set Precedent.
No Precedents set? Then, no breakthroughs.
No breakthroughs? No new outcomes.
No new outcomes? No meaningful change.
Precedent leaves no room for plausible deniability.
High-integrity decisions and action result in the best possible outcomes.
Our programs elevate accountability.
We accompany teams through their most difficult and defining situations.
We venture into the uncertainties and don’t flinch when the facts are uncomfortable.
We state assumptions out loud.
We identify conflicted behavior if we see it.
We know that once trust bends, the level of performance needed to emerge breaks.
Your Situation x Our Full-Force Approach.
In high-stakes environments, half-measures approaches sabotage real possibility.
We meet clients where they are at, but we don't stay there for long.
A Scramble System introduces a series of intensive, focused program interventions in a compressed timeframe.
Our full-commitment approach is what it takes to reach the escape velocity of Non-Standard Situations.
Expecting a bold outcome from a timid approach is how failure gets funded.
Founder & Managing Director
Stephen works with organizations and teams to navigate existential threats, recover from destabilizing challenges, and seize business-defining opportunities. See the Situations here.
He has taken hands-on roles as an operating partner, advisor, and interim executive within mid-sized, PE- and VC-backed companies. Earlier in his career, he worked in M&A advisory (BB&T, now Truist) supporting transactions across tech, telecom, defense, and international infrastructure.
The dire need for a faster, more inclusive path for teams to take urgent action while in distress spurred the launch of Scramble Systems. He has led efforts to develop methods and approaches to rapidly building trust and buy-in across stakeholders with diverging interests, while still enabling courageous decisions.
Stephen’s client work spans industries and business sizes . This includes a global CPG manufacturer, a heavy-industry metal fabricator, a VC-backed defense tech startup, a multigenerational trucking and logistics business, a 100,000+ member national governing association, a critical care medical services provider, the owner of a 75,000 sq. ft. sports complex, a $100MM multi-business operation, and a distressed $350M multifamily real estate syndicate. He has partnered with innovation and business units within TIAA, IBM, Manulife, Fidelity, and Microsoft.
Stephen’s perspective on resilience and leadership under pressure is rooted in personal experience. Growing up in a small town, he saw firsthand how communities and businesses absorb shocks—and what it looks like when they don’t. Athletics also shaped his leadership style as a Division I NCAA athlete and Team Captain, where discipline and teamwork are non-negotiable to achieve any level of success.
To train the next generation of talent and leaders, Stephen has led 1,000s of students through innovation and venture-building intensives at institutions such as Harvard, MIT, Northwestern, and NYU. He is active in the alumni communities of William & Mary and Babson College where he earned a BA in Economics and an MBA, respectively.
OUR ORIGINS
Scramble Systems was founded in 2008 during a period of massive disruption for U.S. businesses.
Unemployment rose to 10%. Credit markets seized up. Lending standards tightened. Access to working capital froze. Mass layoffs spanned nearly every sector. Commercial and residential foreclosures surged. Consumer confidence fell to record lows. A global downturn ensued, wiping out trillions in wealth and plunging economies into recession.
Biases, blindspots, and mis-incentives stopped leaders from proactively initiating necessary changes. Seasoned executives were defaulting to “all-we-have-to-do-is” and “let sleeping dogs lie” platitudes—anything to avoid addressing the deeper, emerging issues. Finally, internal task forces were formed to intervene, but it was too late. Last-resort capital sources purchased businesses on the cheap and initiated aggressive restructuring measures. Private equity captured tremendous value in fractions of time.
Lessons learned from this period were formative: Leaders either didn't trust the intervention methods and approaches of the day. Or, leaders and teams over-indexed their abilities to navigate through the storm. Perhaps it was a combination of both factors.
Our mandate took shape: Develop ways to eliminate turnaround theater and performative change-making — the rituals of progress that avoid real courage, real decisions, and real accountability. Playbooks needed to become action-taking with no room for strategic ignorance, CYA approaches, procedural loyalty, plausible deniability, and willful neglect.
We first sought out, then had to pioneer, a new approach — for organizations to make the best decisions when it feels impossibly hard, in the most extreme business situations. This became Scramble Systems.
OUR NETWORK & IMPACT
We are exceptional program partners for exceptional situations. Our work spans 100s of urgent-change programs across enterprises, startups, and institutions.
From our origins operating distressed businesses, we began helping companies proactively engage their critical business challenges before issues became terminal.
Our core team and extended network bring decades of experience as operators and leaders. We draw from battalions and boardrooms, manufacturing floors and truck yards, value-driving PE and mission-driven nonprofits, trade schools and elite universities, laboratories and kitchens, and Olympic arenas and crisis rooms.
OUR ORIGINS
Scramble Systems was founded in 2008 during a period of massive disruption for U.S. businesses.
Unemployment rose to 10%. Credit markets seized up. Lending standards tightened. Access to working capital froze. Mass layoffs spanned nearly every sector. Commercial and residential foreclosures surged. Consumer confidence fell to record lows. A global downturn ensued, wiping out trillions in wealth and plunging economies into recession.
Biases, blindspots, and mis-incentives stopped leaders from proactively initiating necessary changes. Seasoned executives were defaulting to “all-we-have-to-do-is” and “let sleeping dogs lie” platitudes—anything to avoid addressing the deeper, emerging issues. Finally, internal task forces were formed to intervene, but it was too late. Last-resort capital sources purchased businesses on the cheap and initiated aggressive restructuring measures. Private equity captured tremendous value in fractions of time.
Lessons learned from this period were formative: Leaders either didn't trust the intervention methods and approaches of the day. Or, leaders and teams over-indexed their abilities to navigate through the storm. Perhaps it was a combination of both factors.
Our mandate took shape: Develop ways to eliminate turnaround theater and performative change-making — the rituals of progress that avoid real courage, real decisions, and real accountability. Playbooks needed to become action-taking with no room for strategic ignorance, CYA approaches, procedural loyalty, plausible deniability, and willful neglect.
We first sought out, then had to pioneer, a new approach — for organizations to make the best decisions when it feels impossibly hard, in the most extreme business situations. This became Scramble Systems.
OUR NETWORK & IMPACT
We are exceptional program partners for exceptional situations. Our work spans 100s of urgent-change programs across enterprises, startups, and institutions.
From our origins operating distressed businesses, we began helping companies proactively engage their critical business challenges before issues became terminal.
Our core team and extended network bring decades of experience as operators and leaders. We draw from battalions and boardrooms, manufacturing floors and truck yards, value-driving PE and mission-driven nonprofits, trade schools and elite universities, laboratories and kitchens, and Olympic arenas and crisis rooms.
Who We Are
Founder & Managing Director
Hi, I'm Stephen Douglass.
I specialize in leading teams and task forces through Non-Standard moments — when business sovereignty, trust, or critlcal success are at risk. Scramble Systems is the result of 17 years spent leading interventions, refining practices under pressure, and building what we couldn't find anywhere else.
Before Scramble, my work spanned M&A transaction advisory at BB&T (now Truist) and leading PE- and VC-backed operational turnarounds and workouts. My approach didn't fit standard playbooks, so I began architecting specialized programs for high-stakes situations in sectors such as manufacturing, defense, media, CPG, nonprofit, transportation, and services sectors.
Growing up in a small town, I learned early on how communities and businesses survive shocks — and what happens when they don’t. This shaped how I think about resilience and what it takes to lead through distress and high-pressure situations.
To prepare the next generation, I’ve guided 1,000s of students through innovation and venture-building intensives at Harvard, Babson, MIT, NYU, Northwestern, and other top universities. I hold a BA in Economics from William & Mary and an MBA from Babson College.
All of this is why I built Scramble Systems — to help teams navigate their most critical moments with clarity, speed, and conviction. So you can be ready for whatever comes next, and to set precedents when it matters most.
OUR ORIGINS
Scramble Systems was founded in 2008 during a period of massive disruption for U.S. businesses.
Unemployment rose to 10%. Credit markets seized up. Lending standards tightened. Access to working capital froze. Mass layoffs spanned nearly every sector. Commercial and residential foreclosures surged. Consumer confidence fell to record lows. A global downturn ensued, wiping out trillions in wealth and plunging economies into recession.
Biases, blindspots, and mis-incentives stopped leaders from proactively initiating necessary changes. Seasoned executives were defaulting to “all-we-have-to-do-is” and “let sleeping dogs lie” platitudes—anything to avoid addressing the deeper, emerging issues. Finally, internal task forces were formed to intervene, but it was too late. Last-resort capital sources purchased businesses on the cheap and initiated aggressive restructuring measures. Private equity captured tremendous value in fractions of time.
Lessons learned from this period were formative: Leaders either didn't trust the intervention methods and approaches of the day. Or, leaders and teams over-indexed their abilities to navigate through the storm. Perhaps it was a combination of both factors.
Our mandate took shape: Develop ways to eliminate turnaround theater and performative change-making — the rituals of progress that avoid real courage, real decisions, and real accountability. Playbooks needed to become action-taking with no room for strategic ignorance, CYA approaches, procedural loyalty, plausible deniability, and willful neglect.
We first sought out, then had to pioneer, a new approach — for organizations to make the best decisions when it feels impossibly hard, in the most extreme business situations. This became Scramble Systems.
OUR NETWORK & IMPACT
We are exceptional program partners for exceptional situations. Our work spans 100s of urgent-change programs across enterprises, startups, and institutions.
From our origins operating distressed businesses, we began helping companies proactively engage their critical business challenges before issues became terminal.
Our core team and extended network bring decades of experience as operators and leaders. We draw from battalions and boardrooms, manufacturing floors and truck yards, value-driving PE and mission-driven nonprofits, trade schools and elite universities, laboratories and kitchens, and Olympic arenas and crisis rooms.
Who We Are
Founder & Managing Director
Hi, I'm Stephen Douglass.
I specialize in leading teams and task forces through Non-Standard moments — when business sovereignty, trust, or critlcal success are at risk. Scramble Systems is the result of 17 years spent leading interventions, refining practices under pressure, and building what we couldn't find anywhere else.
Before Scramble, my work spanned M&A transaction advisory at BB&T (now Truist) and leading PE- and VC-backed operational turnarounds and workouts. My approach didn't fit standard playbooks, so I began architecting specialized programs for high-stakes situations in sectors such as manufacturing, defense, media, CPG, nonprofit, transportation, and services sectors.
Growing up in a small town, I learned early on how communities and businesses survive shocks — and what happens when they don’t. This shaped how I think about resilience and what it takes to lead through distress and high-pressure situations.
To prepare the next generation, I’ve guided 1,000s of students through innovation and venture-building intensives at Harvard, Babson, MIT, NYU, Northwestern, and other top universities. I hold a BA in Economics from William & Mary and an MBA from Babson College.
All of this is why I built Scramble Systems — to help teams navigate their most critical moments with clarity, speed, and conviction. So you can be ready for whatever comes next, and to set precedents when it matters most.
WhO WE WORK WITH
Our work is mandated by:
Business Taskforces
CXOs/Executive Sponsors
Business Unit Leaders
Owners/Operators
Board of Directors & Fiduciaries
General and Business Counsel
Investors (Private Equity, Venture Capital, Family Offices)
Our work is mandated by:
Business Taskforces
CXOs/Executive Sponsors
Business Unit Leaders
Owner/Operators
Board of Directors
General and Business Counsel
Investors (Private Equity, Venture Capital, Family Offices)
What we strive to uphold when we do our work.
Set Precedents
Breakthroughs and enduring change do not happen by chance — they happen by setting intentional Precedents.
Build Capability, Not Dependency
We build client ownership — not reliance. Our role is to equip, guide, and strengthen teams so they lead their outcomes, long after we’re gone.
Strength in Integrity
Integrity builds trust. Trust creates strength. We operate from strength — and move others into stronger positions.
Share Your Strongest Version
Show up fully. Think independently. Ask for help. Offer help. Call out assumptions. Revel in hard truths. Share the hard thing. Protect what matters. Take the time you need. Act with authenticity. Stay accountable. Move forward — especially when it’s not easy.
Stay "Ready For Whatever"
Be equipped and enabled to meet the moment.
Be Upgradable.
You don’t have to change your mind.
Just upgrade your thinking.
OUR VALUES
Set Precedent
Precedent is the precursor to breakthroughs and enduring change. All aims are on setting precedents.
Dependable, Not Dependency
Clients must feel ownership of their approach, abilities, and results. We are invited to support clients through their journeys.
Strength in Integrity
Integrity builds trust. Trust imbues strength. Move to and from positions of strength.
Challenging Structures, Exciting Work
Reality is structurable. Systems are stacked. Leaders must navigate this. Do the hard work and enable for the best possible outcomes to emerge.
Find Fearless Selves
Be present. Embrace hard truths. Think independently. Share vulnerabilities. Stand by right decisions. Take courageous action. Move onward.
Stay "Ready For Whatever"
Generate data, insights, and information that enable clients to more effectively respond to and advance humanity’s needs.
Be Upgradable.
You don’t have to change your mind.
Just upgrade your thinking.
Our EXTENDED PARTNER NETWORK
We have a deep and broad bench of trusted experts and specialists spanning dozens of industries, functions, and skills. We’re able to get clients in-depth perspectives and up-to-speed on virtually any situation.
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Our Talent & Partner Community
When needed, we leverage a deep and broad bench of trusted experts and specialists spanning dozens of industries, functions, and skills. We’re able to get clients in-depth perspectives and up-to-speed on virtually any situation.
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