The answer is… When we build our first Trojan Horse. I’ll explain why in a minute, but first a “lovely ramble down to an important point…” The Coal Dust Cresta Run. When I was growing up one my favourite playgrounds was the old quarry at the top of the street. It had been partially filled […]
Crowdsourcing Covid Recovery Ideas. Do I Panic and Scream or Do I Rejoice?
Is it just me… or are there an overwhelming number of ‘bright idea schemes’ floating around at the moment? All of them searching for the big idea that will make life better after COVID. A lot of what I’m seeing are versions of ‘crowdsourcing’. Ask lots of people a question, and they will eventually come […]
Knowledge Management is like a Boomerang.
There’s so much I don’t know (about knowledge). I don’t feel particularly confident about writing this post. The more I’ve learnt about ‘knowledge’, the more I realise that I don’t know very much. However, sometimes I feel the need to speak out – in a helpful sort of way – to prevent others making the […]
How to Spot the Decoy Effect in Business Case Options Appraisals.
Coffee Choices and the Decoy Effect. Have you every bought a coffee and been ‘bedazzled’ into getting a bigger or frothier one than you’d planned? “It just seemed sooooohhh much better value to have the Maximo Grande Frothiata…”. Basically you’ve had your behaviour ‘modified’ by the retailer using a process called Decoy Pricing or the […]
Is anyone deploying ‘Innovation and Learning’ people alongside COVID-19 Response Teams?
This is a genuine question. I only ask because there’s something from Dave Snowden rattling around my head that seems particularly relevant at the moment. “In a crisis, you should always deploy an innovation team alongside the business recovery teams…to capture the novel practice” The point of this statement (for me) is that during a […]
Regulation is a Social Process. A Contact Sport… People Doing Things With Other People.
Audit is also a Social Process. When I got a job with the District Audit Service about 20 years ago my Father in Law (one of the wisest people I’ve ever known, just like his daughter) told me a joke. QUESTION: How do you know you’ve met an extrovert Auditor? ANSWER: When they were talking […]
Trojan Mice in 900 Seconds
Be careful what you wish for… After blathering on about Trojan Mice for ages people have actually paid attention. Thank you Paul Taylor for the mentions in this post ‘The Complex Problem with Big Change Programmes’ and ‘People Aren’t Sick of Change, They are Sick of Change Programmes’. There’s an important point in Paul’s posts. […]
Regulation, Inspection and Audit. It really, really shouldn’t hurt… and ‘behaviour begets behaviour’.
Imagine a situation where you can measure the psychological and physiological effects of a visit from the Regulator. That’s what this fuzzy image shows. It’s actually heart beats per minute of the registered manager of a care provider, and the impact of a notice to visit from the Regulator. The ‘spike’ happens when the ‘regulatory […]
Project Learning Reviews are like a Cheese Fondue…
…basically you throw everything into a pot and mix it all together into a smooth consistency. Then you stick a piece of bread on a fork, pop it into the mixture, and see what comes out. That’s your project learning, driven by a thinking process called retrospective coherence. The Origins of Fondue and Project Reviews. […]
Pathological to Generative. Moving up the Regulation Culture Ladder with Bruce.
Love Your Auditor. A wise person* once explained to me why they enjoyed a visit from their auditors. The gist of the story revolved around the benefit provided by auditors in presenting an ‘outside viewpoint’, something valuable that helped them improve their business. A challenge in the style of a ‘critical friend’ was a catalyst […]
What's the PONT 