Most modern organisations are drowning in information but often short on knowledge. And as we all know, without knowledge, there is no meaningful learning or action. Therefore, it is wise for senior leaders to seek knowledge before taking action. I wanted to share what effective knowledge-seeking behaviour from leadership teams looks like. The Situation Some years ago, I … [Read more...] about Senior Leadership Knowledge seeking for strategy formulation – a case study
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Designed to fail? Mckinsey’s 70% and all that
Mckinseys get a lot of stick for their claim that 70 percent of change programs fail to achieve their goals (Changing Change Management, 2015). This is partly because how they view change is wrong and this leads to conclusions that blame workers for resisting change, and then blame managers for providing a lack of support. In reality, the percentage of projects that fail in … [Read more...] about Designed to fail? Mckinsey’s 70% and all that
Reflecting upon Personas
Personas have become ubiquitous in many organisations, and are typically used as part of the digital development cycle and latterly transformation programs. Project Managers and interventionists come across this tool more frequently and since 2010 I have seen them used in six different public, private and third sector organisations. For some time I have wanted to do a little … [Read more...] about Reflecting upon Personas
Designing and doing in a traditional programme environment
As services improvement specialists the ability to explore, understand and adapt to the different situations that we find is critical. And sometimes the pieces of work that we take-on are ‘make it happen’ tasks in traditional project and programme environments. Intended outcomes have been specified and work has been broken-down and packaged-up as part of a large program, with … [Read more...] about Designing and doing in a traditional programme environment
Beyond Command and Control by John Seddon
If you are interested in profound thinking on transformation, change and improvement then I recommend John Seddon's ‘Beyond Command and Control’ (2019). And for those of you who have read the precursor 'Freedom from Command and Control' (2003), prepare to be surprised. This book marks a genuine departure in both tone and style and I believe it to be Seddon's best work. For its … [Read more...] about Beyond Command and Control by John Seddon