The work of Professor John Seddon and the Vanguard Method, has had an impact upon all services sectors and on almost every continent. His work in health and the lessons for service design and policy could have dramatically transformed this field. Anyway … have a listen and give them a follow … [Read more...] about John Seddon episode on The Aural Apothecary podcast
Services improvement
An antidote to Whack a mole projects
At one point I was asked to deliver a project in a high-risk, highly-regulated service in a national organisation. It was an area that I hadn't worked-in before and I was pretty anxious about doing no harm. Reading through the internal documentation; previous external consulting firm reviews, reports and project documentation, the organisation had repeatedly tried to solve … [Read more...] about An antidote to Whack a mole projects
Enhancing Organisational Effectiveness: The Impact of Applying McGregor’s Theory Y
Many organizations express their desire to boost productivity and reduce costs, but the reality often reveals increased activity without substantial improvements or cost reductions. This discrepancy arises from organizational structures rooted in outdated theories that inadvertently hinder progress. This short article explores the transformative effects of applying McGregor's … [Read more...] about Enhancing Organisational Effectiveness: The Impact of Applying McGregor’s Theory Y
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
Mind the strategy-operations gap
If you don’t understand your business operations from the customer’s point of view, you may as well throw your strategy in the bin. And if you think that this is a harsh assessment then consider the number of corporate strategy failures and company survival rates. The truth of it is, that whenever leaders and planners learn to profoundly reconnect with operations they are … [Read more...] about Mind the strategy-operations gap