Latest Writing

  • Built Not To Last: Could Planned Obsolescence Be Good For The Social Sector?

    Built Not To Last: Could Planned Obsolescence Be Good For The Social Sector?

    Planned obsolescence is the practice of deliberately creating consumer goods that rapidly become obsolete (or out of date) and therefore need to be frequently replaced. If we designed our organisations to have an expiry date would we get better social outcomes? Read more

  • The Convoluted Mess of The Hybrid Workplace

    The Convoluted Mess of The Hybrid Workplace

    What if hybrid ends up being a mix of the worst of both worlds? Read more

  • The Anatomy of a Great Idea

    The Anatomy of a Great Idea

    Ideas are not invented equally. I’d suggest that anyone who repeats the adage that ‘no idea is a bad idea’ has never attended a management away day. So what makes a great idea? Read more

  • Whatever You Do Today, Don’t Start A Transformation Programme

    Whatever You Do Today, Don’t Start A Transformation Programme

    New research indicates that corporate transformations have a 78% failure rate. The default position is that most top down change programmes will fail.  Smaller, well focused, spreadable changes, which are introduced on an ongoing basis in an inconspicuous way trump big change almost every time. Read more

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  • The Great Resignation and The Relentless Rise of Work About Work

    The Great Resignation and The Relentless Rise of Work About Work

    We really need to start treating people’s time as being more valuable than the organisation’s money. Mark McArthur-Christie In 2012 a civil servant in the German town of Menden wrote a farewell message to his colleagues on the day of his retirement stating that he had not done anything for 14 years. “Since 1998,” he… Read more

  • Poor Service Isn’t Always An Accident. It’s Often By Design

    Poor Service Isn’t Always An Accident. It’s Often By Design

    In markets without much competition, organisations can deliver bad service not because of poor design and management, but simply because they can. Benjamin P. Taylor shared a great thread on Twitter this week outlining the experience of attempting to get some housing support for an elderly relative. I say ‘great thread’ when I really mean… Read more