Latest Posts
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The Batcave of Innovation: Disruptive Thinking in Healthcare
“The biggest users of pagers are drug dealers, Hezbollah and the NHS” Why has Alder Hey Children’s Hospital innovated in ways the NHS cannot? It’s all about First Principles.. Continue reading
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What Gets Measured Gets Gamed
Campbell’s Law builds on earlier ideas, notably Goodhart’s Law, which states: “When a measure becomes a target, it ceases to be a good measure.” Campbell extended this concept to social indicators, emphasising the systemic distortions that can arise when metrics… Continue reading
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The Desperate Need To Reorganise Our Resources
Brooks’ Law is a principle in software development that states: “Adding manpower to a late project makes it later.” It was coined by Fred Brooks in his 1975 book “The Mythical Man-Month” As more people join, the number of communication… Continue reading
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Place Based Working Upends Business As Usual
There’s a major shift in the Bromford Strategy that upends our legacy business model: our move to place-based working by 2027. But how do you shift to a completely new model within the constraints of a 60 year-old organisation? Continue reading
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Moving from ‘Decided Upon’ to ‘Decided With’
I’ve recently finished Dan Davies’ book The Unaccountability Machine: Why Big Systems Make Terrible Decisions. In it, he describes how systems have evolved to create “accountability sinks”: situations in which a human system delegates decision-making to a rule book rather… Continue reading
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Imitation Breeds Mediocrity
Imitation breeds mediocrity. Copying others distracts from developing your own unique strengths and capabilities. True innovation comes from looking inward, understanding your own context and culture, and finding creative solutions that work for you. Copying stifles this. Continue reading
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Relationships aren’t very efficient, but efficiency isn’t always effective
“CEO-ification” refers to the trend of nonprofits and charities to increasingly mirror corporate and military structures. Often they will adopt similar language, hierarchies, and strategic approaches. The trend began in the late 20th century, with a significant acceleration in the… Continue reading
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Should Organisations Sleep On Their Problems?
We know that sleep allows your brain to process information and consolidate memories. This can lead to new insights or perspectives on a problem when you wake up. Sleep helps regulate emotions and reduce stress levels. A calmer mind might… Continue reading
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Combatting The Cobra Effect With Bottom-Up Planning
The Cobra Effect refers to a situation where an attempted solution to a problem actually makes the problem worse, as a result of unintended consequences. The term comes from a story during the British colonial rule of India. Concerned about… Continue reading
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Institutional ‘Forgetting’ and The Failure of Corporate Memory
Corporate amnesia or ‘institutional forgetting’ -is a phenomenon where organisations lose valuable knowledge, experience, and insights over time. This can be a gradual process or a sudden occurrence, and it can have significant negative impacts on an organisation’s performance, decision-making,… Continue reading
Paul Taylor 