Paul Taylor
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A pilot tests a new part inside an old machine, while system change rewires the entire machine—and the people operating it. When Bromford and the Lab co-created, tested and launched the role of the Neighbourhood Coach they were inserting a… Continue reading
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The Ratchet Effect: Why Bad Rules Tend To Stick Around
A ratchet only spins in one direction and then locks into place, so the Ratchet Effect describes systems and behaviours that easily move forward but heavily resist going back. During a crisis (think of airports post 9/11, or the COVID-19… Continue reading
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Positive Deviance Versus Deficit Fetishism
Positive Deviance is a strength-based approach with some core principles: Communities possess the solutions and expertise to best address their own problems These communities are self-organising with sufficient human resources and assets to derive solutions to communal problems Communities possess… Continue reading
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AI Is Doing The Paperwork Of Centralisation, Faster.
The price that made it right to centralise might be disappearing. Whilst artificial intelligence doesn’t eliminate the need for a centre it fundamentally redefines its purpose. Rather than managing the centre becomes enabling. Rather than seeking consistency the centre can… Continue reading
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Is Our ‘Finite Pool of Attention’ Sabotaging Strategic Thinking?
The finite pool of attention is not a myth; it is a profound biological and psychological constraint that shapes every facet of our economy and landscape. The relentless pressure of immediate targets forces our brains into a reactive survival mode,… Continue reading
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The Paradox of Standardisation
The modern administrative state is still trapped in the paradox of standardisation: a situation where the relentless pursuit of narrow, technical efficiency through the measurement of anything and everything, actually manufactures the very demand it seeks to manage. Continue reading
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Organisational Main Character Syndrome
Organisational Main Character Syndrome (OMCS) is when an institution stops viewing itself as a collaborative partner in a wider ecosystem and instead adopts the persona of a singular hero with a unique purpose. Continue reading
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The Existential Threat Of ‘Work About Work’
The idea that constant distraction and fragmented attention are purely modern, digital-era phenomena is directly challenged by Henry Mintzberg’s 1973 study, The Nature of Managerial Work. Through direct observation of executives long before the advent of email and smartphones, Mintzberg… Continue reading
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The Overton Window: How Unthinkable Ideas Become The Norm
The concept of the Overton Window – the range of ideas, policies, and arguments deemed acceptable to the mainstream population – was developed in the early 1990s by Joseph P. Overton, an electrical engineer turned policy wonk. Overton maintained that… Continue reading
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How To Build A Bridge To A ‘Rogue Silo’ Team
In 1988 Phil. S. Ensor coined the term the functional silo system. His contention was that narrow, specialised teams and jobs were easy to manage, but imposed damaging learning disabilities on the organisation. As every function focuses on its own objectives and KPIs… Continue reading
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The Watery Tomato: Why Most Innovative Practice Doesn’t Scale
In late 2024, Scottish midfielder Scott McTominay moved from Manchester United to Napoli. He was an elite athlete, at the peak of physical performance, who had spent all his life in the UK. Yet, within weeks of arriving in Southern… Continue reading
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Fixing The Foundations Vs Innovation Leapfrogging
India, the worlds most populous country, has a vibe about it that contrasts starkly with the UK. It’s not just vibes, there’s data to back it up. India currently sits near the top of the global optimism charts, with 69%… Continue reading
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Four Picture Diary. Puducherry: Community creativity, mythopoeia, and booze bureaucracy
With a four picture diary the idea is to keep things simple and focused by capturing just four photos that define the day, each answering a specific prompt: Where is it happening? What are we doing? Who is involved? and… Continue reading
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Four Picture Diary: Digital Transformation, Airport Counselling and English Themed Pubs
With a four picture diary the idea is to keep things simple and focused by capturing just four photos that define the day, each answering a specific prompt: Where is it happening? What are we doing? Who is involved? and… Continue reading
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Four Picture Diary: Agonda, Jugaad, and the innovation suspicion of drones.
With a “Four a Day” picture diary the idea is to keep things simple and focused by capturing just four photos that define the day, each answering a specific prompt: Where is it happening? What are we doing? Who is… Continue reading
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Picture Diary: Palolem, fish curry, roaming cows, and why would you wash your balls in a public toilet?
With a “Four a Day” picture diary the idea is to keep things simple and focused by capturing just four photos that define the day, each answering a specific prompt: Where is it happening? What are we doing? Who is… Continue reading
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Four Picture Diary: Monkeys and Place Naming Conventions
With a “Four a Day” picture diary the idea is to keep things simple and focused by capturing just four photos that define the day, each answering a specific prompt: Where is it happening? What are we doing? Who is… Continue reading
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Four a Day Picture Diary: Elephants and Amusing ATMs
For our trip to India, I’m doing a four a day picture diary. Where is it happening? What we are doing? Who is involved? Why? Four pictures with a bit of commentary Where is it happening? Jaipur. A city I’ve… Continue reading
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Four a Day Picture Diary: Safari Bureaucracy
For our trip to India, I’m doing a four a day picture diary. What we are doing? Where it is happening? Who is involved? Why? Four pictures with a bit of commentary What we are doing? On safari at dawn… Continue reading
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Four a Day Picture Diary: The Road To Ranthambore
For our trip to India, I’m following the path of Chris Bolton with a four a day picture diary. What we are doing? Where it is happening? Who is involved? Why? Four pictures with a bit of commentary. What we are doing?… Continue reading
Paul Taylor 