Cormac Russell

  • 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

    Moving from ‘Decided Upon’ to ‘Decided With’
  • How To Keep Focussed (And Remain Sane) In A World Of Complex Problems

    In our heart, we know the solution does not lie in reforming silo by silo but in organizing our silos the way people organize their lives, so that the neighbourhood becomes our primary unit of analysis and change – Cormac… Continue reading

    How To Keep Focussed (And Remain Sane) In A World Of Complex Problems
  • The Problem With Professionals

    Social progress is about the expansion of freedom, not the growth of services – Cormac Russell Our digital networks, Twitter, in particular, are unparalleled listening tools. I follow thousands of accounts, many organised into lists so I can get a sense… Continue reading

    The Problem With Professionals
  • How To Design For Better Outcomes

    Our job is to the mind the gap between the bureaucracy of our systems and the opportunities in our communities – Cormac Russell Sometimes it’s preferable to pull the plug on a service before you see it collapse in front of… Continue reading

    How To Design For Better Outcomes
  • It’s Time for Us to Unleash the Hidden Power in Communities

    “It’s so tempting for those of us who provide services….support workers, housing providers, social workers, community workers, health visitors, GPs…to see ourselves as the ones with the gifts. The ones with the solutions. The superheroes ready to fly in and… Continue reading