What value culture? A wide range of events covering collaboration, evaluation and the place of young people in cultural organisations. Join us for ten days of free online events probing and questioning the value of culture through a series of discussions and interactive workshops. All events will have live transcription. My start up failed, now…
The Practice Seth Godin has a new book coming out: – The Practice: shipping creative work. Definitely one if you are looking for great, grounded and inspirational thinking How to Decide Thinking about how to make good decisions is becoming a big theme in my work (and life). In the face of uncertainty and what feels…
Jon & Steve’s blog post on Monday was certainly thought provoking and when Susan and I chatted about it a whole range of things were brought to mind. Two issues in particular came up for us: Defining ‘mission’ success is hard Permanently failing organisations (PFOs) I’ve picked up on the first one and Susan shares…
I am really delighted to welcome two guest bloggers to join our conversation this morning. They both bring expertise in acquisitions and mergers and very kindly took up my invitation to share their experience of working with different sectors. If this piece prompts any comments or questions do feel free to share them, I’m sure…
Managing a hybrid team Some timely advice on building a fair and equitable workplace in the world of hybrid teams. Principles to Remember: Do Set clear priorities and objectives so that everyone on your team focuses on what’s most important. Be inclusive. Even if some people are in the office, hold all-team meetings online to…
Esmee Fairbairn Esmee Fairbairn launched its new strategy this week focused on three independent aims We aim to improve our natural world, secure a fairer future and strengthen the bonds in communities in the UK. People often ask me for examples of good practice in developing and communicating strategic plans – this approach definitely joins…
As I was meandering through Etienne Wenger’s website (which is well worth a visit if you want to explore Communities of Practice further) last week I came across his thinking around levels of participation and I thought it was a really useful approach for exploring the different ways people get involved with social learning. I…
Start small and be patient… You can’t move faster than you can build trust and ownership, without making the network reliant on you. (Jamie Pett, London International Development Network.) Communities of practice are groups of people who share a concern or a passion for something they do and learn how to do it better as…
From the Margins to the Mainstream: how to create the conditions for new operating models to thrive Some great research from nesta and Collaborate CIC into how innovative practices at the margins can be a catalyst for change in public services from the inside out. The self-assessment tool looks at eleven essential enablers of innovative practice…
We see future thinking as a collective, collaborative, and creative process. Earlier this year we wrote about different kinds of problem and how you might approach solving, or resolving, them creatively. From our discussions with colleagues and clients it is clear that many organisations are now beginning to turn to the daunting problem of what…
Organisations join or form networks for a variety of reasons, including the need to gain legitimacy, serve clients more effectively, attract more resources, and address complex problems. But regardless of the specific reason, in a general sense, all net-work organizations are seeking to achieve some end that they could not have achieved independently . (Provan…
How Higher Education can support local ecosystems of innovation Great paper from Stanford Social Innovation Review on how HE can support innovation at a local level using a model of knowledge sharing, developing a community of practice and capacity building rooted in reciprocity, commitment, and love. ‘Project managers and administrators can only do so much…
Continuing our merger mini-series today’s post offers a road map for merger. The framework for the map is the Design Council’s Double Diamond: a process of alternating creative and critical thinking to design and create a new merged organisation. Whilst these are shown as linear development, there will be, as in any design process, a…