You can’t beat buying pot plants for instant gardening. If it’s colour you want them simply pop off to your local garden centre, buy something in bloom and take it home with you. Once it has gone over and lost its appeal the you can simply remove it and replace it. At this time of … Continue reading Damn those Romans
Implementing technology is easy
The solution to problems may be quite simple. Seeing the results however, may take a lot more effort. In 1847, Ignaz Semmelweiss discovered that if doctors washed their hands before attending women in childbirth it dramatically reduced deaths from puerperal fever. But before his work could have much benefit he had to persuade people - … Continue reading Implementing technology is easy
Of the clock
The clocks have gone back. My stomach says it’s lunchtime yet the timer on the oven tells me there is still an hour to go. I've lost an hour or gained an hour. I can't work it out but know it's lighter in the morning and darker earlier in the afternoon. The whole daylight saving … Continue reading Of the clock
Consumption gap
It can be funny how two different conversations can overlap. I had met with Esther at a local coffee shop over lunch. We had briefly met at a couple of events that we had both been to and I was keen to learn about her business which works in statistical analysis of data. AS always … Continue reading Consumption gap
Memory foam
What is all the fuss with memory foam? How hard is it to remember that you are an oblong? These days you can’t watch television for very long before seeing an advert for a memory foam mattress. I don’t get them to be honest. I have slept on a few and found them not to … Continue reading Memory foam
Age versus youth
Annand house is a warren of corridors and small meeting rooms. My pass let me in but it took some time for me to find Debbie. I even ended up on the wrong floor. Our paths have crossed a number of times over the last few weeks. Ever since the elephant eating party we seem … Continue reading Age versus youth
The function or the service?
I like to visualise. I like things stuck on walls that show what it is we are trying to do. White boards, interactive or not, with pictures, do more for me than a whole bunch of reports. It is true that a picture is worth a thousand words. I admire those people who can get … Continue reading The function or the service?
Complexity in the real world
The Bee book by Craig Smith and Paul Rigby has got me thinking. It is an allegorical tale of a hive of bees that is faced with a catastrophic change in their environment. The hive needs to take decisive action if it is to survive. It as a clear metaphor for the way that organisations … Continue reading Complexity in the real world
Work is changing
There is a very real issue we face and that is whether we can maintain the way that we work by continuing to be organised as we are. Many organisations, especially public sector ones are at a tipping point where the addition of greater and greater amounts of funding will not solve the underlying problems of demand and supply. … Continue reading Work is changing
Unfolding plans 179 – A break down
I got the call that I had been dreading this morning. One of my daughters had broken down on the A1 at one of the busiest times of the day. She was all right. The car was off the road and she was safe. The police had been informed, the roadside assistance was on its … Continue reading Unfolding plans 179 – A break down
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 