The most important piece of work that I am involved in at the moment is trying to organise the service so that it can survive. By this I don’t mean hang on by the skin of its teeth or slip into some catatonic state hoping for the better times to come. I have already described … Continue reading Unfolding plans 56 – leaders struggle the most with teams.
Unfolding plans 52 – you must come and talk to us about
I was stopped in the lift by one of my colleagues. She said ‘you must come and talk to us about…’ At this point I braced myself ready for whatever problem was at the root of her statement. I guess it’s a hazard of my profession in that most people stop me when something goes … Continue reading Unfolding plans 52 – you must come and talk to us about
Unfolding Plans 51 – not the best time for a photo shoot
Perhaps this morning wasn’t the best of times for a photo shoot. By nine thirty when we had all gathered to have our pictures taken the moon had made its way across the sun. Our two greatest celestial bodies had combined to turn day back into night. I know that the eclipse, however partial, had … Continue reading Unfolding Plans 51 – not the best time for a photo shoot
Unfolding plans 50 – Stories are the best way to get information to stick
A funny thing happened to me on the way into the office. I was listening to the radio and an advert came on for a well-known broadcasting, media and content company. The gist was that they said that they were offering an excellent service to their customers as ninety per cent of their service calls … Continue reading Unfolding plans 50 – Stories are the best way to get information to stick
Unfolding 49 – more women into ICT
Getting more women into ICT has been made a key objective of Dynamo. Charlie has produced an excellent infographic which lays out our plans and objectives in an easy to understand and very saleable chart. It is a wheel or a roundel, with the Executive team the Main Board and Work-stream Leaders in the middle … Continue reading Unfolding 49 – more women into ICT
Unfolding plans 45 – a day of meetings
Yesterday was a day of meetings. It was management Wednesday after all. I started at nine and finished at five with a few minutes in the middle for lunch. I know that’s not a particularly long day but keeping focussed for such a period is an achievement in itself. I was mentally exhausted by the … Continue reading Unfolding plans 45 – a day of meetings
Unfolding plans 44 – communication and coordination
It all boils down to communication. Fred Brooks in his excellent collection of essays entitled ‘The Mythical Man-Month’ said that the purpose of organization is to reduce the amount of communication and coordination necessary. Note he didn’t say the role of an organization, just organization. What a sweeping statement borne from logic. We organise to … Continue reading Unfolding plans 44 – communication and coordination
Unfolding plans 43 – these apparently intractable positions of standardisation and liberty
I find that in my line of work there is a continual tension between the need for control and the desire to enable. Part of me wants to standardise everything so that we have less technology that is easier to manage and support. The other part of me doesn’t want this at all. It wants … Continue reading Unfolding plans 43 – these apparently intractable positions of standardisation and liberty
Unfolding plans 40 – digital is a personal journey
Reading may have been a long way to go for a conference, especially when I was up and down in a day. Still, it gave me a chance to travel on the new Virgin East Coast and then to catch a train from Paddington. I also got to visit the Madejski Stadium although I didn’t … Continue reading Unfolding plans 40 – digital is a personal journey
Unfolding plans 39 – self-organising work environments
I’ve talked about Sugata Mitra’s School in the Cloud idea before. It’s more than an idea as it exists and has proven to deliver benefits. Following a visit to Newcastle University’s Culture Lab I met up with Dr James Stanfield to talk about how we could learn from this approach. I am interested in using … Continue reading Unfolding plans 39 – self-organising work environments
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 