Not everything is always sweetness and light. Is it ever? We had our ICT Customer Board meeting last week and had an interesting conversation about culture. Words and phrases such as Camp Tanfield or Camp Meadowfield were raised with the clear implication that we reside within our functions and that visibility of managers and team … Continue reading Unfolding plans 58 – Not everything is always sweetness and light
Unfolding plans 56 – leaders struggle the most with teams.
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 55 – change is a great agent for change
Change is a great agent for change. They say that necessity is the mother of all invention and it is much easier to introduce change during periods of turmoil. Austerity has helped in a strange way. The need to save money has allowed us to introduce many things that we could well have struggled with … Continue reading Unfolding plans 55 – change is a great agent for change
Unfolding plans 53 – ICT is not just Microsoft office or computer games
ICT is not just Microsoft office or computer games. It pervades all of our lives. There is nothing that we do that doesn’t have technology behind it somewhere. There is a shortage of young people coming into the industry. We need to get out there and show young people how exciting ICT is. We need … Continue reading Unfolding plans 53 – ICT is not just Microsoft office or computer games
Unfolding plans 47 – no one really comes into work to do a bad job
There are a couple of beliefs that I have which I hope to be true. The first is that no one really comes into work to do a bad job. The second is that if the place where you work no longer wants you around then why would you want to work there? I’ve worked … Continue reading Unfolding plans 47 – no one really comes into work to do a bad job
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 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
Unfolding plans 38 – I’m not supposed to be reading management theory
I’ve been reading Wallander again as I’m not supposed to be reading management theory. This time it is ‘The Troubled Man’, a heart-breaking tale of descent into despair and darkness that serves as a totem for what great crime writing can achieve, as the Irish Times put it. This must be the fourth or fifth … Continue reading Unfolding plans 38 – I’m not supposed to be reading management theory
Unfolding plans 37 – structures get in the way
It is my belief that structures are needed yet that they get in the way of what we are trying to achieve. This is demonstrated by inter-team rivalry, competition and the apparent differing priorities and objectives discussed amongst us as a service. We have been successful in bringing the organisation through the last five years … Continue reading Unfolding plans 37 – structures get in the way
Unfolding plans 33 – a victim culture
Do we have a victim culture? Do we get a good feeling by feeling sorry for ourselves, a sort of reverse schadenfreude? I’m sure that at times we do. I have felt for a while that it is not always healthy to dwell upon the misfortunes of the past. Our region used to be different … Continue reading Unfolding plans 33 – a victim culture
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 