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
General regulation
In this post-referendum, pre-Brexit era, the reach of the European Union can still be felt throughout the land. I’m not stating my position on the in or out campaign but anyone who really knows me would be clear about my views. Instead I wanted to talk about the General Data Protection Regulation or GDPR for … Continue reading General regulation
Building skills
I must admit that I find children and young people the worst audience to present to. They scare me stiff and as Graham and I walked into the main hall at Farringdon Community Academy I began to wonder what we had let ourselves in for. There were at least one hindered and fifty of them, … Continue reading Building skills
Mega board revisited
Yesterday we had our first performance meeting under the new management arrangements. Bringing the management and leadership teams together every fortnight hadn’t delivered what we, or at least I had hoped for. The meetings had lacked focus and purpose and so it was time to try something new. We need to keep trying until we … Continue reading Mega board revisited
Driving data to the average
Data is such a hot topic now. There are many good examples emerging of where it has been used to improve businesses as well as plenty of examples of when things have gone wrong. I was at a Digital Strategy and Business Intelligence Breakfast Meeting in Newcastle last week and one of the speakers, from … Continue reading Driving data to the average
Disrupting women into tech
Bringing young women into the tech industry has been one of the things I have been involved in for the last few years and so it was on the back of this that I found myself at Campus North again for the second time in a week. A different day, a different subject. I was … Continue reading Disrupting women into tech
Elephant eating party
How do you eat an elephant? Why, a slice at a time of course. Everyone knows that. So what do you do if you are faced with an elephant that needs to be eaten? You get a few friends round and ask them to tuck in. You have an elephant eating party. It was Su’s … Continue reading Elephant eating party
A great night at Dynamites16
What a fantastic night it was at Dynamites 16. When Charlie Hoult, the chair of Dynamo North East, the organisation working to grow the tech industry across the region, asked if I would lead on the judging panel for last night’s awards it never occurred to me that standing up in front of everyone would … Continue reading A great night at Dynamites16
The Limitations of Language
As humans we live in a relatively narrow band. Our dimensions are at a human scale. In relative and universal terms, we don’t travel that far, certainly not up or down, we don’t live very long and we mingle with a small group of associates. Our languages have been developed to describe our world in … Continue reading The Limitations of Language
Like a dog with a bone
I wonder sometimes if I am stretching myself a bit too thin. Can you be too thin? With so many interesting things to get involved in perhaps I am in danger of being Aesop’s dog, which while carrying a bone, sees its own reflection, tries to grab the reflected bone and loses the real one. … Continue reading Like a dog with a bone
Thoughts from a Guerrilla Worker 