Imagine you collapse and they realise you lacked something – and suddenly you’re brilliant, and everyone is so impressed you persevered before. Yes, it’s The Vitamin. What’s The Vitamin in organisational life? https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antlerboy_salvation-enlightenment-the-vitamin-whats-activity-7419298721139425280-h-5N Salvation. Enlightenment. The Vitamin. What's the equivalent in your organisational life? Everyone's hoping for a turnaround - this delicious little post and … Continue reading The Vitamin →

I wrote the below in 2019 for the Local Government Chronicle, published 13 August. It does at least show that I am consistent. Just this weekend, I've seen news of the launch of 'CustomerFirst' cross-government (the same name we used for customer focus and eGovernment in Hammersmith & Fulham in 2003 - and the same … Continue reading “A little bit sick of paradigm shifts” →

My weekly posts We get the solutions our definitions deserve. We get the solutions our definitions deserve. How code (modelling) eats the world — and why it’s important for us all. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antlerboy_we-get-the-solutions-our-definitions-deserve-activity-7416745025411395584-wECH Courses and events Outcome-based commissioning: a ten-step introduction – Cohort 10, this February Back by popular demand! Our introductory course for commissioners will run again … Continue reading Transduction – leading transformation – Issue #205 →

We get the solutions our definitions deserve. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antlerboy_we-get-the-solutions-our-definitions-deserve-activity-7416745025411395584-wECH

My weekly posts Who first said ‘hitting the target but missing the point’? I’ve been exploring the origins of the phrase “hitting the target but missing the point”, which neatly captures Campbell/Goodhart/Strathern’s law. While earlier academic roots are debated, my provisional favourite is a 2006 TES article by Colin Foster, reflecting concerns about target-setting in schools … Continue reading Transduction – leading transformation – Issue #204 →

This is a snappy phrase which captures the impact of Campbell/Goodhart/Strathern’s law (see https://chosen-path.org/2026/01/06/how-code-modelling-eats-the-world-and-why-its-important-for-us-all/). One of my occasional excursions into 'origins' (https://stream.syscoi.com/2021/04/18/a-fools-quest-for-the-first-use-of-the-phrase-systems-thinking/ and elsewhere other famous quotes (https://chosen-path.org/2024/09/03/transformational-power-of-action/ springs to mind). The earliest two I can find are from journals and unfortunately the whole pages are not visible: Modern Photography - Volume 22 - Page … Continue reading Who first said ‘hitting the target but missing the point’? →

How code (modelling) eats the world — and why it’s important for us all. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antlerboy_how-code-modelling-eats-the-world-and-activity-7414224107195494400-rtYd Campbell/Goodhart/Strathern’s law: when a metric becomes a basis for reward, punishment or control, it stops reliably representing the underlying reality and instead shapes behaviour to optimise the metric itself, often at the expense of the actual goal. Amazon had a brilliant … Continue reading How code (modelling) eats the world — and why it’s important for us all. →

I fed ChatGPT the transcript of two calls I made complaining about one of the many hassles I’ve had to deal with in the last few months. I dislike myself when I get angry and I'm frustrated that whatever I try seems ineffective, so I asked it to advise me how to be more effective … Continue reading High agency meets low discretion: why call centres break us (‘How not to lose your mind to a call centre’) →

A lot of this year has felt like living in a room where someone keeps rearranging the furniture in the dark. Reorganise, merge, separate, rename, publish a model, add a layer. We do it because it looks like action. It produces artefacts. It soothes the anxiety upstairs. But when the ground moves, gripping harder doesn’t … Continue reading My top posts in 2025 – all about how we avoid the real work →