This week:
- Upcoming Events
- Systems thinking
- Cybernetics
- SCiO systems and complexity in organisation
Upcoming events:
Two new commissioning academies: coming this winter!
Exciting News! Introducing two Commissioning Academies.
- We will be offering a new Virtual Commissioning Academy, launching in October, facilitated entirely online
- and an In-Person Commissioning Academy launching in January, with in-person sessions held in Nottingham.
Both offer the same great content, accredited by the PSTA and Cabinet Office.
Join our flagship development program to transform outcomes for the communities we serve!
- Be part of a national network of commissioning practitioners.
- Learn to initiate and lead change across complex systems.
- Develop capabilities to drive real transformation.
- Access expert insights and collaborative learning.
- Apply innovative ideas and approaches to your work.
Here’s what’s in store for you at the National Commissioning Academy:
- Foundation concepts: Working as a system, outcomes thinking, collaborative working.
- Commissioning for outcomes as a system: Systems thinking, asset-based commissioning, trauma-informed practice, prevention and early intervention.
- Creating conditions for change: Systems leadership, coproduction, innovation, and promoting social value.
Expect a transformative experience with masterclass workshops, action learning, expert speakers, peer challenges, practical action planning, and membership in our nationwide alumni community.
Ready to make a difference? Apply now to secure your spot at the Academy! Contact David Mason at david.mason@publicservicetransformation.org
26 September, Reforming Public Procurement Conference
Tuesday 26 September, 09:00–13:10, in person, Institution of Structural Engineers, London
Westminster Insight are pleased to announce this conference on public procurement, chaired by Benjamin Taylor. The proposed Procurement Act will radically change the way supplies, services and works are procured for the public sector. With the Act predicted to come into force in early 2024, Westminster Insight’s Conference will help contracting authorities prepare for the forthcoming changes to ensure effective delivery.
We recommend early booking. Secure your place today and use code EARLY4040Z for 20% off. Please email us for group bookings — info@westminsterinsight.com Pay online by credit card and receive a further 10% off
View the full agenda here. And secure your place here.
5–6 October, StretchCon: Compass Tech Summit, 5-in-1 conference
Budapest.
Benjamin Taylor will be speaking this year at StretchCon. StretchCon is an International conference dedicated to engineering leadership as part of the Compass Tech Summit. This year it will be not only organized as an individual conference but as part of something new. Compass Tech Summit will bring together under one roof several tech conferences, such as Reinforce, Crunch, Amuse and Impact with topics like engineering leadership, UX/UI, data, AI and product management. Register now: https://stretchcon.com/2023/speakers
We can also offer you a coupon code: use the SpeakerSentMe coupon code for 10% off all Compass Tickets, except Student, Workshop, Combo and Teaser tickets.
Systems Thinking Apprenticeship (2023)
We are delighted to share the news that there is now a Level 7 Systems Thinking Practitioner Apprenticeship available in England.
Systems thinking practice was developed specifically to address highly complex, adaptive, and dynamic situations. It helps you to model each situation as a system incorporating many different parts, dependencies and relationships. Systems thinking practitioners are uniquely equipped for achieving large-scale transformational change.
If you live in England, you can benefit from the scheme. The Apprenticeship is a two-and-a-half year, day release, post-graduate qualification with government funding of up to £18,000 per person. It is fully supported by expert tutors, comprehensive learning materials, and ongoing action learning.
This is a practice-based, portfolio assessed programme which draws on core systems approaches and practice skills. You’ll be supported in your job to actually put the learning to work right away, and you will be evaluated on how you incorporate your continual learning into your practice.
It’s been designed by practitioners for practitioners — the people who have not just read the books, but have written them. More importantly, these are people who have been there, done it, know about all (or at least most) of the pitfalls, and can guide you away from them.
The professional body for systems practice, SCiO, is providing world-class systems practitioner-tutors, and is supporting the curriculum development and overall approach of the programme. They are acting in collaboration with Cherith Simmons Learning and Development, who provide the apprenticeship. Further details are available here.
If you’re not in England, you can still sign up to individual modules here.
And if you are interested in developing your transformation skills, take a look at the RedQuadrant tool shed. This is a small group action learning journey with Benjamin Taylor, founder of the consultancy RedQuadrant, supported by 24 online modules covering all aspects of organisational transformation. Get a 20% discount by mentioning Enlightened Enterprise Academy.
Leading Self, Leading Systems (October 10 & 17): https://bit.ly/3JWV1go
Are you ready to embrace profound transformation in today’s rapidly changing world? Join our highly engaging and thought-provoking workshop to become a catalyst for positive change in your life, organization, and community.
🌐 Online Sessions: October 10th & 17th, 2023 🕘 Time: 0900–1300 BST | 1000–1400 CEST
💡 Unlock Your Leadership Potential: Leadership is not confined to titles; it’s a practice available to everyone. Discover the power of leading self and systems to create something new in the world.
🔍 Session 1 — October 10th: Explore the impact of context on relationships and behaviors through an interactive online simulation. Distinguish between personal and systemic factors with powerful frameworks. Increase self-awareness to overcome reactive patterns and boost your contribution.
🎯 Session 2 — October 17th: Immerse yourself in an organizational exercise designed to challenge your assumptions about leadership. Break down communication barriers, generate a shared vision, and lead in partnership. Learn to recognize underlying patterns that influence relationships and enhance your leadership choices.
🌐 Where: Online on Zoom 💲 Workshop Fee (Both Sessions):
- Standard Fee: £399 (VAT included) for private sector companies.
- Reduced Fee: £299 (VAT included) for charities, public sector, NGOs, and non-profits. 👥 Group Discount: 20% off for 3 or more participants from the same organization (use promo code GROUP).
🤝 Making a Difference: We believe in widening the impact of our work and offer bursaries for grassroots change-makers who cannot afford organizational rates. Reach out to john.watters@livingleadership.org.uk to request bursary places.
🗣️ What People Say: Our workshops bring together diverse participants from various sectors and communities, providing a stimulating and revelatory experience. “Experiential, immersive, illuminating.” “A game-changer in online learning.” “I was engaged throughout the session and immediately saw opportunities to grow and build on my work.”
🚀 Embrace the Future Today: Seize this opportunity to become a transformative leader in your life and beyond. Spaces are limited. Secure your spot now by visiting our website: https://bit.ly/3JWV1go
Link Collection:
My Weekly Blog post:
Fish in a Tie, founded by Peter Illic and later run by the charming couple Lili and Marco, was a legendary restaurant in my life. Known for its European cuisine and affordable prices, it was a community hub for celebrations and gatherings. Sadly, it succumbed to the challenges of the pandemic in 2020, leaving behind cherished memories and a legacy of hospitality. I regret not knowing sooner, as their food deliveries would have brought comfort during lockdown. Fish in a Tie embodies the ideals of running a business with grace, authenticity, and generosity, leaving a lasting impression in my personal story.
Let’s all remember Fish in a Tie restaurant, Clapham Junction, Battersea.
- Tiana Felmingham,
- Siobhan O’Halloran,
- Jaimie Poorter,
- Ebony Rhook,
- Cindy Needham,
- Joshua Hayward,
- Penny Fraser,
- Stephanie Kilpatrick,
- Deana Leahy &
- Steven Allender
Health Research Policy and Systems volume 21, Article number: 90 (2023)
Systems thinking in local government: intervention design and adaptation in a community-based studyTiana Felmingham, Siobhan O’Halloran, Jaimie Poorter, Ebony Rhook, Cindy Needham, Joshua Hayward, Penny Fraser, Stephanie Kilpatrick, Deana Leahy & Steven Allender Health Research Policy and Systems volume 21, Article number: 90 (2023)
https://health-policy-systems.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12961-023-01034-1
Mike Jackson Arnold Keynote Speaker at INCOSE UK ASEC 2023, 21-22 November 2023, Liverpool, UK
Exciting news 📢 We are pleased to announce Dr Mike C Jackson OBE as the Arnold Keynote Speaker on Day Two of ASEC 2023!
Michael is Emeritus Professor at the University of Hull and MD of Systems Research Ltd, Michael’s expertise spans civil service, academia, and consultancy. He’s a triple-crown accredited former Dean of Hull University Business School and a key figure in critical Systems Thinking.
Join us at ASEC 2023 to hear his invaluable insights! Book your spot at ASEC 2023 now: https://bit.ly/3ZKUCD1
#SystemsEngineering #ASEC2023UK
Concentration – Geo. W. Walker (1896)
Matthew Shapiro
In the Ecology of Systems Thinking group says:
Since systems thinking in education is a common topic in this group (and perhaps its cousin or sister interdisciplinary thinking is welcome as well), I thought to post this little article from 1896, which describes one way to approach it. The following is the introduction. “Concentration , or the correlation of studies, is only the extension of the principle of the relativity of knowledge which has been current in the world since the rise of a philosophy of the sciences. The assumption of the relativity of knowledge is denial that knowledge is absolute At the same time it is an assertion that each province of knowledge is related to all others, that all the departments of human knowledge form one articulated body of which the various branches of learning form mutually dependent parts.”
PROJECT CYBERSYN: STAFFORD BEER IN ALLENDE’S CHILE 1970s + BRIAN ENO – May (2016)
PROJECT CYBERSYN: STAFFORD BEER IN ALLENDE’S CHILE 1970s + BRIAN ENO
The Generalist: PROJECT CYBERSYN: STAFFORD BEER IN ALLENDE’S CHILE 1970s + BRIAN ENO
BY MARIA POPOVA
Irruption Theory: A Novel Conceptualization of the Enactive Account of Motivated Activityby Tom FroeseEmbodied Cognitive Science Unit, Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology Graduate University, 1919-1 Tancha, Onna-son 904-0495, Okinawa, JapanEntropy 2023, 25(5), 748
https://www.mdpi.com/1099-4300/25/5/748
New York Society for General Semantics – Combining: A Reading by Nora Bateson
https://nysgs.org/event-5402217?fbclid=IwAR3LWI3LBTByXVYZpdGtlUXZlAlIBCYF8Nb3dNcKnRh6UKZD6fobQvry4Tc
Join us on Saturday, September 30th, as we celebrate the publication of Combining, the latest book by Institute of General Semantics Trustee Nora Bateson. The New York Society for General Semantics is pleased to host a reading and book signing with the author during her brief visit to New York City. The event is cosponsored by the Institute of General Semantics.
In Combining Nora Bateson invites us into an ecology of communication where nothing stands alone, and every action sets off incalculable consequences. She challenges conventional fixes for our problems, highlighting the need to tackle issues at multiple levels, understand interdependence, and embrace ambiguity.
Insisting on our collective responsibility to confront the looming threats to humanity’s survival, she advocates change through interdependencies and challenges us to rethink our perspectives on relationships, community, and the very essence of being human.
A blend of intellectual inquiry, essays, emotional engagement, storytelling, poetry and graphic art, Combining is an invitation to nurture genuine connections and navigate a world brimming with “Warm Data”—the interrelationships that integrate elements of every complex system. The book calls on us to shed our linear thinking and embrace “Aphanipoiesis” — the unseen ways in which life comes together to foster vitality and propel evolution.
In Combining, love, humor, curiosity, and vulnerability entwine amidst the trials of a world in flux. As we face the Polycrisis, Nora Bateson urges us to swerve from the traditional paths and to dismantle the illusions of fitting in. She beckons us to step into a world where learning, uncutness, and readiness converge, promising both revelation and revolution.
Nora Bateson is an award-winning filmmaker, artist, international lecturer, research designer, author, as well as President of the International Bateson Institute. She is the founder and creator of Warm Data and the practices of the Warm Data Lab and People Need People Online.
Nora wrote, directed, and produced the documentary, An Ecology of Mind, a portrait of her father, Gregory Bateson. Her work brings the fields of biology, cognition, art, anthropology, psychology, and information technology together into a study of the patterns in ecology of living systems. Her book, Small Arcs of Larger Circles published by Triarchy Press, UK, 2016 is a revolutionary personal approach to the study of systems and complexity.
Come join us for an inspiring and illuminating evening!
6 PM to 9 PM Saturday, September 30th at the historic Players Club in Gramercy Park.
Registration is free, but all attendees must be registered in order to gain admittance to the club. This includes any guests you might want to bring with you.
The program will take place in the Library on the 2nd floor of the club. Please note that, as an historic 19th century landmark, the site is not handicap accessible. Dress code is business casual and is strictly enforced, including no sneakers, shorts, ripped jeans, t-shirts).
The Absent-Minded Father of Cybernetics, Norbert Wiener – Veisdal (2020) (medium.com paywall)
The Absent-Minded Father of Cybernetics, Norbert Wiener | by Jørgen Veisdal | Cantor’s Paradise
May 22, 2020In this thread, I decided to share some of the papers -and occasionally books- from different fields that impressed me. They will be opinion-based works most of the time, rather than technical ones.
Yunus Şahin on X: “47) Villalobos and Ward (2015). Same as the above. This paper has a special emphasis on the conceptions of organizational closure and how autopoietic theory of Maturana is internally consistent -whereas enactivism not- … + https://t.co/YrRZMEfWiC” / X
SCiO systems and complexity in organisation
A Systems Theory of Marginalization and its Implications for Systemic Intervention: In this talk, Gerald Midgley will present the systems theory of marginalization that he has been developing and applying in systemic interventions for almost 30 years. This theory offers a generic model of marginalization processes that is equally relevant to relationships between people in small groups, organizations, communities and international relations. Both people and the issues that concern them can become marginalized. Gerald will share several strategies for challenging marginalization when it has negative consequences. However, some of these strategies have a dark side that needs to be acknowledged if our projects are not to have unforeseen side-effects. The theory will be extensively illustrated with practical examples of projects from the UK and New Zealand.
Heating on prescription trial suggests fewer NHS visits
Ep 342: Vitalik Buterin Fights the Dragon-Tyrant — The Seen and the Unseen – hosted by Amit Varma https://overcast.fm/+HyEewx7Kg
Embracing weirdness: What it means to use AI as a (writing) tool
Embracing weirdness: What it means to use AI as a (writing) tool
3 days ago · 175 likes · 19 comments · Ethan Mollick
Breaking – ‘Broke’ Birmingham City Council issues plea for Government helphttps://www.birminghammail.co.uk/news/midlands-news/breaking-broke-birmingham-city-council-27653594
The Human Use of Human Beings: Cybernetics Pioneer Norbert Wiener on Communication, Control, and the Morality of Our Machines – article by Maria Popova (2018)
The Connected Community – new podcast by Cormac Russell & Sacha DeWolfe https://podcastindex.org/podcast/6595618 The Podcast Index is here to preserve, protect and extend the open, independent podcasting ecosystem.
Good grief, the lack of consent or information for DNR notices is ridiculous
Do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DNACPR) decisions https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/do-not-attempt-cardiopulmonary-resuscitation-dnacpr-decisions/
nhs.uk · Mar 10, 2021Do not attempt cardiopulmonary resuscitation (DNACPR) decisionsBy NHS website
Britain’s great tax con https://www.newstatesman.com/politics/economy/2023/08/britains-great-tax-con
Britain’s great tax con By Harry Lambert
Afghan translator’s infant son denied visa to join parents in UK https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/0a7b2a2e-4768-11ee-9359-63e432ab6148?shareToken=67379a87b12cb5d908f5c6aa349fd053
The Gardener of Lashkar Gah by Larisa Brown review – Afghanistan abandoned https://www.theguardian.com/books/2023/aug
The Balkans’ alternative postal system: an ad-hoc courier’s tale
The Balkans’ alternative postal system: an ad-hoc courier’s tale By Ilir Gashi
chosen path 