And it’s another one of those personal posts, I’m afraid. Tudor Barker, https://www.flickr.com/photos/tudedude/4072769769 (CC BY-NC-ND 2.0) Is the lesson ‘feel sorry for me, for I am afflicted (and possibly sorry for myself)?’ or ‘don’t feel sorry for me, for I am strong and self-reliant — but obviously *especially* strong and self-reliant because I have this extra special thing’ — or … Continue reading So. Today is a migraine day. →

UPDATE — slides, video, notes now in edited post at https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antlerboy_systems-convening-systems-practice-systems-activity-6942014940794789888-c6He Today I'm doing a one-hour talk (see https://q.health.org.uk/event/systems-convening-systems-thinking-and-systems-practice-with-ben-taylor/ - you can still join if you see this when I publish - and you can see the board at bit.ly/systems3board at any time) on how systems practices and systems thinking can link in to the wonderful social … Continue reading What the hell is systems | complexity | cybernetics anyway? →

Beterrer looking version at https://www.getrevue.co/profile/antlerboy A heavy week, this week, so a shorter selection - lots of events coming up! Systems convening, systems thinking, and systems practice with Benjamin Taylor | Q CommunitySystems thinking and complexity expert Benjamin Taylor will shed light on the increasingly popular practice of Systems Convening.13 Jun 2022 12:30 – 13:30q.health.org.uk … Continue reading Transduction – leading transformation – Issue #53 →

Is there room for problem statements in a ‘systems’ world of ‘complexity’ and ‘agility’? Nicholas Jones asked in Systems Innovation. https://www.systemsinnovation.network/posts/23442752 I think — not really — though as with all these things, the correct answer is ‘it depends’. ___ The classic problem statement in #lean or #sixsigma specifies a deviation from a ‘norm’ or ‘ideal state’, in terms … Continue reading What’s the problem with problem statements? →

As I'm sending reminders to the 80 people (!) who have signed up for this short session, I thought I would remind people here, too. So, this is the final reminder here that the session takes place next Monday, 13 June at 12:30pm UK time.  The signup link is at https://us06web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEudeGprD0vH9JKdOCaj7utfGUoM5AGVu-r When you sign up you … Continue reading Systems convening, systems thinking, systems practice – Monday 13 June 2022, 12:30pm UK time →

I’m grateful, personally, to have been out of the UK for the celebration of Lizzie’s 70 years on the throne of Britain and wherever she still appears on coins and stamps. I’m happy for people to have their fun and wave their flags. The idea of celebrating an old woman with a sense of duty … Continue reading So. Platty joobs is over* What does it say about us, as a country? →

More beautifuller at https://www.getrevue.co/profile/antlerboyThis week I have been in the very, very pleasant Vancouver Island, supporting m'colleagues at Coeuraj, a systems change organisation - a great experience.So a shorter update from Montreal airport (it’s complicated)…Also our systems thinking input to the Carbon Capture Deep Dive with The Systems Change Alliance has been postponed along with … Continue reading Transduction – leading transformation – Issue #52 →

The distinction between demand, need, and supply is a critical one for business and public services. Are you focused on control? Demand? Need? Customer purpose? I keep coming back to this because it’s a powerful way to direct focus. My definition is that a service co-creates value with and for the customer, and that our … Continue reading Control, demand, need, or customer purpose? →

They say we tend to overestimate progress in the future, and underestimate it in the past. So looking back might tell us something about the future of work. Here are some things that stand out for me: we had a bar in the Town Hall for several years after I started at the council. And in … Continue reading What can the past of work teach us about the future? →

First ‘proper’ newsletter in two weeks as I was extremely ill last weekend (48 hours in bed with a bad stomach, including hallucinatory fever dreams about problematic consultancy projects that turned out to be just Category Theory - but I wasn’t really completely happy with that or confident - and now I will never know … Continue reading Transduction – leading transformation – Issue #51 →