Thesis: you can tell the decade a WEIRD management model came from by what it fears — and the remedy it prescribes. Join the conversation on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antlerboy_thesis-you-can-tell-the-decade-a-weird-management-activity-7459610782557777924-DtK4?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAACuq-oBecVFDW6PCf3lkoG-peMeuLBeoho Thesis: you can tell the decade a WEIRD management model came from by what it fears — and the remedy it prescribes. (A thought about management models, inspired by a comment from Stephen … Continue reading Thesis: you can tell the decade a WEIRD management model came from by what it fears – and the remedy it prescribes. →

A (shorter) manifesto for relational public services. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antlerboy_a-shorter-manifesto-for-relational-public-share-7459860412805783552-0jWo A (shorter) manifesto for relational public services. We need to say something plainly. Public services aren’t failing because people don’t care. They are failing because the system cannot admit what it knows. We know that relational work helps people.We know it reduces cost, restores capability, and makes sense … Continue reading A (shorter) manifesto for relational public services. →

My weekly posts Learning to read the island I’m reflecting on how Island of the Blue Dolphins shaped me early on. Karana’s survival taught me that systems fail and rescue may not come, but the world can still be understood through attention, relationship and agency. Real change is not imposed from outside; it means observing closely, … Continue reading Transduction – leading transformation – Issue #220 →

Learning the island. Join the conversation on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antlerboy_i-read-scott-odells-island-of-the-blue-activity-7458465671245570048-T5bQ?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAACuq-oBecVFDW6PCf3lkoG-peMeuLBeoho I read Scott O’Dell’s ‘Island of the Blue Dolphins’ when I was five. I’m not sure I understood it, but I think I absorbed it. It’s the story of Karana, a girl left alone on an island after her people leave. She survives for years. She learns … Continue reading Learning to read the island →

What ethical or spiritual belief system is tucked away, perhaps in your back pocket, influencing you even if you don't acknowledge it? https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antlerboy_what-ethical-or-spiritual-belief-system-is-share-7456816557772500992-7jfj  What ethical or spiritual belief system is tucked away, perhaps in your back pocket, influencing you even if you don't acknowledge it?I've been thinking about it since my dad's wake, my uncle's eulogy … Continue reading What ethical or spiritual belief system is tucked away, perhaps in your back pocket, influencing you even if you don’t acknowledge it? →

My weekly posts Many ‘agility’ initiatives fail for a mundane reason: they try to change delivery without changing the organisation’s sense-making. I argue that many agility initiatives fail because they change delivery methods without improving organisational sense-making. When organisations cannot interpret signals reliably, they over-react to noise, miss real change, and chase fashionable solutions. My working … Continue reading Transduction – leading transformation – Issue #219 →

Many ‘agility’ initiatives fail for a mundane reason: they try to change delivery without changing the organisation’s sense-making. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antlerboy_many-agility-initiatives-fail-for-a-mundane-activity-7455209343970521089-UWUy?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAACuq-oBecVFDW6PCf3lkoG-peMeuLBeoho Many 'agility' initiatives fail for a mundane reason: they try to change delivery without changing the organisation’s sense-making.If the organisation can’t interpret signals reliably, it will:* over-react to noise* under-react to real change* chase fashionable solutionsThere's … Continue reading Many ‘agility’ initiatives fail for a mundane reason: they try to change delivery without changing the organisation’s sense-making. →

Company wants to sell me automation. Join the conversation on LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antlerboy_company-wants-to-sell-me-automation-oh-activity-7454792536381874176-k7KA?utm_source=share&utm_medium=member_desktop&rcm=ACoAAACuq-oBecVFDW6PCf3lkoG-peMeuLBeoho Company wants to sell me automation. Oh, have you automated one particular view of a set of business processes, or are you enabling me to automate the way my business works? ‘Sir, it’s a good business automation system’. I buy the system. They’ve automated … Continue reading Company wants to sell me automation →

My weekly posts What if the most valuable thing in ‘whole system’ work is not seeing the whole system at all? I’ve been thinking about Keir Hardie’s direct, unpolished address and what a manifesto for relational public services might sound like today. For all our progress, we still build systems that separate power from purpose and … Continue reading Transduction – leading transformation – Issue #218 →