Having resolved last week to get various aspects of my life in some semblance of order I planned the bank holiday weekend on a three day schedule of garage, loft and study. In practice the garage alone has taken all three days and its not complete as I awaiting delivery of a rack to allow me to mount the bikes double-decker on one wall. It's been three long days starting at around 0830 and finishing at dusk. About half way through I realised that I was drinking copious cups of tea, and I mean proper builders tea: English breakfast, strong brewed with milk in a large mug.   

Now I normally never drink this essentially British drink. , Americano (I regard my home expresso machine as more important than the Aga) or various types of chinese tea, or Rooibos are my normal fare. However there is something about working with tools that engenders a need, that and Radio 4 on the portable radio. I rewired two houses and installed central heating in one, all to tea and Radio 4 not to mention more bookshelves, cupboards and kitchen furniture than I care to think about over four houses. Its a ritual, and sharing tea breaks with the Thatcher just adds to that sense of comfort.   

Its not the only link of a particular tea to a particular context, I wrote my thesis to Green Tea and Wagner; my O and A levels were fueled by Vimto, Most articles end up with a late night marathon fueled by Penderyn. For a Rugby match there is no substitute for the greatest beer of all time, Brains Dark. Late night or for all round thirst quenching ability a quart of 1% milk. For reading in the garden in summer, Pimms with lots of fruit. Then of course for all plane journeys at whatever time of day if the flight is for two hours of more, a Gin and Tonic is unsurpassed.

Note - before and after pictures below, with the full sequence available here; the most important aspect is missing, that needs a post in its own right, its the story of my father's workbench now installed.

Continue reading "Of Builders' Tea" »

To Oxford today for a series of meetings. Firstly more work on the use of SenseMaker® as a new way to incorporate larger volumes of people in scenario planning and also moving that planning from a linear staccato process to a continuous one linking strategy with operations. I also started to see ways in which we could create a Delphi method variant which does not close off so many options. I had the afternoon free before an evening meeting/briefing on impact measurement and knowledge management in the health Service. So I indulged myself with an extended (and expensive) visit to Blackwells to pick up some interesting books on aesthetics. Lunch was in the Kings Arms pictured below. Back in the 70s I used to come to Oxford to meet with Herbert McCabe OP in Blackfriars (pictured), then it would be off to the Kings Arms to meet up with Terry Eagleton and Giles (another Dominican who gave evidence for the defense in the Oz trial) who were all working with Slant at the time. Herbert was an inspiration and had a profound influence on many people who wanted to think radically about the world and our role in it. A Thomist scholar of repute who was also a marxist, a priest and a considerable wit, Herbert was one of those larger than life characters who you meet from time to time and who make a lasting intellectual impression.

Continue reading "The Kings Arms" »

I've had a stressful week with several work projects, compounded by issues for/with spouse, children and Her Majesty's Inspector of Taxes which have taken me away from the blog. I'm pleased to say that those problems which could be solved have been solved and those problems which cannot are at least stable. At the same time the thatcher arrived. For those who don't know our house is a thatched cottage which sounds romantic but is also expensive to maintain. We've lived here for over twenty years now and have had to redo the ridge once, but we are now at the point when you have to re-thatch. You can see why if you look at the picture to the left which is three feet to the left of the fresh new thatch in the picture to the right.

Continue reading "Straw, reed and willow" »

I watched Rabbit Proof Fence with the children tonight (well at 18 & 21 children no longer). It is one of those films that everyone needs to watch. The story of the abduction of "half breed" children from their families in order to breed them back to pure white over three generations (see picture). The abductions continued until 1972 which shocked Huw & Eleanor. It was the year I went up to university and while I was more that aware of the situation in South Africa (I was an active member of the Anti-Aparthite movement) my generation had no idea of what was happening to the indigenous population of Australia. From the late seventies I started to be aware of the scale of the issue, initially around land rights in the Northern Territories when I was with the WSCF, at that time a radical organisation. What I never understood, and still don't is why it didn't get the same level of attention.

To Middlesex University today for a startup meeting on the use of SenseMaker® to understand student experience. The idea is to capture micro-narratives from students before they join about their expectations. Then through the first year to allow not only research and reporting how their experience of education, but also to create fast feed back loops so that minor problems can be handled before they become major, and opportunities are seized and used as soon as they become visible. The other big idea here is to allow students access to the raw narrative. its much easier to solve problems if you have access to the stories of other people like you and how they handle them. Todays session with a group of students and staff confirmed something I have long known, namely that people don't talk about problems and solutions in different categories and at different times. Rather they jumble them up, often coming up with the solution as they talk about the problem. The capture system will reflect this messy coherence. It is going to be an interesting project which will start in a few weeks time before the new term and will report back as it develops and as I am allowed!

Continue reading "Thinking back to my MBA" »

An interesting post on Anthropology in Practice speculates on why we like spicy food. The preference for sweet things is linked to the fruit, carbohydrates and energy. But if that is the case why do we like pepper? The author speculates that it may be medicinal, but if that was the case then cod live oil would be a condiment. A more interesting idea from Rozin (reference in the link) suggests that the taste of pepper allows us to think we are doing things without any real repercussions, to quote: Humans seem to enjoy situations in which their bodies warn them of danger but they know they are really OK. OK I can buy that, but we also eat and drink foods which we know will do us harm. I am getting to the age where I have to think twice before a strong curry, but I will still take the consequences. Ditto my great sin which is ice cream.

At another level look at the growth in extreme sports; the way that humans take on challenges such as climbing Everest without Oxygen; Rugby Union prop forwards at international level know they are condemning themselves to Arthritis in their 40s if not earlier. We go to the edges and beyond with great ease and frequently go beyond them. The idea of the noble cause and the hopeless last stand enter our myths. To life at the edge is to create possibilities beyond the edge and maybe that is the evolutionary driver.

I can know something, I can understand something but do I appreciate the implications?

You know an airport lounge is a strange place. I'm stuck in Toronto again for four hours between a flight from Washington and one to London. We've got the normal range of drinks and some dried out pasta with over sweet sauces plus the odd packet of crisps. There are some worn out children slumped in one corner and and overactive group on a sugar high in the Salle des enfants. Opposite s someone suffering from terminal depression (well that is how he looks to me). Behind I have a couple running through a well rehearsed routine of indifference responding to continuous nagging. I've managed to get rid of the woman who wanted to tell me her life story, she has just moved over the Mr Depression so that might work out. To my right three people have been asleep on the floor for the past hour and one can only hope they haven't missed their flight, but the tattoos are sufficient intimidation for me not to risk waking them up to check. Given it is the weekend we have a mix of holiday makers in shorts and few business travelers who had to stay too late on Friday to make it back that night (I am in that category). Of the laptops visible Mac dominates (increasingly the case). Multiple screens display CNN without the sound, and one can only be depressed by the intolerance of the mosque controversy. Another hour and I will pack up and stagger down to the gate hoping against hope for an upgrade the chance to sleep, perchance not to dream.

The airport lounge is the new Limbo, a loose collection of people only united by a state of sin, not yet assigned to the hell. Infants as yet unbaptised, good people awaiting redemption is possible, and those being cleansed of sin in preparation for a better place.

Washington DC today, and an all day session with Global Giving who have been running a project with SenseMaker® for the development sector. The project involved gathering several thousand self-signified micro-narratives in Africa, often in areas with no access to technology. the inventiveness with which they tackled the problems is outstanding. Today was the first review of the results and planning for the next phase which should move to continuous capturing and potentially impact measurement. We have some very exciting discussions around the potential for empowerment in knowledge flow and project creation that could be enabled as we develop practice here.   

This video shows the process in part. The quote by the way, which I love, is from the wall of the meeting room and provides a context to the importance of this work. It's not just SenseMaker® that is attracting attention in the Development Community, there is also a growing interest in Cynefin framework. This blog for example has created a small tweet storm in its own right.

So I am sitting in the lounge at Toronto airport waiting for a flight to Washington. Behind me a fellow passenger is phoning around her credit card companies to tell them she is going to the US and will use her credit cards. In each case she is listed her full number, data of birth and all the normal identification material. Were I so inclined this could be very useful information. To my right an Executive from a major consultancy firm is writing in plain view a proposal which includes layoff plans for a US corporation. I've also in the last hour overheard conversations relating to promotions, sales, deals etc. etc. I remember several years and two employers ago traveling on the train up to Bradford and sitting next to a rival bid team discussing their entire sales strategy for an outsourcing bid; I simply sat and took notes. Are people simply not aware that there are other people near them?

For the last two days I have taken advantage of too longish drives (Montreal to Ottawa on Tuesday, then Ottawa too Oshawa today) to pick up on a couple of historical sites related to the war of 1812 and its consequences. That meant Fort Lennox on Tuesday and Fort Henry today. Unfortunately time didn't allow me to take the scenic door on the Quebec side of the river to Ottawa or the Loyalist Parkway today. I've been reading up on the war of 1812 over the last couple of years and aspects of it are both fascinating and depressing. The needless provocations, the total betrayal of Native Americans by the British in the Treaty of Ghent, French Canadian loyalty to the Crown and the whole catalogue of accidents that affected the outcome. Its also one of the great What Ifs of history; what would have happened by Wellington had taken the Peninsular War Army to the Americas? As it was the escape of Napoleon prevented that particular event.

Continue reading "The thin red line" »

Yesterday was my final one at the Academy as I need to get down to Ottawa tomorrow before moving onto Oshawa and Washington. I finally return to the UK at the weekend. I started the day with a session on ethics in management and moved onto exaptation and knowledge management by way of a failed attempt to get in on another Mintzburg session and a bit of tourism around two Cathedrals (see photostream for results). The session on ethics was interesting as there was some attempt to involve philosophy. That said, creating a triangle between Aristotle, Kant and Mill and claiming that as a full representation indicates that there is some way to go. More on ethics and exaptation later, they require more substantive posts and need more time than I have today after a long drive.

Continue reading "on partial knowledge" »

Sunday was Henry Mintzburg day at the AoM with two sessions involving the master. The AoM organising committee really deserve a slating for the location of the sessions. People were sat on the floor and in the corridor outside the room. It doesn't take much intelligence to realise that a session involving such a major figure needs a bigger room. The error is compounded by the first sentence of p32 of the summary guide which says: Encounter an overflow crowd at an Academy of Management annual meeting, and the chances are good that the session in question will include Henry Mintzberg. It is bad enough to be caught our by unexpected demand, but to fail to plan for expected demand strikes me as a poor advert for management science.

Rant over, the main subject was the role and purpose of management education. Now there were some angels on the heads of pins discussions about whether you should be a business school or a management school. However the essence was a debate over management as a practice or as theory. On one side (and the Dean of UCL represents an extreme here) was the argument that you could rehearse people through simulation and case studies to prepare them for practice. Opposing that was Henry who argued that management was a practice. We had a supporting cast of presenters that included a sociologist arguing to some effect that we should teach multiple forms of organisation including collectives etc. You knew he was a sociologist by the way as everything was interpreted in terms of power, its an unhealthy obsession of the discipline to my way of thinking.

Continue reading "Management Education" »

Two long sessions to day on the future of management education, on the subject of which I will post on over the rest of the week - a lot of material to record and summarise. However one statement on the panel this afternoon really irritated me. The Dean of UCLA said that Management Schools were providing the modern equivalent of a liberal arts education. She suggested that English, History and Philosophy majors might disagree with her. Well this Philosophy major not only disagrees he is appalled. In ideological terms most management schools provide not a liberal education, but a neo-liberal indoctrination program.

I promised a more substantive post about our Friday session at the AoM on new forms of research, and I want to do it by summarising aspects of Max Boisot's final presentation, which did an excellent point of putting everything in context. He neatly summed up the three types of inference in this picture.

• Deduction (show as the small dark dots) which delivers certainty and is based on logic.
• Induction (blue areas) which delivers probability and is based on repeatable events
• Abduction (the wider turquoise area) which delivers plausibility and is based on coherence with prior experience.

He rightly headed the slide Complements, not alternatives. Abductive techniques (and SenseMaker® is an example of a tool to support such an approach) are in effect means of generating coherent hypotheses under conditions of uncertainty. The coherence word is key here, just because we don't know everything it doesn't mean that all ideas have equal value. Creationism for example remains incoherent to the facts, while evolution is coherent, even if it doesn't account for everything and still contains errors. In complexity based strategy coherence is a key test for each safe-fail experiment.

Continue reading "Power laws & abductive research" »

I've got a series of heavy weight posts to make from the Academy, a few really good sessions today, especially the final one I went to on future directions in Organizational Science. I'll try and get them out over the next few days. One immediate observation for today (and it has been a very long day): there is something perverted about academia at the moment. Now I am not suggesting sexual deviancy here, I have no direct or indirect knowledge of any such practice. What I mean is the system seems designed to prevent original thought and risk taking. It seems like a majority of the sessions are all for young academics to teach them how to manage the process of publishing papers and securing tenure. A process that appears to require conformity to established practice, dealing with well defined problems and above all not doing anything new or radical.

If that was not bad enough on entry, the degree of specialization at more senior levels is really scary. There seems to be little knowledge or interest outside the particular (and peculiar) aspects of the particular silo, and they are very narrow silos. With one senior academic my suggestion that he look to anthropology to understand a particular aspect of culture met with patronising indifference; a further suggestion that complexity theory and concepts of emergence would assist in understanding the way shifts in culture handled resulted in the same patronising indifference, but with irritation added in for good measure.

Now don't get me wrong, I have met and talked with some people who are the antithesis of this so I am not trying to tar everyone with the same brush. But in a conference for the leading thinkers in the field of management science I would expect a little more openness, or dare I say it, curiosity?

First day of the Academy of Management today and my session with Jim Hazy, Max Boisot and Pierpaolo Andriani was one of the first up. We'd got together for a meal the night before (less Max, plus Renata) and roughly sketched out what we were going to cover in between multiple enjoyable arguments health care, research methods, the validity of information theory and the like. The basic idea of the session was to look at new research methods associated with complexity. More on that tomorrow when I have had time to reflect a bit.

Given the time, I had to get a two minute overview of what complexity is about before I went on to describe abductive techniques and more specifically SenseMaker® . I did that with a side reference to the Children's Party Story and elaborated on the magnets and modulators metaphor. The main point I wanted to get across was that complex adaptive theory in human systems is different from in the physical world, or that of all animals without the capacity for metaphor based language (more on that tomorrow as well).

I have been arguing this for some time, and over the years have found various ways to express it. On this occasion I found a neat way of summarising the differences with three I-words relating to the individual, and 3 C-words relating to the community of collective. In outline it looks like this:

Continue reading "Humans are not ants, agents or angels" »

Watching back episodes of series 3 of The Tudors on long flight today (kudos to Air Canada for leg room in economy) reminded me of a belief I have long held summarised in the title of this post. In any organisation the ones who enthusiastically take up the latest management initiative are with the odd exception either happy clappy idiots or self-promoting sycophants. The cynical guys at the back of the hall are generally those who care about the organisation.   

Interesting that The Tudors, sanitizes the horror of the Tudor period. Naked flesh (of which there is an abundance) is always clean and immaculately maintained. By the time of the birth of his first and only son, Henry was obese and the smell from his suppurating leg was becoming unbearable, he was not a handsome actor. Robert Aske was was not mercifully given a long drop to break his neck. Burning alive is not over in less than a minute, especially in the case of Lambert whose agony was deliberately prolonged. I could go on, but that is the cynic in me speaking.   Given that people learn history from television programmes there must be some moral responsibility to get things right. And don't get me started on the confusion of the Earl of Suffolk with Norfolk

Mind you, sycophancy is acceptable if the alternative is barbarous execution by a tyrant; ah maybe that explains it.

Primate diaries (another of my favorite science blogs) had an interesting couple of quotes under the general banner of Intelligent Design: Irrefutable evidence of the evolution of stupidity. You can track all the references directly so I won't summarise them. The key items relate to the claim that Darwin's ideas of the survival of the species gave rise to Hitler's racism and associated eugenic policies. This is a similar argument to the one that says Hitler loved Wagner, therefore Wagner is an evil Nazi . Now in both cases the linkage is helped by isolated quotes; Wagner certainly made some anti-semitic comments especially in Das Judenthum in der Musik and Darwin does say Any animal that strives to preserve the weak as man does, is committing racial suicide. However such comments need to be read in context.

Continue reading "Understanding in context" »

Excuse me for asking, but if an elderly man won the Poetry Crown at the Eisteddfod, would he be subject to a headline "Grandfather wins ...."? Somehow I doubt it. Here we have a wonderful poet, with a 1st class honors degree but the BBC (who really should know better) define her in a maternal role. Nice example of gender stereotyping.

Update: Some hours after I posted this the BBC changed "Grandmother" to "Translator" Now can I claim the credit?