Transduction — leading transformation — Issue #2
This second edition comes hot on the heels of the first, as I try to move to Saturday publishing and get into a rhythm. There’s a bit of duplication from the first edition just to focus on our upcoming
systems/complexity/cybernetics, public/service/transformation
23 June, RedQuadrant tool shed show-and-tell session
Over nearly twenty-four years of service transformation, 15 as a consultant, and twelve years of running RedQuadrant as a network consultancy, I have developed a rich multi-methodology approach which is highly applicable for anyone who wants to transform organisations and their results.
This is a taster of the opportunity to join a small group learning cohort to study and engage with this body of knowledge, the experience of the group, and your own practice. http://bit.ly/RQtoolshedshownandtell
23 June — Public services: Are we building back better? Are we learning? What do we want for the days after?
As we move into the uncertain future, on 23 June we convene public service learners to review our journey so far. Join us as we consider: — what have we learned on the journey so far? — what do we mourn? — what do we celebrate? — what are our determinations for the future https://www.linkedin.com/posts/antlerboy_learning-never-stops-the-days-after-a-activity-6803208971692859392-BJG7/
Top five of the week
Tips on making place-based working work
www.publicservicetransformation.org
The PSTA’s Chief Executive in the Local Government Chronicle on what’s really required to make place-based integration (or ‘systems leadership’) work. Tips on making place-based working work
Shift or skid? What are commissioners doing? How can we push towards asset-based commissioning?
www.publicservicetransformation.org
Clive Miller and Richard Field, coaches and facilitators at the PSTA, explore the vast release of additional individual and community assets prompted by Covid 19. Shift or skid? What are commissioners doing? How can we push towards asset-based commissioning?
The adaptive council — from RedQuadrant and the Public Service Transformation | 104 comments — www.linkedin.com
Local public services in the UK face a ‘perfect’ storm The challenges appear insurmountable. Conditions that are truly ‘turbulent, uncertain, novel, and… 104 comments on LinkedIn
Public / service / transformation
Serving the Citizens — Not the Bureaucracy — Sascha Haselmayer for The Chicago Council on Global Affairs presents a strategic vision for city procurement.
www.publicservicetransformation.org
Sascha Haselmayer of New America, Ashoka, and City Mart (www.citymart.com) is a leading thinker and practitioner on dynamic, citizen-centred procurement — he’s also speaking at the Public Sector Show https://publicsectorshow.co.uk/ on 29 June. Serving the Citizens — Not the Bureaucracy — Sascha Haselmayer for The Chicago Council on Global Affairs presents a strategic vision for city procurement.
Strategic Partnership Boards in Local Government A misnomer or real spaces for collaborative working? — London Strategy Network
www.publicservicetransformation.org
A wonderful network led by Noel Hatch, hosting regular events, like this one: https://noelito.medium.com/strategic-partnership-boards-in-local-government-a-misnomer-or-real-spaces-for-collaborative-8ada9f195795
The post Strategic Partnership Boards in Local Government A misnomer or real spaces for collaborative working? — London Strategy Network appeared first on PSTA.
Governance risk and resilience framework from the Centre for Governance and Scrutiny — PSTA
www.publicservicetransformation.org
Organisational development / transformation
There are five core things which, if you make them your practice, are likely to lead to organisational success.
www.govtransformation.org
Three basics: Honest conversations, discussing the undiscussable of emotions and reasoning — nothing can develop unless there’s a shared effort to get at the truth Clarity — no learning is possible, and productivity and psychological safety are unlikely, without clarity of roles, tasks, decision-making, and relationships Learning — true learning isn’t possible without planning, prediction, and […]
Why is a bridge and water such a good explanation of how people go wrong with business transformation?
www.govtransformation.org
Why is a bridge and water such a good explanation of how people go wrong with business transformation? I use this image to open a lot of my learning and teaching on service and business transformation. What do you see? Some see white water — froth and waste which we can remove one obstacle at […]
Ethics in public service
Learning from tragedy: a lesson on the value of earned legitimacy in government | Centre For Public Impact (CPI) — www.centreforpublicimpact.org
Our new Program Director for Government Legitimacy in North America shares the tragic story that inspired his career.
Government’s deceitful and bullying attempt to target a critic — Good Law Project — goodlawproject.org
Over the weekend the Mail on Sunday reported, quite explicitly, that our founder, Jo Maugham, is being “targeted by Ministers”. What is suggested is that Good Law Project is somehow “abusing” crowdfunding. But no evidence…
Interlude
The Nemean Housecat : trippinthroughtime
www.reddit.com
In historic art pieces depicting multiple humans, there is a law that at least one of those humans will look like they have no clue how or why…
Fooling Around the World: The History of the Jester — press.uchicago.edu
An excerpt from the book Fools Are Everywhere: The Court Jester Around the World by Beatrice K. Otto
Systems / complexity / cybernetics
Complexity is not a paradigm shift — chosen-path.org
Epistemic status: uncertain yet bold (working things out), and part of my thesis that there are no distinguishing fractures in the systems/cybernetics/complexity field, only many relevant and interesting dimensions of difference which cut across the supposed big distinctions. Claims are made such as ‘complexity entails a scientific revolution, hence a radical shift in science’. I … Continue reading Complexity is not a paradigm shift →
Critical Systems Thinking: What has been done and what needs doing — Tue 22 Jun 2021 at 12:00 UK time
With Prof Michael C Jackson — the third event in the jubilee celebrations of 50 years of Systems Thinking in Practice at The Open University
The Cybernetics of Brand Tickets, Tue 22 Jun 2021 at 18:00 UK time — CybSights
What cybernetics tells us about brand and brand about cybernetics and what these together tell us that is important.
Systems Thinking — Valerie Iles
A pretty good introduction.
This briefing paper gives: the origins of systems thinking, a definition of systems thinking and of a system, the history of systems thinking and its major tenets, some of the major systems approaches, problems with systems thinking, insights afforded by systems thinking, and references. Systems Thinking.
Brain food
Teacher Tom: “First Puzzles are Hard, Then You Turn them Easy”
Brian Eno, Peter Schmidt, and Cybernetics | Rhizome
Urban Dictionary: meta-ironic — www.urbandictionary.com
When something is meta-irony or you’re unable to tell if it’s ironic or sincere.
Ancient
Aztec renaissance: New research sheds fresh light on intellectual achievements of long-vanished empire | The Independent — www.independent.co.uk
Exclusive: David Keys explains how a major study into the Aztecs’ hieroglyphic writing system suggests it was one of the most sophisticated scripts that humanity has ever produced
The US’ lost, ancient megacity — BBC Travel — www.bbc.com
In the ancient Mississippian settlement of Cahokia, vast social events — not trade or the economy — were the founding principle.
