Transduction — leading transformation — Issue #45

Benjamin P. Taylor
14 min readApr 8, 2022

Mythopoesis and family systems, neurons in fungi and autopoiesis, food sustainability, microscopic tardigrades, the invention of hallways and sad mangy pumas, McKinsey and Seinfeld and using time wisely, erratic justice and rat-running motors, creation of autocrats, fines for the underlings, neolithic figures and ‘the female brain’, the benefits cap and increasing child poverty, Lakshmi in Pompeii and Heathrow covid misery, tax avoidance and, sadly, a content warning for discussion of teenage suicide.

These are a few of the things in this week’s edition.

Top phive of the week

What do you think this story is about?chosen-path.org
What’s the relevance for management, leadership, innovation? A village is terrorised by a horrific dragon. There’s an uneasy, pathetic balance, based on the village paying regular tributes to the dragon. But over time the dragon’s demand for gold, riches, and maidens grows ever more unbearable. So the elders go to the bravest, greatest young warrior, and, with tears … Continue reading What do you think this story is about? →

Harnessing the full potential of social enterprises for public services and to meet local needs. 25 May, 9.30–17.30, Central London.

www.publicservicetransformation.org

E3M are hosting a webinar on the topic of harnessing the full potential of social enterprises for public services and to meet local needs. Date, 25 May, 9.30–17.30; Location, Central London. To register your place, click here.

The post Harnessing the full potential of social enterprises for public services and to meet local needs. 25 May, 9.30–17.30, Central London. appeared first on PSTA.

Teacher Tom: Thinking Of Things And Doing Themteachertomsblog.blogspot.com
Reflections on teaching and learning from preschoolers

The Public Service Transformation Academy — about us and our offers

www.publicservicetransformation.org

The Public Service Transformation Academy is a not-for-profit social enterprise, led by RedQuadrant with partners including NCVO, Browne Jacobson LLP, E3M, TSIP, nesta, Basis and members of the Public Service Transformation Network. Our mission is to drive better outcomes for people and communities by developing the local, civil, social and health sectors’ capabilities to collaborate, […]

The post The Public Service Transformation Academy — about us and our offers appeared first on PSTA.

public | service | transformation

LondonLivingStreets on Twittertwitter.com
Who would have imagined, even 5 years ago, the City of London having 15mph speed limits in place?

Sarah Davidson on Twitter

twitter.com
Recall being instructed in the fine art of constructing a hierarchical cc list on my first week in the civil service. Was never the same after the advent of email…

Rob Horgan on Twittertwitter.com
Two bypass stories in @ncedigital this morning — two v different decisions taken by different councils… if nothing else this highlights the need for an updated NPS as quickly as possible #RoadBuilding #ClimateEmergency

scroll.in on Twittertwitter.com
#COVID19 #China | ‘Control your soul’s desire for freedom’: Drones and robots to #Shanghai residents in lockdown Residents aren’t allowed to leave their homes even to collect essential provisions.

Kathy Evans on Twitter

twitter.com
Can any of my twitter public management geek friends point/link me to the old (New Labour) council performance KPIs framework? Remember it? You had to either put it thru an A2 printer (if you had one), or sellotape several A4 sheets end to end, there were soooo many indicators?!

Katie Arnold on Twitter

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Channel 4 does not cost the public any money. It’s profitable. It supports an independent TV production industry across the UK. It nurtures new talent. It invests in investigative & foreign journalism like no other. C4 is an asset to the UK. There is no good reason to privatise.

How Fake Money Saved Brazil : Planet Money : NPR

www.npr.org
An economist and his grad-school buddies tricked the people of Brazil into saving the country’s economy.

Benjamin P. Taylor on Twittertwitter.com
Another truly shocking step in the war on enterprise in general and small business in particular. The only ultimate answer is to remove the distinction between forms of income and tax business (and rent) income the same as employment. Financial Times

eigenrobot on Twittertwitter.com
whenever i hear arguments from schools that we need to do such and such a thing because of child or teen su*cide i laugh. it is a bitter laugh but it is a laugh do you know what the best documented trend in youth su*cide is

systems | complexity | cybernetics

Fundraiser by Ellen Lewis : Help Juanita finish her PhD

stream.syscoi.com
Help Juanita finish her PhD Fundraiser by Ellen Lewis : Help Juanita finish her PhD Shared on behalf of Prof Gerald Midgley, who says: Juanita Bernal Alvarado is a Colombian PhD student who is doing exceptional systems research to support conflict resolution, mediation and a culture of peace in Colombia after a 50-year civil war. […]

Normal Accidents, High Reliability, Wicked Messes (ST-ON 2021–08–09) — Coevolving Innovations

stream.syscoi.com
Normal Accidents, High Reliability, Wicked Messes (ST-ON 2021–08–09) April 4, 2022 daviding 0 CommentsChoosing topics for a Systems Thinking Ontario session, it seems as though the term “Normal Accidents” was not one familiar to many, particularly those who were not old enough to recall popularization coinciding with the 1979 movie The China Syndrome. The interest […]

Investors in Change — training from the School of System Change

stream.syscoi.com
How can funders drive innovation and impact to address complex challenges such as the climate crisis? 🌍To explore this question, funders in philanthropy, impact investment, and the public sector are invited to join our 5-week ‘Funding in a complex world’ module, starting in June.Learn more: https://lnkd.in/dBsQpARThis online module is the first in a series from […]

neuron-like electrical activity in fungi (preprint)

stream.syscoi.com
neuron-like electrical activity in fungi… Wendy Hasenkamp on Twitter: “@evantthompson @birchlse Related, this preprint claims neuron-like electrical activity in fungi… https://t.co/5kRWCOpTPD” / Twitter Replying to Evan Thompson: “My paper, “Could all life be sentient?” is now out in a special issue of Journal of Consciousness Studies on “Animal Consciousness” edited by Jonathan Birch”

Jay W. Forrester System Dynamics Courses — System Dynamics Society

stream.syscoi.com
Learn System Dynamics Concepts from Jay W. Forrester. The founder of the field.The Jay Forrester Seminar Series has been revamped and improved, and is now available as a more accessible, on-demand, online course! The original consists of seminar series conducted by Professor Jay Forrester in the fall of 1999 for his Ph.D. students in System […]

Systems in Quotes vs. Systems Without Quotes:stream.syscoi.com
Originally posted on Harish’s Notebook — My notes… Lean, Cybernetics, Quality & Data Science.: Humberto Maturana is one of my favorite authors who has helped me further my learning of cybernetics. Sadly, he passed away recently. In today’s post, I am inspired by Maturana’s ideas. One of Maturana’s famous ideas is “autopoiesis.” I have…

Job: Assistant Professor (Systems Thinking, Education Focused) — Birmingham Leadership Institute — 99406 | University of Birmingham

stream.syscoi.com
Assistant Professor (Systems Thinking, Education Focused) — Birmingham Leadership Institute — 99406 (6) Assistant Professor (Systems Thinking, Education Focused) — Birmingham Leadership Institute — 99406 | University of Birmingham | LinkedIn We are currently recruiting an Assistant Professor to work with us at the University of Birmingham, Birmingham Leadership Institute https://www.birmingham.ac.uk/university/colleges/socsci/bli/index.aspx to set up and deliver our […]

Catherine Grace Kelly on Twitter: “Do any of my followers know where I can find free resources/examples of how to develop a theory of change that acknowledges and highlights systems/complexity whilst being simple and easy to understand? Is it even possible?”

stream.syscoi.com
Do any of my followers know where I can find free resources/examples of how to develop a theory of change that acknowledges and highlights systems/complexity whilst being simple and easy to understand? Is it even possible? #EvalTwitter (1) Catherine Grace Kelly on Twitter: “Do any of my followers know where I can find free resources/examples […]

Alastair Parvin on Twitter

twitter.com
In response to this question, here is an (amateurish) attempt to explain why I think Christopher Alexander’s ideas are so important, and why — as well as transforming software and the web — they will (eventually) transform the way we make buildings and cities.

Ivo Velitchkov on Twittertwitter.com
Ontologies for @RoamResearch Get them from https://github.com/kvistgaard/roamo… Draft documentation at https://roamresearch.com/#/app/nodebook/page/Lp2iJtG8M… And their story in this thread

visakan veerasamy on Twitter

twitter.com
A floor plan designed by an algorithm, ie a concept in a machine conceptualised by humans — looks a lot like nature https://archdaily.com/899674/could-computer-algorithms-design-the-floor-plans-of-the-future…

Systems Change Alliance on Twittertwitter.com
A quick look at five key steps we can take to make our food systems more sustainable.

Rants Drive Rev ☯️🏴😻 on Twitter

twitter.com

Thread on David’s ongoing work to clarify the uses and misuses of developmental/’Kegan’ theory and the many contexts of systematic rationality.

Quote Tweet

David Chapman @Meaningness · Apr 5

Excellent discussion of adult developmental stage theory. I started writing a piece a few days ago about the truth and usefulness of the theory (both questionable!). Zak Stein says some of what I was going to. I think he concedes a bit too much though…

🧠Slava Bobrov on Twittertwitter.com
A microscopic tardigrade going for a stroll through some algae:

organisational development / transformation

priya on Twittertwitter.com
Corridors were invented in 1597 Everything around you was once a concept in a human’s imagination

Pumas Ruled an Argentinean Park, Until a Disease Arrived — The Atlantic

stream.syscoi.com

What Can One Disease Do to a Landscape? After the vicuñas in Argentina’s San Guillermo National Park caught mange from domesticated llamas, the world around them changed. By Ed Yong Pumas Ruled an Argentinean Park, Until a Disease Arrived — The Atlantic

Florian Ederer on Twittertwitter.com
Encouraging the designation of a team leader dramatically raises the probability that groups escape from an escape room. #NBEROrgEcon I’ve rarely seen a more convincing first figure in a paper. https://conference.nber.org/conf_papers/f162245/f162245.pdf

Benjamin P. Taylor on Twitter

twitter.com
Deeply disappointed @imaginecurve whk used to have actual customer service now have a typical useless bot from @kustomer (part of Facebook) which force-fits your requirement to the wrong pattern and then still won’t let you send an actual message to a person.

Bucco “Buyback” Capital on Twittertwitter.com
Imagine asking Jerry Seinfeld if McKinsey could help him be funnier Imagine subscribing to HBR

priya on Twitter

twitter.com
“Neanderthals in caves had all the material resources that we have today. The main difference between our age and the stone age is the increase in knowledge.”

ethics in public service

BBC Politics on Twittertwitter.com
Lord Pickles tells Grenfell Tower fire inquiry he has “an extremely busy day” as he urges chairman to “use your time wisely” After a break in proceedings the former minister, who is giving evidence, apologises if he “seemed discourteous”

Marvin on Twittertwitter.com
Given waning, perhaps over 6 months, and R0~10 we need 90% of the population NOT susceptible for steady state. That means 90% of us must either be boosted or catch it *every six months* for steady state even without an immunity escape mutation. NPIs + boosting only option.

Dr Dan Goyal on Twitter

twitter.com
Omicron is far more dangerous than the Flu. Many have bought into the “Covid is now like the Flu” narrative. So here’s the science without the scientific jargon. Judge for yourself. TLDR: Like for Like — IFR X 6 Flu; Mortality risk X 32 Flu.

David Brindle on Twitter

twitter.com
If local government’s voice seems muted on the woeful inadequacy of the #socialcare share of today’s rise in NI, bear in mind it’s pre-election purdah

Eric Feigl-Ding on Twittertwitter.com
I cry for England — #BA2 hospitalizations have now exceeded old #Omicron’s peak — which were **merely 3 months ago**. So much for stupid mass infection natural herd strategy. This is @borisjohnson & @sajidjavid ’s horrible British exceptionalism. HT @Antonio_Caramia #COVID19

Seb on Twitter

twitter.com
368 Covid deaths were recorded in the UK today, the highest number for over two months. The government’s mask-free, test-free (or should I say test-charging) government has blood on its hands. Where’s the outrage? Where’s the commentary? Where’s the grief? Where’s the coverage?

Tristan Kirk on Twitter

twitter.com
Tottenham man given £2,200 fine by a court for going out in lockdown ‘without a reasonable excuse’. This is the single biggest fine I’ve come across for simply going outside without a good reason, and the more I’ve looked at it, the more concerning it has become…

Alex Raha (🦠🦠😷 ,💉💉💉) on Twitter

twitter.com
It’s more dangerous for me to go & work in local hospitals now rat-running motor traffic is back in Crystal Palace. When lockdown came, our family swapped the cost of running 2nd car for an e-bike as the quicker, cheaper way to go to work with the NHS in Croydon & Tooting.

Occam’sRazor 🐟 #GSBOUT ❤ on Twittertwitter.com
Govt cuts £330m from NHS budget and gives it 13 priorities The government has reduced the NHS revenue budget for 2022–23 by £330m, after the Treasury refused to fund the Department of Health and Social Care for additional ongoing covid costs, HSJ understands.

Nick🇬🇧🇪🇺🇺🇦 on Twittertwitter.com
Concerns expressed in Whitehall staff about fines issued to those who broke Covid laws. One insider told BBC they’d heard junior members of staff had been fined while senior staff had not & this was “disgraceful”. No 10 confirms PM has not received a fine.

Jessica Simor QC on Twitter

twitter.com
The best thing Cummings has ever written. Those who prop up dishonourable leaders, so often enable them to become autocrats and even tyrants. We have seen this over and over again in history. Democracy dies where dishonesty is allowed to flourish.

Richard Aedy on Twitter

twitter.com
So, this may be the Covid, but I’ve been thinking about something @JEChalmers said on #QandD to the effect of: It’s cheaper to have full time public servants, than private consultants. A thread 1/10

environmental and social justice

55 Tufton Official Spokesperson on Twitter

twitter.com

“Brexit” has cost HMRC £50–100bn. That’s why they have to raise YOUR tax today. #bbcr4

my sisters in sarah on Twitter

twitter.com
listen up current and future dads! my father was an excellent parent to me and i want to share some of the outstanding parenting choices he made. this is the in praise of my father thread.

Dean Burnett on Twitter

twitter.com
This is absolutely the worst thing I’ve seen about brains this year Female friends, take a few deep breaths before going into the thread. It’s painful Kudos to @m_wall for flagging this up without swearing Suffice to say, all claims made are utter shite

History Defined on Twittertwitter.com
7000-year-old Neolithic figurines from Romania, called “The Thinker” and “The Sitting Woman”

Dame Woke BunnyHugger 🐝 🌱💙 🇺🇦 on Twitter

twitter.com
My daughter was literally ‘held’ by the Met for sitting in a park with 2 friends in Nov ’20 when it was permitted to be with 1 other person not in your household. As she was a minor (16) phoned me while they held her & said I would be fined if she reoffended within a year

Sam Freedman on Twitter: “The benefits cap is one of the worst domestic policies of the last few decades. Just disastrous, as the Govt *knew* it would be.… https://t.co/u2zL5hk9pe"twitter.com

The benefits cap is one of the worst domestic policies of the last few decades. Just disastrous, as the Govt *knew* it would be.

Quote Tweet Imran @imran_1 · Apr 1

Replying to @Samfr 20 years ago since the ‘war on single mothers’ was declared over but poverty rates for children in lone parent families have been rising due to punitive policies 63% of those hit by the benefit cap are lone parent families — 110,000 families

Brandon Wolf on Twitter

twitter.com
Lemme tell you a story. I was outed at 17. A mom learned that I had a boyfriend & alerted anyone who’d listen. She howled about my “corrupting influence” & insisted that my gayness was contagious. Peers were pulled from my classes. Others stopped showing up to practice. (1/8)

more brain food

Gareth Harney on Twittertwitter.com
This ivory statuette of Lakshmi — a goddess of wealth revered by early Hindus, Buddhists and Jains — was found in the ruins of Pompeii in 1938. The 25cm statuette is evidence of established Indo-Roman trade by the eruption of Vesuvius in 79 AD. ‘Secret Cabinet’ of Naples Museum.

Eric Feigl-Ding on Twittertwitter.com
Mass infection spillover — “Chaos” at @HeathrowAirport . Hundreds of flights have been cancelled or delayed as airlines have been hit by staff absences due to #COVID19. 3 hour queues — some flights delayed 24 hours. How is ‘let it rip’ good for economy?!

Kamil Choudhury on Twitter

twitter.com
Outstanding, he is securing the raw materials which drive Tesla’s share price.

Journal of Art in Society on Twittertwitter.com
Seriously old sock ~ child’s split-toe left-foot sock, multi-striped with plant-based pigments, 1,700 years old, from ancient city of Antinoupolis, Egypt. (Typical, the right-foot one is missing. Please check your sock drawer) https://britishmuseum.org/collection/object/Y_EA53913…

Neil Morrow on Twittertwitter.com
I recall the Jimmy Carr & Gary Barlow defence that “it wasn’t against the law”. It failed. Neither of them were the Chancellor of the Exchequer. #RishiSunak will try “she’s my wife, not a politician” defence. It will fail too. He’ll resign or she’ll pay.

Yonette Joseph on Twittertwitter.com
How to save your own life: Black woman with history of blood clots: “I need to have a CAT scan of my lungs.” Nurse: “I think all this medicine is making you talk crazy.” Woman: “No, I’m telling you what I need: I need the scan immediately.”

Nick🇬🇧🇪🇺🇺🇦 on Twitter

twitter.com
The situation in Kent has now gone beyond anything sane. It’s entered the theatre of the absurd. Quote Tweet Bloomberg UK @BloombergUK · 21h Traffic on major routes in Kent has been brought to a standstill again due to delays in Channel crossings A 23-mile stretch of the M20 was closed to store thousands of lorries heading for the Port of Dover or Eurotunnel https://trib.al/1PKM4Xt

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