Putting Principles in Practice
A good principle can be a source of inspiration and guidance for action and accountability if we know how to develop it.
strategy
The Fear and Folly of Data
Data-driven strategy and decision-making are only as good as the processes we have to gather, synthesize and use to inform action. I am a strong advocate for using data to inform decisions. Good quality data, appropriately gathered and focused, can reveal patterns that save time, money, and even lives. But data is also another method …
Putting Foresight in its Place
Foresight can be an enormously powerful vehicle for shaping strategy and nurturing innovative thinking if used properly. The problem is that it is rarely ever used. Strategic foresight combines trend research and design together to help envision possible futures and help guide our strategy in the process. It’s an attractive proposition. Here’s what it looks …
Using The Concept of Attractors To Facilitate Change
Attractors might be the most useful concept within complexity science for understanding practical change-making. By looking at how an attractor works we can better facilitate action and design more practical strategies in complex situations. We hear much about the concept of complexity when speaking about social systems. Complexity simply refers to a set of multiple, …
Using The Concept of Attractors To Facilitate Change Read More »
First Mover Effects
People remember the first, not always the best. This was sage wisdom that my doctoral advisor shared when speaking about not waiting to share your ideas. This advice reflects much of what we know about human psychology — for good and otherwise. What are your earliest fears from the COVID-19 pandemic? Did you spend a …
Rehabilitation, Recovery and Healing
The COVID-19 pandemic has touched everything in ways great and small. The mindset we bring to see, feel, and sense will shape how we live with all that is and what might come. In this article, we look at the psychology and strategy of planned healing, rehabilitation, and recovery. Another ‘pandemic winter‘ has brought further …
Tricks with Tips
The proliferation of ‘tips and tricks’ for boosting change-making and innovation efforts obscures the craft and commitment that transformation requires. Visit sites like Medium, search YouTube, or scroll through your Twitter feed and you’ll find endless sources of tips and tricks to innovate, transform, or learn. Tips and tricks work for formatting files with software. …
When Strategy Solutions Are Hidden in Plain Sight
The COVID-19 pandemic and its effects provide a perfect example of similarity and difference in strategy, outcome, and impact. Are you tired yet? If you’re reading this in 2022, the answer is probably: “yes.” COVID-19 has tested humanity’s collective ability to adapt and strategize collectively. The Omicron variant that spread across the globe at the …
When Strategy Solutions Are Hidden in Plain Sight Read More »
Resolutions Past, Present and Future
A year-end, a new calendar, or a change of seasons bring fresh starts and times of renewal and reflection. It’s also a time for us to frame the usefulness of our past, our present, and future thinking for making positive change. In this post, we look at our relationship with time, planning, and strategy. New …
Post-Pandemic Planning (Strategy in a Dangerous Time)
At the time of this writing, the world is wrestling with a new fast-moving variant of the COVID-19 virus (Omicron) adding to the scourge that has gripped the world since early 2020. While organizations wrestle with how to plan for what comes after COVID there are lessons we can learn now that can extend far …
Post-Pandemic Planning (Strategy in a Dangerous Time) Read More »