Category Archives: learning organisation

Leadership is not a conversation

Posted on June 23, 2012 by lawrence serewicz

Despite the claims of Groysberg and Slind at Harvard Business Review, leadership is not a conversation because staff do not listen. The staff do not listen because what is being presented as a “conversation” or a “dialogue” is instead a … Continue reading →

Posted in leadership, learning organisation, management, path dependency | Tagged Business, Communication, Conversation, Decision making, Harvard Business Review, leadership, management, Observer Effect, politics | 12 Comments

Has horizon scanning failed the public sector by its inability to scan the financial crisis?

Posted on June 13, 2012 by lawrence serewicz

In 2008, I attended The February meeting of the FAN Club (Future Analysts Network). This was a meeting jointly hosted by Foresight Horizon Scanning Centre and the Cabinet Office’s Strategy Unit. The meeting was there to discuss the horizon scanning … Continue reading →

Posted in change managment, information management, innovation, learning organisation, local government, path dependency | Tagged Big Society, Future, Government of the United Kingdom, Gross domestic product, Paul Saffo, Public sector, Scenario planning, William Gibson | Comments Off

The new renaissance paradigm: dream or nightmare for technological talent?

Posted on June 6, 2012 by lawrence serewicz

Within the social media revolution an idea has developed that we are seeing a new Renaissance. The idea is that a New Renaissance Paradigm in which those who create content can avoid the middle man that traditionally help them to … Continue reading →

Posted in change, change managment, innovation, leadership, learning organisation | Tagged Apple, Business, Facebook, Google, Organization, Renaissance, social media, technology | 2 Comments

Public resignations do these change a corporate culture?

Posted on May 5, 2012 by lawrence serewicz

You chafe under an organisational hierarchy seemingly focused on the wrong goals, or behaviour, or even potentially criminal activity, and you dream that you can change it through a bold personal act. For some, it will be a report to … Continue reading →

Posted in change, change managment, culture, leadership, learning organisation, management | Tagged DNA, Enron, Goldman Sachs, Greg Smith, HBOS, leadership, Organizational culture, Paul Moore, Whistleblower | 5 Comments

If you discipline staff more than you promote them, is it time to rethink your HR policy?

Posted on April 10, 2012 by lawrence serewicz

An organisation’s policies and rules show the internal culture. If the documents are written to protect the organisation first and the employee second, you know there may be a flawed culture. The policies set the framework for rewards and punishments. … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, learning organisation, management | Tagged bonus structures, Human resources, leadership, management, Organizational culture, Performance management, Senior management, unspoken dialogue | Comments Off

Hierarchies are networks! Hyperlinks do not subvert hierarchies.

Posted on March 28, 2012 by lawrence serewicz

For many who believe in the web as way to transform society, politics, and human life, my blog may come as a shock. There is no evidence to support the claim that hyperlinks subvert hierarchies. When you check the evidence, … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, information management, innovation, knowledge worker, learning organisation, management | Tagged Henry Kissinger, hierarchical organisation, Hierarchies, Hierarchy, Information Routing Group, Organizational chart, Peter Drucker, Usenet, White House | 5 Comments

Which is more difficult? To admit your mistakes or to admit someone else was right?

Posted on March 15, 2012 by lawrence serewicz

Perhaps the hardest thing to do at work (and in life) is to admit when someone is right, especially if you disagreed with them. In many books on management and learning organizations, we hear about the need to admit when … Continue reading →

Posted in change, culture, learning organisation, management | Tagged Decision making, leadership, learning, Learning organization, management theorists, Organizational culture | Comments Off

More words and phrases that kill customer service

Posted on March 8, 2012 by lawrence serewicz

A few months ago, I wrote a blog about words that kill customer service. Words like “unfortunately” or “of course” and “obviously” immediately undermined the attempt to give good customer service. I am now returning to that idea with some … Continue reading →

Posted in culture, customer service, learning organisation, management | Tagged customer service, Education and Training | 1 Comment

Is the future of work an aristocratic democracy?: Leo Strauss on Managment

Posted on February 26, 2012 by lawrence serewicz

Harold Jarche has a challenging post about the future of management and the future of work at his site: Enterprise 2.0 and Social Business are Hollow Shells without Democracy. Are the future of work and the future of management inherently … Continue reading →

Posted in change, change managment, culture, knowledge worker, learning organisation, path dependency | Tagged Direct democracy, Harold Jarche, Niccolò Machiavelli, Organizational culture | 2 Comments

Do we still have typing pools?: Why culture trumps technology even social media

Posted on January 2, 2012 by lawrence serewicz

Dan Slee posted an interesting and provocative post with predictions about the future of social media in local government. http://danslee.wordpress.com/2011/12/30/epic-change-12-predictions-in-digital-in-local-government-for-2012/ I thought I would give my response and my prediction at the end. Overall, I tend to agree with him … Continue reading →

Posted in change managment, knowledge worker, learning organisation, local government, path dependency | Tagged JFDI, local government, social media, Twitter, yammer | 1 Comment