Fire Fighting In the late noughties, Michelle Barton and Kathleen Sutcliffe carried out a study of wildfires in the US. They were interested in understanding how the firefighters went about managing complexity in their job. The researchers wanted to understand why some fires were well controlled and brought to a swift and happy conclusion, whilst […]
Walk in My Shoes
In Head Office They think that the people on the shop floor: Can’t see the strategic imperatives Don’t understand the business priorities Don’t use the newly developed tools Aren’t prepared to “own” the running of initiatives Don’t respond to training Are resistant to change Don’t care about performance On the Shop Floor They think that the […]
There Are Lies, Damned Lies and Descriptive Statistics
Anscombe’s quartet Here are some interesting numbers for you. Interesting in a geeky sort of way… They are 4 sets of readings for two variables, X and Y. That is a horribly algebraic. It brings back memories of a comprehensive school deep in the 1980’s. All polyester blazers and fermenting gym kit. Let me bring the […]
A Splendid Waste of Time
Is management by wandering around a good thing? I was talking to a friend of mine today. He used to work for the Royal Navy. He navigated ships in his 20’s. Apparently getting H.M.S. Ocean around the Isle of White and into the Solent without sinking some fool in a yacht is no mean feat. Particularly […]
Ignorance and the Hippo
Hidden Problems Ernesto Sirolli tells a lovely story in his book Ripples from the Zambezi: In the 1970’s he worked for an Italian NGO that provided aid for the people of Zambia. One of their projects was to teach the Zambians about agriculture and how to cultivate food. Ernesto tells how they arrived in a […]