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Complexity & Management Centre

Can leaders change organisational culture? – alternatives from a complexity perspective

What do we mean when we talk about the ‘need to change organisational culture’? This is a way of speaking about culture which is now taken for granted, whether in relation to banking, the UK’s National Health Service or sometimes whole societies. What is organisational culture anyway, and to what extent can even the most powerful leaders and managers (or politicians) change it in ways that they decide? And if we were to conclude that it’s not possible to change culture, at least not in predictable ways, then why has this way of speaking and thinking become so widespread? What else might be going on, and what purpose does the culture-change narrative serve?

This year’s Complexity and Management Conference will follow on from last year’s discussion of leadership and will encourage the exploration of a term which is widely…

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Parkinson’s Law 1. Work expands to fit the time available for its completion.

Not sure how I missed this little cracker! I can’t believe I haven’t heard of Parkinson’s Law before, what have I been doing? It reminds me of my own attempt at the same point last year …

https://sites.google.com/site/nosapience/Posts/selforganisinggeneralsystemstheoryandtheriseandriseofjob3
… an altogether less succinct commentary. OK, longwinded rant at the same issue. Now if whatsthepont had added some Charles Lindblom and The Art of Muddling Through, together with this lovely law, I think that’s justification enough to be handing out MBAs just for reading one blog. In terms of usefulness in the real world, there is clearly equivalency. And I tutor the lost souls on several MBA programmes, it’s for the money, I’m not proud!

What's the PONT

I think this should be on the syllabus of every management development programme and business school around. It’s like one of those fundamental truths that get overlooked, because it’s slightly inconvenient and uncomfortable. I promised I’d write about this in the post on Bikeshedding , Parkinson’s Law of Triviality . It’s so relevant, even 60 years on, that it deserves a good airing.

Here’s a link to a copy of the original 1955 essay in The Economist, which I’d highly recommend reading.  The article opens with the quote “work expands to fill the time available for its completion”. This is based upon two underlying laws:

1. The law of multiplication of subordinates; and
2. The law of multiplication of work.

The basic theory is that an individual within a large administrative organisation will reach a point in their career where things start to get a bit ‘too much’ for them…

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Guest post @markoneinfour: social media and public professionals #expo14NHS

One of the best monologues on social media and public service that I have ever read. The fact that it gives shitty corporate communications a kick in their pompous ignorant gob, has got nothing to do with it!

Connecting Social Care and Social Media

Mark Brown who tweets as @markoneinfour is exploring “What is the role of social media in health and care?“at the Health and Care Innovation Expo 2014 along with @AgencyNurse and @VictoriaBetton. Mark is Development Director of Social Spider CIC and editor of “One in Four” magazine  

This is a transcript of Mark’s rather excellent presentation today. 

Hello! I’m Mark Brown.  I mostly do mental health stuff. My work comes from my own experience of mental health difficulty. I don’t work for the NHS but I do spend lots of time effing about on twitter.

At a time when the NHS is experiencing it’s biggest challenges for at least a generation, I want to talk to you about the way in which social media can help to root the NHS in the fabric of communities. I want to talk to you about the ways…

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NHS Change Day

It’s not just people employed by the NHS that have a role to play in preserving the health of the nation! What can you do for NHS Change Day on Match 3rd?

Mental Health Cop

You may or may not be aware of NHS Change Day – a grassroots initiative within our health service where individual people of all levels and professional backgrounds pledge to do something, however large or small, to improve the NHS.

In a stroke of genius by Dr Kate GRAINGER for example, she has pledged to make sure to introduce herself properly and by her first name to improve how personalised the service she gives, feels to those who receive it.  “Hello My Name Is …” has become something we see all over social media as her extremely simple idea has paid off.

If you doubt the value of something so small, read the Francis Report into Mid-Staffs.

We will see Change Day itself, on the 03rd March, which is Monday of next week and you can read more about it in various places on the internet and in the media. …

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