It ain’t what you do it’s the way that you do it…
How often is it that we design a strategy, or propose a policy, that we know is good, valuable and what our organisation needs? We work hard to persuade others, convince them that this is
Author: Heart of the Art
Heart of the Art was launched by John Atkinson and Emma Loftus in 2014, We've grown into more than we ever could imagine. A place to explore what it means to really make meaningful change, in a world that is messy, complex, and beautifully human.
Paddling Just Paddling
I am in a bubble where time and the wider world have gone and all that matters is the synthesis of a body, a boat and a paddle. The bubble pops as I touch the
An Organisation is a Living Thing
Since Descartes we have tried to understand the world by dividing it into its constituent parts. By breaking things down into their basic building blocks we have sought to gain a deeper understanding of how
The NHS is alive but rather unwell
The NHS is alive but rather unwell. Much great work is being done and we remain the envy of many. And also we are locked in a cycle of increasing pressure. To keep the NHS
Is it really so good to fail?
Fail fast fail often is the official new manta of change. We encourage failure whilst at the same time the organisational consequences are heavy. No wonder the hidden mantra is 'play it safe' or
Rules That Limit Us (Emergence)
In our normal lives these rules may be quite evident or quite deeply hidden, even unconscious. What are the rules that allow us to weave our way along a crowded rush-hour pavement without repeated collisions
Bolivian Leadership
Wherever you go, whatever culture you're in, some things remain the same. Thinking about culture, group dynamics and leadership.
Video-Viktor Frankl: People Want Meaning and Purpose
Viktor Frankl speaks about how to help people, including ourselves, reach the potential of our lives. That's not about material wealth, or career success, it is in fact about the need for purpose and meaning.
The work of Keith Grint OR critical tame and wicked… and so much more
In the art of formulating the question together we begin our process of change. There are few things as potent as a damn good question.
Great Places Have Soul
Great places have soul. They aren't simply about great architecture, great infrastructure or great locations. There is a life to great places, a vibrancy built on the relationship between the people who live, work and
Donella Meadows: Leverage Points: Places to intervene in a system
A wonderful article from Donella Meadows drawing on Jay Forrester pointing out the places to intervene in a system that have most leverage. Almost invariably you find they are intuitively known yet somehow being used
The 11 Laws of Systems Thinking
11 handy laws for system thinkers, these act as useful prompts when considering social problems. Most problems have their antecedents in the unintended consequence of previous efforts for change. How do you avoid falling into
Wind: A Film On Systems Thinking
Introduced by John Atkinson. We often speak about the symbiotic nature of living systems, how a living thing is defined by its environment and in turn also defines that environment. This is illustrated beautifully in