This week I have learned: structure, structure structure... I don't like solitude the incompetence of large organization accounts payable departments would lead the cynical to summize that they are on a cynical mission to protect cash flow. Cock-up theory is the most likely actual reason. I never fail to be amazed by the ability to … Continue reading Weeknote 271: wading through the soup
I've written in the past about the curious evolutionary mutation that happened in the railway industry in the middle of the 20th Century with experiments to develop diesel-fueled steam locomotives. In hindsight the idea of using a different fuel to power an engine that operated using the same propulsion methods as coal-fired steam engines was obviously daft, … Continue reading Steam diesels revisited
The National Audit Office yesterday published a fascinating paper examining the role that contract and consulting staff play within central government and the broader civil service. I found it a somewhat depressing read. The short version: contractors and consultants can be used to help bring in resource on a short-term basis to add skills or capacity when … Continue reading Interchangeable units of resource
Many years ago, when the Chairman of the company I worked for at the time needed convincing that it would be OK to shift our email services out into the Cloud with Google I used this argument: "We trust our most important asset to the Clouds run by the banks, right? There's no cash being stuffed … Continue reading Trusting Clouds
This week I have learned: that the Free Rangers event is going to be much fun! writer's block is a thing the longer the payment terms, the longer the delay in actually paying on time organizing a place to take a telephone call when out between meetings is where the whole flexible working thing TOTALLY … Continue reading Weeknote 270: back in the swing of it
As previously announced last year, with a bunch of fellow free-range freelance professionals, we are coming together to form a community to help each other, share experiences, and generally see how we might make each others' professional lives a bit more enjoyable and effective. There is already a LinkedIn group up and running and on Thursday February … Continue reading Free Range Gathering
I can't draw. Well, not very well at least. There's one massive psychological block I've got to drawing, and that stems back to when my O Level art teacher, Miss Moon, told me outright just before my exams "You've got a reasonable eye, Matt. The problem is you can't draw." That kind of stuck. But, … Continue reading Sketch lines
Over the past few months I've been immersing myself in the world of collaboration and organizational sharing. Here are the books that have been helping me along the way... Danah Boyd It’s Complicated an anthropological investigation of how teenagers use social networks Peter Checkland & Sue Holwell Information, systems & information systems a primer on … Continue reading #sharingorg bibliography
I had a fascinating conversation this morning with the HR Director of a large engineering company as part of my #sharingorg research. He has been helping to foster a change in how his organisation collaborates internally and externally, necessitated by changes in the markets in which the company operates (they're big in mineral commodities, mineral commodities … Continue reading Living the values
I spent a lot of time driving over the Winter break, and as a result had a lot of time to think as we hurtled down the French péage road network. Ironically, I seemed to be thinking a great deal about the challenges faced by self-driving cars... What has struck me is, as ever, the … Continue reading Changing lanes
