May 20, 2012
Core Mapping / Core Structures

The Basic Logic:

  • The notion of CORE Structural Theory comes from the idea that evolving work practises are making it increasingly obvious that traditional pyramid hierarchies inadequately describe organisational structures
  • Increasingly, individuals are expected and required to perform a range of roles crossing a number of different departments
  • In traditional hierarchy structures this divergence between perceived role definition and  actual role expectations leads to a gulf of inefficiency, mis-allocation of responsibility and the inability to recognise key strengths and weaknesses within an organisation

CORE Mapping:

  • Looks to turn these traditions on their head
  • From a rigid situation where the individual is equal to a position label linked passively between layers in a pyramid we can now see that same individual as the sum of active, weighted linkages between different ‘cores’ of responsibility  
  • In other words, the individual can now more realistically be seen as a constituent map of their different responsibilities covering all the separate departments, all weighted, all easy to view
  • Furthermore, these core maps are active – they can be easily updated to show changes in core structure:
  1. Depending on relevant projects (sk) 
  2. Or developments in the company as a whole
  • CORE mapping allows a huge leap in our perception of what an organisation is, what it does, who does it and how that evolves over time 

Further Applications:

  • As well as corporate mapping, the CORE structural approach can be applied to whole eco-systems. For example:
  1. Innovation clusters
  2. Strategic networks
  3. Supply chains
  • As the theory is developed it could allow us to view our corporate, social or societal eco-systems in a completely different, far more natural light
  1. Such a leap in visualisation would allow us to form, execute and manage better, more-effective strategy at all levels
  2. Strategy truly focused on people, not labels

3:36am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZF4dmxLouln-
Filed under: Core Mapping Core Structures pyramid hierarchies 
May 20, 2012
4) Geo-Synthesised Meta-Currencies Geo-positioning can easily synthesise the positives of community currencies without any of the current barriers. Customers will be ambiently encouraged and able to ‘buy local’ regardless of where ‘local’ is.

4) Geo-Synthesised Meta-Currencies

Geo-positioning can easily synthesise the positives of community currencies without any of the current barriers. Customers will be ambiently encouraged and able to ‘buy local’ regardless of where ‘local’ is.

2:51am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZF4dmxLoq0rN
Filed under: community currency Geo-Synthesised buy local Meta-Currencies 
May 4, 2012
3) The Micro-Working Generation The atomisation and democratisation of work will create an increasing number of dextrous ‘micro-workers’ building careers based on their ability to multi-task across many opportunities in varied fields. An educational niche in bridging and managing these disparate elements will likely open up. 

3) The Micro-Working Generation

The atomisation and democratisation of work will create an increasing number of dextrous ‘micro-workers’ building careers based on their ability to multi-task across many opportunities in varied fields. An educational niche in bridging and managing these disparate elements will likely open up. 

6:33am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZF4dmxKrm243
Filed under: micro working atomisation multi-tasking new education 
April 25, 2012
2) Social Without The Media

2) Social Without The Media

9:09am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZF4dmxKID_28
Filed under: Ambient social media intuitive social networks social media catharsis 
April 19, 2012
1) Printing Personal Medicine

1) Printing Personal Medicine

2:33am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZF4dmxJvrX2u
Filed under: 3d printing personalized medicine innovation 
July 26, 2011
European Common Innovation Policy

Again and again I’m reminded of the fact that Europe finds itself in a vision trap – call it the Neighbours Syndrome why not. Far too much European strategic planning time is focused on internal issues. Today it’s a debt crisis, tomorrow it will be immigration and the day after, something else.

All of these issues would fall under the umbrella of ‘subsistence’ not ‘progress’. While subsistence is internal, short-termist and reactive progress, to me, is outward-looking, proactive and based on a long term vision.

While we may be able to overcome current and future crises which face Europe we should derive very little satisfaction from these victories. The pace of change in the world outside of Europe does not wait – like an expansive wave it pushes forward at its own speed, with its own catalysts and impurities. Regions which benefit from this push are the ones which define its pace, not the ones trying to play catch-up.

My fear is that Europe is so caught up in the problems within its borders that it is already missing the critical need to not match, but lead, the global pace of progress.

I’ve always believed that Europe’s strength comes from its diversity. I’d like to share a concrete example of how this diversity can be used to address the above. The focus is on innovation – that over-used word which often delivers so little.

Country-by-country I’d like to show how Europe (taken to mean The European Union and a number of crucial non-member states) can be transformed into a global innovation super-cluster under the title of ‘European Common Innovation Policy’ (ECIP).

I’d like to try and show in a very skeletal manner how each country can use its advantages, weaknesses and key differences to contribute to a robust pan-European picture of dynamic growth through market-oriented innovation.

Developing such a proposal from its rough form could lead to a workable long term framework helping to drive competitiveness in the region for a long time to come. I expect the majority of my arguments will not be from a specialisation point of view but rather more elemental (read: abstract) functional attributes which each country can bring to the table. 

7:24am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZF4dmx7Xm1xk
(Notes: 1)
  
Filed under: ECIP, innovation policy european development strategy stratrgic planning diversity subsistence 
June 26, 2011

My thoughts are usually a little too abstract, especially around my idea for education. This is a refreshingly specific thought on the subject.

The reality in Bulgaria is very stark – nuances are few and far between and when they do exist it’s usually to mask something even bleaker. The backlash to this is typically right at the other end of the spectrum: an emphasis on creativity, originality, entrepreneurship and play.

That’s all well and good and it can have an impressive, localised effect. But it takes a long time for two spectral opposites to converge. I support most all initiatives in the country which develop these qualities but I don’t think it’s the whole picture.

Entrepreneurship for example is a great pursuit but without structure, experience and dedication it’s just that, a pursuit – take it from my experience! If entrepreneurship is pioneered as a career of and in itself it will leave far too many gaps in experience to be filled by luck and enthusiasm.

The structure needs to come from somewhere.

I was having a drink with a friend the other day and made a comment which is either counter-logical or clichéd – I guess it depends on your background. We were talking about the importance of good teams and the point I made is that the idea – the driving force behind gathering a team, is secondary for me. If I see a team with potential I’m convinced that an idea can be created to suit their abilities and interests.

Burrowing down deeper, this is a result of the logic that each team must be well-balanced: there’s no use just having a visionary leader dealing with the bigger picture if there’s no one to manage the day-to-day pieces which come together to make up that picture.

In a country like Bulgaria I think there are perhaps a few too many visionaries and too few managers.

Professional project management is a very serious business requiring some complex skills – all bound by strict planning and discipline.

As a short term step to my big bold education idea I think there is a lot of scope to develop an organisation which develops good project management courses. This could be with a mix of off and on-site intensive training for university students and graduates. The organisation could be self-sustaining by acting as a source for qualified project managers, taking a fee from their future employers.

It wouldn’t take more than a year, and comparatively very little resources, to set an idea like this in motion. The effects with even one to two hundred professionally qualified project managers coming out of such a project per year would however be very significant. I think they could have a real systemic impact if such a project were self-sustainable and grew with time.

What are your thoughts on this? how do you see a project like this developing?

12:39pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZF4dmx6Tjury
Filed under: visionary leaders, professional project management project management courses 
June 20, 2011

Fluid youth skills mobility is really key to a future for Europe which takes advantage of what it has. One of the things I love about Europe is how close we are, at any point on the continent, to a contrastingly different setting.

Driving from Italy to Switzerland, Bulgaria to Greece or Holland to Germany I’ve always been struck by how lucky we are to have so much contrast in such a small space. Few other regions in the world have so much condensed diversity.

I firmly believe that this diversity holds a long term competitive advantage for Europe and a fantastic opportunity for young people in Europe to gain deep insight and experience dramatically improving their skill sets.

Erasmus programs do deal with an element of this when it comes to education but I’d love to develop the idea of an Erasmus Internship – a cross-border internship program which gives students an opportunity to work not only in different companies but in different European countries at the same time.

Such an Erasmus internship scheme would broaden the horizons of thousands of students across the continent if done well. It would give them a great advantage in their future careers and, if continued into the long run, would help lift the quality and flexibility of the European workforce as a whole.

I think such a program is a must on a large scale in the near future. Over less than ten years it could be tried, tested, developed and scaled up to a size where it would be systemically effective: i.e. it would have an impact on a regional level as opposed to individually positive case studies.

I’m very fortunate to work with a number of organisations in Bulgaria who work to develop young people and their skills. One of the organisations I admire the most is the Empower United Foundation. Next month I’m taking part in their Young Leadership Development Internship program for the second year. It’s an important program run by a very passionate and committed team.

For me, it’s a beautiful example of how to do these things right. Last year they proved their concept perfectly by leading a small group through the program. It consists of two weeks intensive training, lecturing and exercises in the American University in Blagoevgrad which is the perfect backdrop for such a program. The crash course is followed by six weeks of internships in companies around the country. This year they’re building on the fantastic success of the previous program by gently increasing group sizes.

The aim is not just to thrust some students in some companies but to first select those students who stand to benefit most, prepare them in a way in which they can benefit more and place them in a company which stands to mutually benefit from their presence. To me that long sentence is a well-balanced approach to making the most of such an initiative and in this context it is key to reiterate that there is a mutual benefit in this process: because the students are well-prepared they can give something back to the companies who have taken them in. They can provide a fresh perspective often longed for in rigid corporate structures.

Maintaining the quality of this experience while growing the program I strongly believe that the Empower internship program will have a significant impact in the growth and development of young leaders in Bulgaria.  

They are an inspiring team and it’s hard not to catch some of their passion. There’s incredible opportunity in growing this model to a program which encompasses students and companies from around the continent. It brings them to a central location to receive the training and preparation they need and then sends them off to their placements.

As long as the scale isn’t rushed and time is taken to ensure growth retains quality this is a very (underlined) very realistic ambition. There’s no reason why eventually this couldn’t be a year-round project which places tens if not hundreds of thousands of students from virtually all countries in Europe.

Empower United are already proving that even at the current scale the program has a positive domestic systemic impact, imagine what it would do if its full potential were unleashed.

Ideas like this really capture my imagination and drive me to want to help them grow, succeed and realise that potential. 

9:37am  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZF4dmx6GgUZd
Filed under: youth skills mobility, empower united, erasmus internships cross-border internships 
June 14, 2011

The personal dimension of that point is equally, if not more, important. I’ve spoken to so many people over the past two years who tell me the same thing: Europe lacks personality - it lacks people to whom others can aspire. 

If identity is lacking on an individual level it follows that identity will lack on a national and regional level too. We’re in dire need for leaders local to the region who can inspire: especially the young. 

Apathy comes from a belief that our actions are insignificant. When there is no one to show any different it only goes to underscore this apathy. The only real way to overcome this endemic apathy is to do - not promise - do. Only through direct example can there be a hope to show young people that they matter as long as they want to matter. 

One hope is that the financial crisis will breed an inevitable openness to alternative ideas and modus operandi. But the window is small and closes quickly. I would like to see action taken before we have to wait another decade for the cycle to come back round to a chance to shake things up.

2:56pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZF4dmx655ozD
Filed under: new modus operandi europe lacks identity leaders local young europeans 
June 13, 2011

Before I take the education idea deeper I wanted to ask myself a quick question - What’s the point? Outside of the region, how does this issue impact.. Anyone?

One of my favourite metaphors is quite gruesome but in this case, at least, I believe it is right on the mark of answering the above. The premise is that if a frog is placed in boiling water, it will jump out, but if it is placed in cold water that is slowly heated, it will not perceive the danger and will be cooked to death. Quite unpleasant - can’t say I’ve tried it. But I do see its effects all around. 

I’m under the belief that Europe currently finds itself in a rather serious existential identity crisis. Traditionally Europe’s strength comes from looking inward - and we do it very well. Indeed, we’ve had centuries of practice with the whole world looking to Europe to be the heart and soul of the party.

This has given rise to a collection of big national egos across the continent. Nations who are well aware of their histories and of the weight those histories bring.

But the world changes, the pace of change itself changes. Over the last decade that pace of change has increased inexorably. We seem to find ourselves in a situation where Europe continues looking to its internal issues and problems while the rest of the world presses forward. This leads to a tipping point past which Europe will unwittingly be catching up as opposed to leading or even equalling that external pace.

I’m pretty sure we’ve past this tipping point across a range of social and political spheres.

The rhetoric of the region doesn’t help. One word which makes me literally cringe is ‘harmonisation’. I hate the idea of a Europe aiming to harmonise with itself. The beauty of Europe comes from its diversity - its difference. I was born in one corner of e continent and grew up in another- I’ve travelled to nearly every nation in Europe and I love each and every one.. Not because I want to see them merge into one but because they are each unique. With a unique atmosphere, culture, history and people.

Any attempt to try and mask that difference will deal a terrible blow to both the individual nations and the union itself. If the European Union is to have any future, it must be built on a recognition of difference and a desire to embrace it rather than force it to adapt to some crudely moulded average.

Opportunity is found in that difference. Many countries in Europe already have very well-established visions of their past and present but very few have clearly stated visions of their futures. If we’re to have any chance of catching up on the wider pace of progress, we’re going to have to decide what that vision is. Every nation in Europe has to fight for the realisation of its own vision.

Clearly defined, this patchwork of different ideas will mirror the reality of Europe: ‘unity arising from diversity’ and it will give strength to the whole region.

The example of professional education I’m giving in the context of Bulgaria is just that, an example. As I continue to explain how such a grand idea can come into being, I want to show that it is indeed possible for a nation small or large to have a defined vision for itself. More than that I want to show such a vision is crucially important not just for the small nations in the Union but for all.

Looking back at the poor frog - we should already be able to feel the heat below us. There’s still time to act but it’s a window of opportunity with a finite deadline. I hope the young people of Europe see the importance of these issues because they directly affect them.. us. It’s our future that’s in the balance. Now is the time for us to act and act with conviction.

3:31pm  |   URL: http://tmblr.co/ZF4dmx63BPdY
(Notes: 12)
  
Filed under: pace of change, existential identity crisis national egos tipping point harmonisation diversity