A short while ago, I posted about how we can engage others in making decisions through the creation of an appropriate framework. Today, I noticed something else similar. I saw a video of the drummer Nate Smith engaging an audience in counting. Now if you’ve got even a basic level of musical talent, you’ve probably…
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Also known as “Take care of the customer in front of you, not their future selves.” I’m minded of this, specifically regarding how organisations can manipulate the perceived balance of power between them and their customers when applying refunds. Mistreatment I’ve noticed that it’s not necessarily specific companies, but the industry sectors they operate in.…
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If you create an appropriate framework, people can understand what to do when you haven’t told them the details. All too often, organisations define rules that do not need defining. They may choose to set criteria for approvals, or host panels in order to evaluate submissions. A better approach in many cases is to create…
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Treating your customer as valuable could be the first step to understanding what your customer values. I went shopping in my local supermarket. It was eventful for the number of things that went wrong for me, all of which could have been prevented with some foresight and some real-world gemba. It was early…
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I’m writing a new book, this will be my second*. I’d written a couple of chapters last week, one of which focussed on how organisations leave problems for the customers to resolve, but that they don’t think of it that way. In one chapter, I used the example of “Warning. Hot Water.” signs, stipulating that…
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There are a number of company-hosted competitions, events, hackathons all with the aim of introducing innovation to the host company. I questioned the rationale behind these initiatives in the first part of Outsourcing Your Future. The P&G Signal Accelerator Innovation Brief for Daycare Subscription is a good example of how these can be presented to the public,…
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There’s a growing trend in organisations to outsource their future through innovation labs and innovation competitions. I like to question the rationale behind these decisions and look at the host company more closely. After all, what is behind its decision to handle innovation from outside-in, rather than inside-out? Reasons So let’s explore. Why would an…
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I read Vim‘s article on What Does Failure Mean for Public Services and I wanted to respond. I wanted to build upon Vim’s thoughts from my own perspective. I’ve developed that perspective over a couple of decades working across front-line teams and supporting teams, transforming workforces across public and private sector. This results in me…
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I’m pleased to announce that the first draft of my book on achieving change in front-line services is available. It’s been many years in the writing as I’ve changed direction a couple of times, adapted to newer, emerging methods, but recognised that the core of the book is still as pertinent now as it was…
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After a late evening fixing a plumbing emergency at home, I’m reminded of the concept of contingency and how it can’t be practically be used as a buffer for all non-planned events. So with my current main client, I start out early in the morning, long before must people (or birds) have risen. My…
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