Peter Bruce-iri

Change and engagement, part one

The way we are changing is changing. The predominant approach to change has been to mandate it. An elite, at the top of the organisation, perceive a need for change and direct others to implement it. They will anticipate some resistance and have some strategies ready to overcome it. Often this change will involve someContinue reading “Change and engagement, part one”

Engagement and community building – the White Dog Café

In 1983 Judy Wicks started the White Dog Café in Philadelphia. It has become an exemplar for a community-based enterprise. Where I live, community enterprise is slowly but surely being eroded as an increasing number of national or international chain stores supplant local stores. While this typically provides benefits such as cheaper goods the longer-termContinue reading “Engagement and community building – the White Dog Café”

Book review – We: How to Increase Performance and Profits Through Full Engagement

Rudy Karsan and Kevin Kruse’s book is pragmatic and of use to anyone looking to improve employee engagement. The book is organised into four parts. The first two deal with the individual and I will get my objections to them out of the way before discussing the gems to be found in parts three andContinue reading “Book review – We: How to Increase Performance and Profits Through Full Engagement”

Leadership and engagement – keeping it simple

Some people say that you can’t teach leadership in a classroom. In some ways I agree, because learning leadership should be like learning to walk – something a baby finds difficult and scary, but evidently possible as there are so many role models doing it. I have been teaching leadership for five years and oneContinue reading “Leadership and engagement – keeping it simple”

Blue Ocean Strategy and Sustainability

You have probably heard about or read Blue Ocean Strategy by W. Chan Kim and Renée Mauborgne. It has been translated into 42 languages and sold over 2 million copies – so it fair to say it has made quite a splash. The authors came in a second spot on the Thinkers 50 for 2011.Continue reading “Blue Ocean Strategy and Sustainability”

Learning as a foundation for engagement, part 3: Tools

Earlier posts in this series introduced organisational learning and explored why the practice hasn’t had much traction in organisations. This post offers tools for learning processes. 1. Suggestion box blog In this cartoon by Harvey Schwadron – an employee outside the boss’s office drops a suggestion into the suggestion box. Unfortunately, the suggestion box hasContinue reading “Learning as a foundation for engagement, part 3: Tools”

Learning as a foundation for engagement – part two

From part one of this series, it is evident that the concept of organisational learning has been around for decades. But it doesn’t appear to have made much impact. For me there are two primary reasons: embedded defensiveness over-complicated prescriptions 1. Embedded defensiveness Shooting the messenger is a practice that in earlier days manifest itselfContinue reading “Learning as a foundation for engagement – part two”

Learning as a foundation for engagement (part one)

Four organisational capabilities support internal and external stakeholder engagement – leadership, organisational learning, communication and adaptive capacity (or change). This post examines the strong links between organisational learning and engagement. The discipline of organisational learning has been around for a long time, but does not appear to have gained much traction. I suspect, as engagementContinue reading “Learning as a foundation for engagement (part one)”

More reflections on blogging

I have been blogging now, consistently for most of this year. I am starting to see the fruits of my labour as the search engines seem now to have discovered my blog. Blogging as exploration and inquiry I have been a student for most of my life, completing my formal education just a few yearsContinue reading “More reflections on blogging”