We are on the verge of a major change in the health system both here in New Zealand and in the wider world. We face to sad paradox – while an estimated 870 million people are under nourished, over 1.4 billion are over weight. Both phenomena create consequent health problems, causing human misery and depleting… Continue reading The anatomy of health changes
Tag: engagement
Engagement and the Regeneration Roadmap
Engagement processes are at the leading edge of sustainability. The Regeneration Roadmap is an initiative of Globescan and SustainAbility aiming to achieve sustainable development within the next generation. Their focus is on the private sector to drive a lot of change. This video features global thought leaders articulating the road to sustainability. As you watch,… Continue reading Engagement and the Regeneration Roadmap
Moral leadership – the foundation of prosperity
The renowned economist Jeffrey Sachs pinpointed the foundations of a prosperous economy in a recent article. He states: [1] His post celebrated the life of the late Václav Havel, the Czech playright, who spoke out against the communist regime. His determination to speak out against the suppression of human rights by the communist government saw him… Continue reading Moral leadership – the foundation of prosperity
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-term… Continue reading Engagement and community building – the White Dog Café
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 has… Continue reading Learning as a foundation for engagement, part 3: Tools
Engaging stories: Fairtrade cotton
I mostly drink Fairtrade coffee, sometimes eat Fairtrade chocolate, but must confess, I don’t wear Fairtrade cotton. That will change now that I am reading Harriet Lamb’s Fighting the Banana Wars and Other Fairtrade Battles. Struggling to stay above the poverty line Harriet Lamb tells of cotton grower’s subsistence existence in Africa, where cotton supports… Continue reading Engaging stories: Fairtrade cotton
Engagement explosion
If you consider the relatively recent development of stakeholder engagement, its fair to say that there has been an engagement explosion. Edward Freeman first articulated stakeholder theory in his 1984 book Strategic Management: A Stakeholder Approach. It took a decade or so to emerge from obscurity and the concept had to survive criticism from those… Continue reading Engagement explosion
Staff engagement – more evidence
The evidence for the vital role of staff engagement continues to mount. The July/August 2011 Harvard Business Review includes a series of articles on collaboration. Yochai Benkler’s article The Unselfish Gene explores the fundamentals of human nature, challenging concepts of rational self-interest promulgated for so long. Scientists, psychologists and economists are now stating that people… Continue reading Staff engagement – more evidence
More engagement lessons from the Canterbury earthquakes
Recently, John Hamilton, the Director of Civil Defence Emergency Management, New Zealand, spoke about the Canterbury earthquakes at the National Board meeting of Neighbourhood Support. Resilience and personal fortitude John was effusive in his praise for the “personal fortitude” of Cantabrians and the resilience of their communities. Their response has negated the myth of weak… Continue reading More engagement lessons from the Canterbury earthquakes
Stakeholder mapping – for threat or opportunity?
To map stakeholders, AccountAbility’s approach is to rank each stakeholder with a number of factors. This approach provides some scaffolding to enable a more objective assessment. Here is a summary of these factors from an earlier version of AccountAbility’s AA1000SES. Responsibility – the organisation has, or in the future may have, legal, financial and operational… Continue reading Stakeholder mapping – for threat or opportunity?
Bruce-Iri 