Transduction — leading transformation — Issue #129
Benjamin P. Taylor
RedQuadrant | the Public Service Transformation Academy | systems | cybernetics | complexity / public | service | transformation business evolutionary | avid learner. Reframing for better outcomes. Connecting.
This week:
Upcoming Events:
SE Stakeholder Engagement – Productive Conversations (0.5d)
This training programme could equally be called ‘honest conversations’, ‘difficult conversations’, ‘constructive conversations’, or ‘challenging conversations’.
Fundamental to the success and flavour of organisational life – and systems practice interventions – are the quality of conversations we are able to have. If we can develop an honest and shared attempt to get at shared understanding – shared ‘truth’ if you like – or at least to fully appreciate each others’ understanding – then we can make true progress.
This interactive session will:
And help you to have productive conversations even when it seems most unlikely. You will need to bring a record of an ‘unproductive’ conversation you have had, or fear having, and be prepared to work with others around it and other examples. You will end the session with the ability to surface more productive conversations even when it is difficult.
Trainer These courses are delivered by?Benjamin P Taylor, an expert in systems, cybernetics, and complexity in service transformation.
Pricing Info
￡250 +VAT
To enquire please go on this link:?https://www.systemspractice.org/courses/ise-stakeholder-engagement-productive-conversations-05d
ILG Large Group Interventions (1.0d)
In a classic 2005 article, ‘Techniques to Match our Values’, Weisbord set out the ‘learning curve’, with a movement from ‘experts solve problems’ to ‘’everybody’ solves problems’ to ‘experts improve whole systems’ to ‘’everybody’ improves whole systems’. Inherent in the development of systems practice from the start has been recognition of ‘the whole’, which comes in various forms from group dynamics to organisational viability.
This programme will give an overview of intervention approaches which ‘bring whole systems into the room’ rather than have a few experts work on individual issues. We will look at some of the history and the wide range of interventions that have been developed, and provide an overview of some of the most interesting.
We will compare and contrast these approaches and provide ‘ways in’ to consider when, and which, large group intervention might be an appropriate part of a systems practice intervention.
Trainer These courses are delivered by?Benjamin P Taylor, an expert in systems, cybernetics, and complexity in service transformation.
Pricing Info
￡500 +VAT
To enquire please go on this link:?https://www.systemspractice.org/courses/ilg-large-group-interventions-10d
ICS3 Workshop Design (0.5d)
This module provides learners with an understanding of the design of workshops and relevant considerations, taking into account the potentially very different contexts and definitions of what a ‘workshop’ is. It introduces a range of tools and approaches for workshop design, building on the facilitation module. It gives tools to consider evaluation and learning about workshop design, and compares various approaches, enabling learners to better select and apply appropriate workshop design approaches to their context.
A workshop can be distinguished from a meeting (though the boundaries may be blurry at times), by some of the following indicators:
An alternative use of the work,?to workshop (something), refers to taking a product or idea into a period of intense focused experimentation and development, often bringing in fresh or different perspectives than the original developers of the product or idea. This is of course closely related, but implies some partly-developed ‘content’ as the workshop focus, as opposed to simply a product or idea. In either case, some input is expected to a workshop, whether process, content, or both.
The learning will cover:
This is a very practical, hands-on course based on you creating an initial workshop design from your context, using sources offered, and?sharing and discussing it in the session.
This course complements the course on Facilitation for systems practice interventions, though they can be done independently or in any order.
Trainer These courses are delivered by?Benjamin P Taylor, an expert in systems, cybernetics, and complexity in service transformation.
Pricing Info
￡250 +VAT
To enquire please go on this link:?https://www.systemspractice.org/courses/ics3-workshop-design-05d
ICS2 Facilitation Skills for Systems Practice Interventions (0.5d)
This course provides learners with an understanding of the facilitation relationship in the context of systems intervention itself, and of the challenges it brings. It introduces a range of tools and practices for facilitation and provides guidance on workshop planning. Finally, it compares various approaches to facilitation, enabling learners to develop a stronger sense of the kind of facilitator they want to be.
Topics covered include:
Trainer These courses are delivered by?Benjamin P Taylor, an expert in systems, cybernetics, and complexity in service transformation.
Pricing Info
￡250 +VAT
To enquire please go on this link:?https://www.systemspractice.org/courses/ics2-facilitation-skills-systems-practice-interventions-05d
ICS1b Consulting for Systems Practice Interventions – (b) Core (0.5d)
This course provides learners with a deeper understanding of:
To maximise your chances of being effective in achieving positive change, you should combine a sound understanding of systems approaches with well-developed intervention skills.
This in turn requires a clear conception of the role of the systems practitioner as ‘consultant’, of their relationships with stakeholders, especially the ‘client’, and the nature of the practitioner’s influence on the organisations they seek to transform.
Drawing on Flawless Consulting, Barry Oshry’s Organic Systems Framework, and more,?Consulting for Systems Practice Interventions?emphasises a collaborative approach and equal responsibility between the intervention practitioner and the client, navigating a path between the twin traps of ‘consultant as boss’ and ‘consultant as servant’.
These courses are relevant to anyone – consultant or not! – who is engaging in organisational change.
Trainer These courses are delivered by?Benjamin P Taylor, an expert in systems, cybernetics, and complexity in service transformation.
Pricing Info
￡250 +VAT
To enquire please go on this link:?https://www.systemspractice.org/courses/ics1b-consulting-systems-practice-interventions-b-core-05d
ICS1a Consulting for Systems Practice Interventions – (a) Foundation (0.5d)
This course will provide learners with key principles and a structure for interventions. Topics covered include:
To maximise your chances of being effective in achieving positive change, you should combine a sound understanding of systems approaches with well-developed intervention skills.
This in turn requires a clear conception of the role of the systems practitioner as ‘consultant’, of their relationships with stakeholders, especially the ‘client’, and the nature of the practitioner’s influence on the organisations they seek to transform.
Drawing on Flawless Consulting, Barry Oshry’s Organic Systems Framework, and more,?Consulting for Systems Practice Interventions?emphasises a collaborative approach and equal responsibility between the intervention practitioner and the client, navigating a path between the twin traps of ‘consultant as boss’ and ‘consultant as servant’.
These courses are relevant to anyone – consultant or not! – who is engaging in organisational change.
Trainer These courses are delivered by?Benjamin P Taylor, an expert in systems, cybernetics, and complexity in service transformation.
Pricing Info
￡250 +VAT
To enquire please go on this link:?https://www.systemspractice.org/courses/ics1a-consulting-systems-practice-interventions-foundation-05d
Link Collection:
My Weekly Blog?post:
For me, suffering extends beyond personal pain, often centered on wondering if my contributions align with the world's needs. My interests range widely: from brain injuries to menopause, from open data to childhood play. Anger simmers when I witness political disrespect, wastefulness, and global conflicts. Balancing work passion with life's complexities and health issues weighs heavily. Yet, introspection reveals it's brooding and self-centric emotions that truly disturb my nights. On the flip side, grace emanates from simple joys: family, nature, and learning. External sources like music and podcasts offer solace. Thankfully, I can typically drift into peaceful sleep, grateful for comfort and security. As for you, what brings solace amidst life's complexities? And remember, no coffee after 3 pm – it's a rule!
Communications Biology?volume?7, Article?number:?378?(2024)?Cite this article
Abstract
A defining feature of biology is the use of a multiscale architecture, ranging from molecular networks to cells, tissues, organs, whole bodies, and swarms. Crucially however, biology is not only nested structurally, but also functionally: each level is able to solve problems in distinct problem spaces, such as physiological, morphological, and behavioral state space. Percolating adaptive functionality from one level of competent subunits to a higher functional level of organization requires collective dynamics: multiple components must work together to achieve specific outcomes. Here we overview a number of biological examples at different scales which highlight the ability of cellular material to make decisions that implement cooperation toward specific homeodynamic endpoints, and implement collective intelligence by solving problems at the cell, tissue, and whole-organism levels. We explore the hypothesis that collective intelligence is not only the province of groups of animals, and that an important symmetry exists between the behavioral science of swarms and the competencies of cells and other biological systems at different scales. We then briefly outline the implications of this approach, and the possible impact of tools from the field of diverse intelligence for regenerative medicine and synthetic bioengineering.
This is the Day 1 opening session of Waves Forum for Changemakers 2024 in Helsinki, Finland. In this fireside chat with Nora Bateson, International Bateson Institute, and Dave Snowden, Cynefin Company, hosted by Sara Lindeman, Leapfrog, we explore what changemakers can learn from complexity science to better understand change in complex social systems.
Shared by Timo H?m?l?inen on LinkedIn
Key takeaways from the afternoon fireside chat about hashtag#complexity by Dave Snowden and Nora Bateson in Helsinki Waves event for change makers. 1?? You can’t change a complex system by changing parts, but you can change interactions. 2?? Do not try to fix a problem, change the ecosystem. 3?? Do not change mindsets, change the context. 4?? There are no linear causalities in complex systems. 5?? Heterogenous systems evolve, homogenous do not. 6?? Learn where you are now (as a system), move to ”adjacent possible”, and evaluate again. 7?? Sustainable change happens at the local level.
Hard to Swallow: ‘Trans’ in TransformationBojan Radej·Following13 min read·Aug 26, 2021
Segal’s law?is an adage that states:
领英推荐
At surface level, the adage emphasizes the consistency that arises when information comes from a single source and points out the potential pitfalls of having too much conflicting information. However, the underlying message is to question the apparent certainty of anyone who only has one source of information. The man with one watch has no way to identify error or uncertainty.
History: The saying was coined by the San Diego Union on September 20, 1930: “Confusion.—Retail jewelers assert that every man should carry two watches. But a man with one watch knows what time it is, and a man with two watches could never be sure.” Later this was — mistakenly — attributed to Lee Segall of?KIXL, then to be misquoted again by Arthur Bloch as “Segal’s Law”.[2]
See also:
References:
External links:
Segal’s law3 languagesArticleTalkReadEditView historyToolsFrom Wikipedia, the free encyclopediaSegal’s law is an adage that states:A man with a watch knows what time it is. A man with two watches is never sure.[1]At surface level, the adage emphasizes the consistency that arises when information comes from a single source and points out the potential pitfalls of having too much conflicting information. However, the underlying message is to question the apparent certainty of anyone who only has one source of information. The man with one watch has no way to identify error or uncertainty.History[edit]The saying was coined by the San Diego Union on September 20, 1930: “Confusion.—Retail jewelers assert that every man should carry two watches. But a man with one watch knows what time it is, and a man with two watches could never be sure.” Later this was — mistakenly — attributed to Lee Segall of KIXL, then to be misquoted again by Arthur Bloch as “Segal’s Law”.[2]
?April 12, 2024??daviding
Watch party in London (￡5 and the company of ‘high agency techno-optimists’ https://lu.ma/wp-experiencing-complex-systems
Georgina Voss’ book ?Systems Ultra: Making Sense of Technology in a Complex World is published by Verso in the UK and the US, in January 2024 https://gsvoss.com/systems-ultra
Georgina Voss will explore what a systems worldview is and how we experience and feel out our way within these structures.
By?Centre for the Study of Existential Risk
Date and time: Tuesday, April 23 · 6 – 7:30pm GMT+1
Location: West HubJJ Thomson Avenue Cambridge CB3 0US United KingdomShow map
About this event
The?Centre for the Study of Existential Risk?are pleased to host a public lecture by Georgina Voss.
From finance to supply chains to payment platforms, our lives are increasingly defined by complex technological systems. Yet it can be surprisingly difficult to define what a system actually is, or what it feels like. In this public lecture, Georgina Voss will draw on storytelling and artistic practice to explore what a systems worldview is, what it does, and, crucially, how we experience and feel out our way within these structures.
Professor Emily So will act as discussant for the lecture. The event will be chaired by Dr Maya Indira Ganesh.
Speakers:
Please note there are tickets available for online or in-person.
If you are unable to attend the lecture, please return your ticket before the event through Eventbrite.
Organised by Centre for the Study of Existential Risk
The Centre for the Study of Existential Risk is a multidisciplinary research centre within the University of Cambridge dedicated to the study and mitigation of existential risks that could lead to human extinction or civilisational collapse.
A presentation for the Oceania Chapter of the System Dynamics Society of the most memorable aha moments occurring during the past five decades while searching for understanding on the other side of complexity. These aha moments inspired me to become a Storyteller/Recovering Systems Thinker.
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The Cybernetics Society was honored to host Professor Karl J. Friston, Scientific Director: Wellcome Trust Centre for Neuroimaging for this talk. Professor Friston addressed the topic of how we can understand ourselves as sentient creatures and the principles that underwrite sentient behaviour, using the free energy principle to furnish an account in terms of active inference. A Q&A session followed.
How would you draw a mission driven organisation? Please not a goal cascade https://medium.com/@jamestplunkett/please-not-a-goal-cascade-f96707590870
The Beautiful Mess · Sep 18, 2022 TBM 41/51: Why Goal Cascades are Harmful (and What to Do Instead) By John Cutler
Psybertron Asks · 2d What, Why & How do we Know ? Ben Taylor responded to a challenge from Katrin Shaw on LinkedIn, and I’m taking it up, and taking a lead, from his response. Suffering? No, I certainly don’t lie awake worrying about w…
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www.themj.co.uk Devolution needs to be more ‘Kevin Keegan’ The Municipal Journal (the MJ) is the online management journal for local authority business
Benjamin Taylor: The Abundance of Systems | 10,000 Swamp Leaders
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overcast.fm I Can See Clearly Now — Soul Music “I can see clearly now the rain is gone / I can see all obstacles in my way / Gone are the dark clouds that had me blind / It’s gonna be a bright / Bright sunshiny day”I Can See Clearly Now was written by the Houston-born singer-songwriter Johnny Nash. First released in 1972, it became a huge hit and the song has been covered by hundreds of artists, from the Jamaican singer Jimmy Cliff to the Irish rock group Hothouse Flowers. For recording engineer and producer Luke DeLalio the original of the song is ‘a masterpiece’, with a sublime vocal performance and an arrangement that is surprisingly experimental for such an apparently simple song. Professor Kathy M. Newman of Carnegie Mellon University tells us about Johnny Nash’s life and career, from his early years as a clean-cut crooner and teen idol, to his time recording in Jamaica and his later years, living on a ranch in Texas. For author and psychologist Peggy DeLong it’s a song of hope, resilience and love. It was once meant to be her wedding song but took…
UK Department for Health and Social Care invitation to tender for ￡8m consultancy support for adult social care – one single lot, three weeks to respond – over Easter
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Grok', Twitter's AI, very weirdly making propaganda for... the regime in Georgia?! https://x.com/i/grok/share/XMIXMuDllzHtpl9pUtZ2EJjPk
Commissioning Academy session with Gary Wallace today took me back to this from 2021 "Oh god. I have worked in public services for 24 years. Now trying to make an enquiry for an elderly relatives. Switchboard. Option 1 - social care. Goes through to 'children and families'. Shome mishtake? Try again, no, that's right - Recorded message about recording my call..." / Twitter
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The opportunities of devolution for the left https://medium.com/@SimonFParker/the-opportunities-of-devolution-for-the-left-496ba59cc180
Are you a 432 Mhz Truther?! Humans are incredible... Hertz Patrol - YouTube