Entries with tag culture .

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Blair McPherson
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01 Feb 2024 - 15:12

null First line managers are both the problem and the solution

  First line managers who don’t look after their people or who don’t know how to look after their people undermine an organisation. First line managers who look after their people enhance an organisation. It’s often the difference between happy employees and unhappy employees. Low turnover and high turnover. Good customer service and poor customer service. A well executed strategy and a... See more
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Blair McPherson
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07 Dec 2023 - 14:43

null Does the job change you? 

I am reading the latest Ian Rankin book. One strand of the story concerns a police officer accused of,” domestic abuse”  and repeated assault. The evidence  is overwhelming but he comes up with an unusual defence. He is claiming Post Traumatic Stress Disorder ( PTSD ) due to 10 years in the police force. It’s not so much the horrific traffic accidents, the suicides or murder scenes... See more
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Blair McPherson
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14 Feb 2023 - 10:09

null LA’s can be noisy organisations 

There is a technique composers  use in which the piece starts with what appears a random selection of instruments all playing at once, making a loud noise. Gradually a rhythm imposes itself and a tune emerges as instruments fall in-line some going into the background others to the forefront. It is the contrast between the discordant, chaotic, introduction and the subsequent harmonious... See more
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Blair McPherson
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19 Aug 2021 - 14:57

null How a no blame culture works

Whether it’s penalty misses or bad decisions there should be no scapegoats, no coverups, just a willingness to talk openly about mistakes  Sweden halved the number of avoidable birth injuries in hospitals after it introduced a no blame compensation scheme for injuries sustained as a result of medical treatment. The result was hospital  staff felt able to speak openly when things went... See more
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Blair McPherson
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14 Aug 2021 - 15:36

null Never say No 

As a grandparent I never say no, as a parent I said it a lot, apparently. As a manager I didn’t like people saying no to me so I tended to ask for forgiveness rather than permission. As an experienced manager I liked to be asked for my suggestions. By the time I was a senior manager yes and no we’re replaced by how and how come.  Some organisation like some managers have a no... See more
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Blair McPherson
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02 Aug 2021 - 18:35

null The more things change the more they stay the same 

Many employees would recognise this as a description of their organisation. They have survived numerous reorganisations, frequent changes of leadership, the adoption of different working practises , the imposition of new terms and conditions of employment , the introduction of the latest technology, the outsourcing of production and the bringing it back in-house and yet they feel... See more
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Blair McPherson
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21 Jul 2021 - 11:56

null The Hulk

I once worked for a Director who stormed out of the office when I said something he didn’t like. Thing was it was his office! Organisations like people have personalities which shape the way they operate.  Organisations are like individuals. A personality profile of an organisation will include strength and weaknesses, values, the work environment, behavior under stress, ideal... See more
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Blair McPherson
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29 Oct 2018 - 21:39

null Keeping the Boss happy

The manager really rated the officer in charge of one of three homes for older people she was responsible for. She felt the officer had really implemented choice, dignity and respect in the way the home was run. The symbol of this was the no locked front door approach despite the presence of a number of residents in the home suffering from dementia who were , “wanders”. It was a matter of pride... See more
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Blair McPherson
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16 Jan 2017 - 13:54

null The Happy List

  The NHS is in crisis, the country is divided as never before, the gap between the super rich and the just getting by is ever widening, climate change seems depressingly inevitable and the election of Donald Trump as President of the USA seems to signal in an era of intolerance, ignorance and self interest. In these gloomy times what cultural gems can cheer us up? What songs lift are... See more
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Blair McPherson
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12 Jul 2014 - 15:32

null The USA way

The land of marketing over substance, where everything is over sold and routinely under delivered has done a fantastic job of convincing us that they do it better. The politicians look to the US for inspiration particularly on how to win elections. The business community has also bought into the idea that US companies are more competitive and efficient.  In fact we have all been sold the... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Jul 2014 - 15:26

null What the Banks could learn from the Public Sector

If they're not too arrogant to think that the public sector could ever teach them anything about business; if the new chief executive of the Royal Bank of Scotland means what he says about values; if the board members at Barclays genuinely want to change the way their staff behave – then the banks could learn a lot from the experience of the public sector in changing the culture of an... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Jul 2014 - 13:10

null Art for art's sake money for God's sake

If arts funding was for the opera or ballet then most people would not lose sleep over their loss of public funding. But arts funding from Local Authorities is not about opera or ballet it is more likely to be modern dance for people with a learning disability or a safe alcohol free rock venue for those way to cool to go to youth clubs. The funding might support the local theatre but it is... See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
12 Jul 2014 - 15:27

null This is how racism takes root

    Great article in todays Guardian. The different ways the media covered two cases of men grooming children for sex show how shockingly easy it is to demonise a whole community http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2012/jul/22/how-racism-takes-root See more
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Blair McPherson
wrote a new blog post
21 Mar 2020 - 17:29

null How many Chief Executives are truly indispensible?

The announcement that Steve Jobs is to step down as chief executive of Apple for health reasons had an immediate impact on share prices and has prompted discussion about whether it is good for a company to be so identified with one individual. The so called cult of the chief executive is also recognised in the public sector. These are individuals who are credited with turning around... See more
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Showing 1 to 14 of 14 entries.