Dave Snowden was present, but only addressed specific detailed questions. The presentation was done by the lead researcher/practicioner, Bruce McKenzie, and the client’s liaison, Dr. Robert Kay, who is the Head of Strategic Thinking, and has published widely in the areas of autopoietic and social theory. The client: Westpac Banking Corp. 8.2 million customers in […]
Archives for September 2005
September 23, 2005
[SoL] Dave Snowden and Cynifen Centre
This was the most interesting plenary session for me, and also my most interesting parallel session (see next post). I am planning to attend a training course on this material later this year or early next. I found it a very exciting blend of quantitative analysis and phenominological source material. www.cynefin.net “Open source Consulting” and […]
September 21, 2005
Photo Overload
Since I last posted any photos to Flickr, I have taken nearly 500 new shots, but I haven’t had time to sort or select any for upload. Maybe on the train to Paris Friday morning. If not, I fear it will await the weekend when I return.
September 21, 2005
First Impressions of Europe
There are many interesting aspects of this first trip to Europe that caught my eye. Many would be worth elaborating on, but probably i won’t have time and the following annotated list will have to do. * Cool small cars of Europe. Why can’t we get some of these in America? There are so many […]
September 21, 2005
[SoL] Comments on the de Vulpian Presentation
Following de Vulpian’s talk at the SoL conference, we heard remarks from Anne Murray Allen, the director for Knowledge and Intranet Management at Hewlett-Packard, and Arie de Geus, a former Royal Dutch Shell strategist and SoL co-founder. HP is an interesting case study for what I call The Web as Organizational Mirror™. In the 1990’s […]
September 21, 2005
[SoL] Alain de Vulpian on the Process of Civilization
de Vulpian provided a 25-page paper, “Listening to Ordinary People,” in advance of the conference (Word doc). It lays out the main arguments of his book, “A l’ecoute des gens ordinaires. Comment ils tranforment le monde,” (Paris, Dunod 2003). Here is one of the introductory paragraphs from the paper: I have reached the conviction that […]
September 21, 2005
[SoL] Opening Session
Notes from the opening session of the Society for Organizational Learning Global Forum 2005, Vienna Austria, September 13, 2005. Table discussion: “What question lies at the heart of your work?” * MJ: How to turn pattern observations into action in the world? * Tony: How to make learning as accepted as knowing? * Georgie: Where […]
September 18, 2005
Politics vs. Goverance
Let me suffer the inadequate Internet connection just once more to comment on how surprising (yet welcome) it is to see opinions such as this from Newsweek. …Bush will go down in history as the most fiscally irresponsible chief executive in American history. Since 2001, government spending has gone up from $1.86 trillion to $2.48 […]
September 18, 2005
Today’s News
The short version: 1. Lynne has arrived. 2. Over a dozen new photos loaded onto Flickr. 3. The Internet connection at the new hotel is terrible, making more than brief interactions smash-things frustrating. Monday is more Vienna, Tuesday is an 8-hour train to Strasburg France.
September 14, 2005
Transformative Questions
This morning I and three colleagues (from Singapore, Denver, and Boston) presented at the SoL Global Forum. The topic was “Extraordinary Leadership; Shape-Shifting and Transformative Questions as a Genesis for Change.” The session was held inside the Leopold Museum, and it went well. Just over 70 people attended, out of 400 conference participants, and with […]
September 13, 2005
A Note on the Photos
Just FYI: The photos I’m posting to Flickr are essentially straight from the camera. I’m re-sizing them to 800px wide, but I’m not straightening perspective or anything else. Anything I print gets a deeper treatment, but the Flickr uploads are the snapshots.
September 13, 2005
MuseumsQuartier
I have posted three pictures from the conference site (1, 2, 3). From their website: The MuseumsQuartier Wien first opened in 2001. It now features almost 50 different facilities for contemporary art and culture and is one of the ten largest cultural complexes in the world, attracting some 2.7 million visitors each year. This is […]
September 13, 2005
Jetta GLI Wheels
For those of you asking in the comments about where you can find the winter wheels for a 2004+ VW Jetta GLI, I will find the address and phone number when I return home in a few weeks. In the meantime, the part number I posted is valid, and if you can find a Macpak […]
September 13, 2005
Willkommen in Wein
I arrived in Vienna last night, with something of a rough start. In Paris, the flight from Boston was 15 minutes late, and for whatever reason they parked the plane maybe a mile from the terminal – the terminal appeared as if it was a tourist sight in the distance. So we took a bus […]
September 1, 2005
Over 13% in Three Weeks
About three weeks ago I filled up my car at the gas station and hit $30 for the first time. This is a 2004 VW Jetta, not an SUV-sized gas tank. I almost blogged it, but never got around to it, and it borders on the trivial anyway. Today, with a tank fuller than that […]
September 1, 2005
The Future of Damaged Limbs
Sunday Times: “Scientists have created a ‘miracle mouse’ that can regenerate amputated limbs or badly damaged organs, making it able to recover from injuries that would kill or permanently disable normal animals. The experimental animal is unique among mammals in its ability to regrow its heart, toes, joints and tail. The researchers have also found […]