We were having a discussion about reforming the military acquisition system around the watercooler today, and the subject came up: what kind of lens should we use to look at the problem? Engineering? Political? Scientific? Metaphorical? As we circled around the politics of reform I observed: “…If acquisition is a political process (and it should […]
Tag: management
Time management: benefitting from the commute
a good friend asked for some advice on how to best use her 30 minutes of mass transit commute time: reading vs meditating vs podcasting etc. I recommend podcasting and/or audio books, because they come in bite size chunks, and there are plenty of them avail for free at the library (i have a ton […]
Historical responses to financial meltdowns (buckle up, it will be a bumpy ride)
Reinhart and Rogoff (2008b), in a recent paper entitled “The Aftermath of Financial Crises.”, demonstrate that banking crises in rich countries and emerging markets have a surprising amount in common. “… Broadly speaking, financial crises are protracted affairs. More often than not, the aftermath of severe financial crises share three characteristics. First, asset market collapses are deep […]
The path to mastery, with emotional intelligence
The studies in the Cambridge Handbook of Expertise and Expert Performance describe the path to mastery as: (1) Deliberative Practice (2) Time spent at Deliberative Practice (3) Assistance from a mentor. Deliberative practice can be broken down to: (1) Identifying a long-term outcome (2) Breaking down the skills that lead to that outcome into its […]
A reflection on Action Inquiry in Army change management curriculum review (part 2)
Requirement: 3.A. Individual Learning Memo Assignment (Max 4 pages): write a final memo on what you have learned about action research. a. What do you take with you to the next part of your program? Summarize your takeaways as bullet points on the last pages of your memo. (1 page) b. Define your contribution to […]
A Reflection on Action Research: Inquiry in an organization with strong culture
As part of this term’s work, my professor asked me to consider what I would put in a chapter or article concerning this term’s action research project. My group has been looking at the change management curriculum development process in an Army college (the Command & General Staff College). In terms of practices and concepts […]
A Reflection on Organization Development (OD)
Notes from a workshop interview with Dr David Jamieson: An Inquiry into Organizational Development (CTU Workshop Oct 11, 2008) What is Organizational Development? A philosophy about organizations, leadership and change. Also a collection of methods to help orgs manage change effectively that takes into account the human factors Tracing the OD roots. · […]
Professional humility and integrity
I had a rare privilege recently to attend an off the record briefing from a very high ranking general officer from an allied nation. He was reflecting on a career that spanned some very extraordinary times. He told one story however that really captured my attention. He was describing a situation in which he saw […]
A reflection on Problem-solving vs Decision-making
I see an important distinction between problem-solving as a method and decision making as a process. I see problem solving as an important component of decision-making but I see this distinction: decision-making seems to be the ultimate act of convergent thinking as a prelude to action. I see problem-solving as an analytical or intuitive process […]
Creativity is not enough
Do you enjoy the sudden rush from having a new idea? Do your toes curl with excitement when you see new possibilities? Does your heart pound at the emergence of a new insight? So what? What do you do with the energy? It has to go someplace or it will quickly dissipate. Don’t get left […]