Category Archives: Innovation

Innovation

Six Oi Conference Learning Points – all in a 6min podcast!

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20130615-211045.jpgThis week saw the fantastic Online Influence, ‘Oi!’ Conference roll into Cardiff, beautifully squeezed in-between Rhianna and John Bon Jovi (concerts). A fairly standard Cardiff week.

You can read about the fantastic speakers; Phillipa Davies (@mindhiver), Ian Cleary (@IanCleary) and Mark Schaefer (@markwschaefer) on the Oi Conference site. I’d also recommend looking at this review of #Oiconf13 by the incredible @MrTonyDowling, who is behind the whole thing.

There was a great deal of activity following the conference with examples of people putting learning into action. I’m happy to say I’ve also had a go.

Working with incredibly generous Helen Reynolds (@HelReynolds) we sat down at a different conference we were both speaking at and recorded our key learning points from Oi! Conference 2013.  Here they are, hope you enjoy our 6min podcast.

So, what’s the PONT?

  1. A recording seems to be a quicker method of sharing content than a traditional blog post (I’m sure it will be once I’ve cracked the technology).
  2. We are hoping that it is a more effective method of sharing (the Jury is still out on that one).
  3. I still have lots to learn. It would have been a good idea to have tested the technology before jumping in with both feet (so unlike me).

Picture: A front cover from The New Musical Express, June 18 1977, featuring ‘The Stranglers’. You’ll have to listen to the podcast to work out why this is relevant (close to the end between 5-6 mins)

One ounce of emotion beats a ton of scientific evidence. It’s all about “the babies….”

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Last week I attended an event organised by The Alliance for Useful Evidence and Wales Public Services 2025 (#a4ue on Twitter). The aim was to work out how you get policies developed and practices delivered that are better informed by evidence. The problem seems to be that millions of pounds (of taxpayers money) is spent on things for which there is limited evidence of success.

There were lots of views about how you collect better evidence and a bit of ‘hand wringing’. Why is it that evidence doesn’t get used properly? To paraphrase; “We produce compelling, factually accurate evidence yet the politicians ignore it and make decisions based on political values, not the evidence we put in front of them……”.

This situation could apply almost anywhere. Head down to your Local Council Planning Committee and you probably won’t have to wait too long before you see the Committee Members overrule some technically correct, fully evidenced advice from the Planning Officer. A cruel but compelling spectator sport.

In their defence I’d say its not just politicians that are ‘guilty’ of this, and in fact, it’s more to do with how you communicate the evidence. Here’s a personal experience.

Lets clean up the Gas Works. About 20 years ago I was working in environmental protection when a proposal to clean up a former heavy industry site landed on my desk. This was an imaginative and cost effective proposal that would deal with the huge quantities of toxic waste that had blighted a local community for over a 100 years. In three years time the site would be regenerated, creating space for new clean employment opportunities and a community recreation facility. What could possibly go wrong?

The Public Meeting. Imagine this, a village hall packed with about 100 local citizens and a bunch of experts sat on the stage. The experts had absolutely tons of carefully researched scientific evidence about why this proposal was a good thing:

  • Long term risks to health from the site would be removed;
  • Risks during cleanup would be minimal and well managed;
  • Economic benefits during the clean-up would be significant (jobs);
  • Long term job opportunities were predicated;
  • River water and ground water quality would improve significantly;
  • The Environment and biodiversity in the valley would be improved; and
  • Sustainability was constantly mentioned.

This was a very logical, rational, well balanced and fully evidenced argument to proceed with the scheme. As a trained scientist I was completely convinced.

The Counter Argument. A lady stood up at the back of the room and yelled “what about the babies……?”. She then proceeded to describe in graphic detail a case of birth abnormalities that had occurred close to a waste management facility in a nearby community. That situation was completely different to what we were talking about, but that didn’t matter. The damage had been done. The carefully prepared evidence had been rendered useless by 30 seconds of pure emotion. That’s where I learnt the phrase, “one ounce of emotion beats a ton of scientific evidence”.

As I recall, the clean up of the site was delayed for several years (of continued pollution) while an agreeable compromise was reached.

Why don’t we accept what experts say? In this seminar I heard Dave Snowden talk about how you need to be prepared to accept new ideas. Patterns of recognition need to be developed beforehand so that you can accept the new idea. If we don’t recognise what is being offered we are more likely to reject it straight off. I’ll dig out my notes from the session and put together a more substantial post.

For me the learning from “what about the babies…”, has great relevance to the ‘useful evidence’ debate. It’s all about choice. Whether you are a local citizen, policy maker, delivering a service or a politician you have the choice of ignoring or using evidence. Understanding that people will make choices about what they absorb, no matter how scientifically accurate, is worth thinking about if you are trying to get people to use your ‘really useful evidence’.

So, whats the PONT?

  1. People can choose what evidence they accept. Scientific ‘fact’ does not automatically equal acceptance.
  2. How evidence is presented is important if you want people to understand and accept it. Recognition of something familiar is important.
  3. Emotion will beat evidence and facts, just remember “the babies……”

Picture Source: Just a thought. The evidence bag in the picture says ‘to be opened by authorised personnel only’. I wonder how much other evidence is given this ‘experts only’ status!

Linked posts: How Florence Nightingale used infographics to convince Civil Servants and Politicians that they needed to improve sanitary conditions to reduce deaths during the Crimean War. http://whatsthepont.com/2013/01/27/florence-nightingale-the-mother-of-infographics-btw-she-was-also-a-nurse/

Don’t spend any money on NHS Jargon Busters – it’s sorted! Download the Apps.

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20130509-224405.jpgI’m not ashamed to admit my naivety and ignorance. In the last post I was astonished to find out there was a book available called ‘NHS Jargon Explained’. I was just scratching the surface…..

On the basis that jargon is “the specialised or technical language of a trade, profession or similar group”, and the NHS is a massive organisation with very many specialist groups, this shouldn’t be surprising. A quick search using twitter turned up some interesting examples of NHS ‘jargon busters’. These are my favourites, apologies to anyone worthy who’s not on the list.

Guardian Newspaper, Glossary of Healthcare Jargons and Acronyms. This is 2011 vintage and has about 70 examples of the most common NHS jargon. I was a bit surprised to see BT (British Telecom) feature. Apparently it’s something to do with them running the N3 Network. Have a look at the Guardian article to find out what N3 means. You also need to know that a ‘spine’ isn’t necessarily that thing in the middle of your back.

NHS Local, West Midlands. This is provided by a group of NHS organisations, Universities and private sector organisations that are “transforming healthcare by changing the conversation between patient and the NHS” (that’s not jargon is it). The jargon buster has about 70 explanations, mainly to do with maternity services. Very useful if you need to use that service. A great explanation of ‘oily fish’ can be found here.

Leicestershire NHS, Health Informatics Service. This is blog by a Communications and Marketing Officer in Leicestershire NHS, that explains about 30 Information Technology terms used in the NHS. Helpful information about the language used by another specialist group that will be of benefit to those who don’t work in IT or understand it. Unfortunately there was no explanation of exactly what ‘informatics’ means (is it just me?).

Health and Social Care Information Centre, National Casemix Office Jargon Buster. I had to use the jargon buster to understand what a ‘Casemix Office’ does: “A system whereby the complexity of the care provided to a patient is reflected in an aggregate secondary healthcare classification.” Phew, thank goodness that’s cleared up. There are about 60 definitions here, some of them pretty baffling, but it is the language of a very specialist group. Well worth a look if you want to understand what ‘complications and comorbidities’ are all about, alongside ‘cliff edges’, ‘unbundling’ and ‘spells’.

NHS Confederation Acronym Buster. This has a bumper 500 acronyms explained. There is even Application Software (an App, see the NHS Leicestershire definition) available to download for free. This is very helpful and something you could keep under the desk for emergency situations when the healthcare experts are running wild. My only gripe would be that defining acronyms is only half of the problem solved. The jargon remains.

My Health London.  This is an award-winning information website for health services in London. The jargon buster is in a section focussed on young people and there is also a free App you can download called ‘Well Happy’. This is worth a look as it has very clear, jargon free explanations under headings such as ‘Sex and Relationships’ and ‘Alcohol and Addiction’.  Very useful for those difficult conversations with the teenage kids.

This has been a bit of an eye opener. Specialist groups certainly do have their own language, unfortunately jargon to outsiders. There were other examples I stumbled across from the third sector, IT, property and law. Nothing I could find specifically from the world of Local Government… yet?

So, what’s the PONT?

  1. In a large and complicated organisation like the NHS the occurrence of many specialist groups with their own technical language (jargon) is inevitable.
  2. The specialist groups need to make sure they don’t exclude outsiders by the use of technical language that isn’t easily understood.
  3. The good news is that may specialist groups are trying their best to share their ‘jargon busters’ which are free for everyone to use. Hopeful those who aren’t as well-developed or inclusive will pick these up and use them.

Picture Source: My Health London, Young Peoples, ‘Well Happy’ App.

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https://www.myhealth.london.nhs.uk/health-communities/young-people/download

Clump Recruiting, Old Wine in New Bottles? What about the Pals Battalions and Richard Arkwright?

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20130404-224803.jpg‘Clump Recruitment’ is a jazzy new expression I recently heard mentioned at this event. The gist is that you can recruit Generation Y  people as a group or ‘clump’ by targeting where they hang out together (usually online somewhere, apparently). The idea is that you can then get them to all come along together and work for your knowledge economy business. This gives you all the benefits of a ready-made socially cohesive group. Large scale recruitment of the right people, done in a flash. Sounds fantastic.

I did start wondering though, hasn’t this sort of group recruitment happened before? Is the idea of ‘clump recruitment’ just ‘old wine in new bottles’?‘To explain my quandary here are two examples; the Pals Battalions from World War One and the older practice that flourished in the industrial revolution, where whole families worked for a single organisation.

The Pals Battalions of World War One.

The Pals Battalions were created at the outbreak of war in 1914 when there was an urgent need to recruit into the army. The Generals moved away from the traditional methods, reasoning that young men would be more likely to enlist if they could be sure they would be with people they already knew; friends, workmates, neighbours (and possibly family).

The idea certainly worked and between August and September 1914, 500,000 men had volunteered and a further 500,000 by the end of the year. A successful recruitment campaign in anyone’s books.

However, what shouldn’t be forgotten here is the impact of warfare on people from a specific community. The Battle of The Somme effectively wiped out the Accrington Pals, with a devastating effect upon the community the young men came from.

There’s is an excellent article about the Pals Battalions by Bruce Robinson on the BBC website which is well worth reading.

Richard Arkwright and Cromford Mill.

Richard Arkwright is a major contributor to the development of the industrial revolution in the 1770′s and has been credited with developing the world’s first factory system. You can read about him here or view the Tony Robinson, walking through history TV series.

What struck me in the video clip was how whole families were employed by Arkwright at Cromford Mill. Women and children in the factory producing thread whist the men were involved in weaving cloth. The workforce planning setup favoured the recruitment of a ‘family unit’.

A policy of incentives, like workers accommodation, may well have helped with the recruitment and retention at Cromford Mill. However, it also makes it difficult for workers to buck the system. If the whole family work for the same organisation there is unlikely to be much industrial dispute.

Throughout the industrial revolution there are numerous examples of several members of the same family, if not whole families or generations working for the same organisation. I know from my own family history that having a relative working in Deep Navigation Colliery meant that other members of the family followed.

Old wine in new bottles.

Back to old wine in new bottles, I do wonder if the idea of ‘clump recruiting’ Generation Y people is a bit of history repeating itself. The idea of recruiting specific groups, sometimes in very large numbers, has been around for a very long time.

If you want some interesting perspectives on ‘old wine in new bottles’, have a look at The Custody Record blog. I particularly like:

  • “We are not returning to how we did things before. We are moving forward in a familiar way.”
  • “We are not retreating. We are advancing in a new direction.”
  • “Old wine in new bottles.” The practice of taking something old and dressing it up to look like something new.

So, what’s the PONT?

  1. Recruiting groups of people who are very similar or linked can have consequences such as a potential lack of diversity in your workforce (or much worse in the case of the Pals).
  2. “History merely repeats itself. It has all been done before. Nothing under the sun is truly new”. Biblical quote, Ecclesiastes 1:9.
  3. It’s always worth checking that the new idea isn’t just ‘old wine in new bottles’.

Picture Source: Cover of the book about the Carmarthen Pals Battalion.

‘People buy from People’. A lesson for knowledge workers from Deenna Boutique and Neath Music

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Neath Music from company helecopter

Neath Music from company helicopter

I know that I shouldn’t be surprised by this statement. ‘People buy from People’ is one of those truths that underpin so much human activity, particularly if this involves some sort of exchange. The exchange can involve a product, service or knowledge and information.  This is where knowledge workers fit in; stick with me…….This week I met some people who run small businesses at the launch of FYI Neath, a website to support the development of the South Wales Town of Neath (and surrounding areas).

The ‘People buy from People’ theme was kicked off by Joel Hughes (who has said this on several occasions). The general idea is that; if you know, understand and trust another person, you are far more likely to exchange things with them. An important concept if you are in business and need to sell products and services, but just as relevant if you are a knowledge worker. A while back I wrote this post The Disconnected Jerk which talks about some research on people not sharing knowledge with people they don’t like or trust (even if their job requires them to do it).

Part of the FYI Neath event involved people who run small businesses talking about how they develop a relationship with their customers online, so that they can reach the point where ‘people will buy from people’. Here are some of the points I took away, thanks to Deenna Boutique and Neath Music:

  • You are your business. Whatever you say online has to reflect who you are. It’s the same as if someone walks into the shop to speak to you. Let the passion for your business show.
  • Give the ‘pros and cons’. You need to be honest about the products you sell. Customers will expect that and respect your opinion.
  • Deliver on what you promise.

The objective underneath all of this online activity was to develop a relationship with customers so that they know who you are, understand you and above all trust you. Good advice for anyone working in the field of knowledge management.

Dave Snowden talks about this concept as knowledge can only be volunteered; it cannot be conscripted.  It has also been described in this post as one of the 7 Principles of Knowledge Management by David Gurteen, which is worth a read. The underlying principle here is that people won’t exchange or share knowledge with you unless they trust you. Being a knowledge worker in a massive organisation is just the same as running a small business in Neath.

Or maybe not…….. You have to check out Neath Music. As part of building the relationship with the customers they write a blog. One of the latest features is ‘Local Stars playing reasonably priced guitars’. Now then, why would you want to buy an Epiphone EB-3 Base Guitar online, from some anonymous corporation, when you could go into Neath Music and meet some fantastic characters? I’m quite tempted to pick up my Banjo again, I think it needs re-stringing.

So what’s the PONT?

  1. People buy from people. The small businesses in Neath know that.
  2. Developing a trusting relationship online is as important as doing it face to face.
  3. Knowledge exchange is a social process. It depends upon people trusting each other to share what they know.

Picture Source: This is Neath Music – taken from the company helicopter (apparently).
http://www.neathmusic.com/contact/screen-shot-2012-12-30-at-15-32-33/

Links to related posts:

Low Trust Costs You Money:
http://whatsthepont.wordpress.com/2011/10/03/low-trust-costs-you-money/

Why is Good Practice such a bad traveller? :
http://whatsthepont.wordpress.com/2012/08/19/why-is-good-practice-such-a-bad-traveller/

‘Lancashire Speaks’ (issued by Cyril Lord). Textile Workers Voices 1950’s style.

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20130317-211906.jpgI’ve just found this 78rpm vinyl recording of Lancashire textile workers. It’s called ‘Lancashire Speaks’ and was issued as record by Cyril Lord sometime in the 1950’s (I think).

I don’t have a 78 rpm record player so the exact nature and quality of the recording in a bit of a mystery. The best I can do is a sheet of paper (picture at end of post) I found inside the blank, brown paper sleeve which says: “these are the messages recorded in Lancashire by the people really concerned with the future of the textile industry”

  • Mrs Susan Burrows of Padiham,
  • Mrs Marjorie Rothwell of Oldham,
  • Mr Albert Hurst of The Lily Mills, and
  • Cyril Lord

From what I’ve found out, Cyril Lord was a self-made textile entrepreneur who is linked to a number of innovations in the textile industry between the 1940’s and 1970’s. A few of his innovations were not wholly successful (blue Astroturf) and he was also known for his imaginative approaches to advertising and marketing. There is some material online about a Cyril Lord cameo in a Batman Episode as the Carpet King! (might be a coincidence, I’m not sure about that one).

The ‘Lancashire Speaks’ records seem to have been directed at Members of Parliament (MP’s) as part of a campaign by Cyril Lord to get reforms to help the struggling Lancashire textile industry. There is also some interesting material available in a British Pathé film of a protest meeting involving what look like lots of textile workers.  ‘Lancashire Speaks’ could be a useful record of the time and the views of textile workers. If anyone knows any more about it, or could suggest a good home for a piece of ancient vinyl, I’m happy to pass it on.

Thinking about Cyril Lord’s approach, this might have been the cutting edge of 1950’s communications and influencing.  Here is a vinyl record that was distributed directly to Members of Parliament, with the voices of workers speaking (in a different accent) about something that is important to them. If the alternative was writing a letter, or the costly trip of travelling to meet MP’s in London this was pretty high impact.

I’m not sure if record players to ‘listen to the voice of constituents’ were allowed as MP’s expenses back then, but it’s an interesting thought. Sixty plus years later; Twitter, FaceBook, You Tube videos, Skype and dozens of other platforms allow MP’s to hear from their constituents and ‘citizens with a view’ pretty much constantly. I wonder if some of them would be happier with slipping on the occasional 78rpm vinyl record?

So, what’s the PONT?

  1. Communication and innovation seem to go hand in hand; ‘Workers Voice’ records in the 1950’s may well have been the equivalent of a modern Twitter campaign.
  2. Capturing and using authentic voices to tell the story is an approach that has been around for a while.
  3. If anyone can suggest a good home for the record, happy to pass it on.

Photos: My own

Links: Fascinating read by Philip Ollerenshaw, University of the West of England on: Innovation and Corporate Failure: Cyril Lord in UK Textiles 1945-1968
http://www.helsinki.fi/iehc2006/papers2/Olleren.pdf

LATEST NEWS!!!!  The record is off to a good home.

The record is on its way to the North West Sound Archive in Clitheroe Castle Museum. Thanks to the internet and Twitter I’ve spoken to people at the archive and they would like the recording as they don’t have it. I hope it survives the journey (it is very well packed – see the picture) and it is playable.

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Expatiation, Innovation, Adaptation, Continuous Improvement and Hyperbole. It’s dictionary time

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20130310-160803.jpgIf hear another person loudly proclaim that their incremental improvement to an existing activity, process or product is ‘INNOVATION!’ I will scream (quietly to myself…..). Small enhancements are not innovation.

To be fair the language is a bit confusing and I’m not alone. This article on the British Quality Foundation blog by Paul Sloan draws the comparison with politicians who trumpet every piece of routine spending as ‘significant new investment’. The hyperbole (exaggeration to create emphasis) has permeated the world of improvement, causing confusion which doesn’t do justice to the real innovation some people are achieving. So here are some explanations:

  • Continuous Improvement & Kaizen,
  • Adaptation,
  • Exaptation, and
  • Innovation.

Continuous Improvement. CI for short does what it says on the tin, an ongoing effort to improve services, products or processes. There is a strong emphasis on the incremental (little changes) in this approach, alongside the importance of feedback from the users of the product or service.

If you fancy jazzing things up (and impressing your colleagues) you could describe this approach as Kaizen, the Japanese for Good Change, (Kai = Change, Zen = Good). I very much like Kaizen. It recognises that the people who do the work are best placed to identify the required improvements and implement them. The emphasis here is that changes are small enough to be implemented by an individual worker or at team level, which has additional benefits linked to employee engagement. Remember that this is not radical innovation or change on a massive scale.

Adaptation. A term from biology which refers to how a living organism changes to become better suited to its environment. The example of how humans adapted to live and hunt in groups, because it was more efficient is often used to illustrate adaptation.

A service delivery example would be the process of paying bills. This has adapted from; face to face, to postal, to the current online processes. You could argue the difference between continuous improvement and adaptation is about scale of the change, but it is a bit subjective.

Exaptation. Another term from biology. This refers to the process of using something that has been developed for one purpose, to achieve something completely different. The classic example is feathers which were apparently developed as a temperature controlling feature that then turned out to be very useful for flying.

A more recent example Dave Snowden described is the car in a plastic bag, which apparently originated during the Bangkok floods. One enterprising individual drove their car into a large plastic bag that had been used to protect new furniture. Now lots of people in Bangkok have car size plastic bags; available for use in future floods.

The act of taking something that was developed for one purpose and using it in a completely different setting is where exaptation differs from continuous improvement and adaptation. A bit like lateral thinking.

Innovation. Looking at my 1970′s Pocket Oxford English Dictionary, ‘sixth edition’ (schoolboy stuff, but it’s what’s shaped me), innovation is ‘bringing in novelties’. Novelties are, ‘new things, strange, hitherto unknown’. The ‘new’ part of innovation is fundamental to what it’s all about, even down to the Latin origins of the word novus = new.

It seems fairly straightforward to me that incremental improvements to an existing activity is not innovation, I hope you agree (or maybe not and it’s just the pedantic schoolboy in me that has resurfaced). If you fancy some more on this topic, links at the end of the post.

Finally, back to the Paul Sloan article where he suggests introducing two new terms; ‘radivation’ for radical innovation and ‘incrovation’ for making improvements to existing products. I know my spell checker is struggling with the concept, I wonder if the rest of the world is ready for the change?

So what’s the PONT?

  1. There is a big difference between something completely new (innovation) and incremental change (continuous improvement).
  2. Understanding and using the most appropriate description helps with understanding.
  3. Hyperbole can creep into all sorts of conversation, beware.

Links: More detailed explanation of exaptation From Dave Snowden .
http://cognitive-edge.com/blog/entry/5573/exaptation-managed-serendipity-part-i/

Links to other things I’ve written: Is best practice the enemy of innovation
http://whatsthepont.wordpress.com/2012/11/11/is-best-practice-the-enemy-of-innovation/

Do some organisations kill off new ideas?
http://whatsthepont.wordpress.com/2012/12/23/idea-antibodies-do-some-organisation-have-an-autonomic-immune-response-that-kills-ideas/

Encouraging innovation with Belbin Resource Investigators .
http://whatsthepont.wordpress.com/2013/02/03/encouraging-innovation-use-some-naive-experts-belbin-resource-investigators-and-send-them-back-to-the-floor/

Photo source: Dog floatation device. For other flood inspired exaptations and adaptations have a look at this site.
http://blog.dothegreenthing.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/tumblr_lugcvlDfUk1r6pia1o1_500.jpg

Photo source: Car in the plastic bag article from China Car Times.
http://www.chinacartimes.com/2012/07/guandong-government-wraps-cars-plastic-bags-avoid-typhoon-damage/

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“Every CEO should try to access the services their organisation delivers using a mobile phone, at least twice a month”

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20130221-115930.jpgI wish I’d thought of that.

It was actually said by Jon Beech (@_jonb) on twitter and sparked a conversation about how senior officials could test the ‘lived experience’ of service users by trying to access their organisation’s website using a mobile phone. It’s been rattling around inside my head for a while and found its way out in the surroundings of a WordPress Users Wales meeting this week on responsive design.

I knew this was an important point when I first read it, and this is how it makes sense to me after the meeting. A few factual statements first:

  • People use websites to find out what services are delivered by organisations;
  • For large parts of society the Internet is the primary route they use;
  • Many people are using mobile devices (mobile phones, tablets etc) to access the Internet;
  • The percentage of people using mobile devices to do this is continuing to increase;
  • Many websites have historically been designed to be viewed from a desktop or laptop computer; and
  • Viewing a website designed for a large desktop screen, on a much smaller mobile phone screen can be a real hassle (go and try it out for yourself).

This is was why I was listening to James Cryer talk about responsive design at the WordPress meeting. In essence, responsive web design is about how websites are ‘responsive’ to the device on which they are viewed. The way that content is displayed will change to ensure that the reader has the best possible viewing experience for the size of screen they are using. This isn’t just about getting smaller (desktop to mobile), James pointed out that getting bigger (desktop to large screen TV) also offers challenges.

Using responsive design is helpful if you want your service users to understand what your organisation does. The easier it is to find and read the content on your website, using whatever device people choose (increasingly likely to be a mobile phone), the better it is for everyone.

So, why should this matter to your average CEO?

In the busy life of a CEO it is going to be difficult to ‘go back to the floor”, visit every department or take part in a ‘mystery shopper’ exercise. However, trying to access one of your services using a mobile phone is something you could do in a spare 5 minutes waiting for a train, sitting in a taxi or quietly in a senior management team meeting. This straight forward exercise would put you directly in the shoes of service users, a sort of virtual mystery shopper exercise. If your website isn’t responsive, I wonder how it will feel? It is a relatively low effort and possibly high impact activity, why not have a go?

Back to the WordPress responsive design ‘live demo’ session. Someone suggested it would be interesting to see if there were any good examples of responsive public sector websites in Wales……….. errrr….right.

Anyway, have a look at one we found for the Central London Community Healthcare NHS Trust. I’ve included a few screen shots of the site on a tablet and a phone. The point to note here is the location of clinics and other facilities is responsive and works brilliantly on the small screens. Just what you need if you are using a mobile phone and need to find the location of a facility. Interestingly the responsive elements of this site were developed involving someone who that was at the WordPress meeting and works in Wales, Craig Cartwright at precedent.co.uk. Nice one!

So, what’s the PONT?

  1. The move towards greater use of mobile devices means that websites need to be designed with this in mind.
  2. Responsive design is a way of changing web content to fit different devices and make it easier to read the content.
  3. Checking services using only a mobile phone would be a cheap and effective method for CEO’s to do some virtual mystery shopping, and see things from the perspective of a service user.

Thanks very much to James Cryer for an excellent presentation at the WordPress Users Wales meeting. You can pick up James’ presentation here.

Picture Source: This looks interesting. North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust Mystery Shopper Programme.
http://www.combined.nhs.uk/ourservices/Pages/shopper.aspx

Explanatory leaflet available here:
http://www.combined.nhs.uk/dc/Documents/Mystery%20Shopper%20faqs.pdf

Central London Community Healthcare ‘locations’ viewed on a tablet, followed by the same information on a mobile phone, try it out yourself.

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Jefferson’s Taper. A 200 year old perspective on the internet?

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This is a real gem from 200 years ago that has a great deal of relevance today.

Thomas Jefferson made the following reference to the ‘taper’ (a candle) in a letter to Isaac McPherson, August 1813.

“He who receives ideas from me, receives instruction himself without lessening mine; as he who lights his taper at mine receives light without darkening me. That ideas should freely spread from one to another over the globe, for the moral and mutual instruction of man, and improvement of his condition, seems to have been peculiarly and benevolently designed by nature, when she made them, like fire, expansible over all space, without lessening their density in any point, and like the air in which we breathe, move, and have our physical being, incapable of confinement or exclusive appropriation”

The full letter (available here) discusses the merits of the patent system and was part of a debate around how innovation was being restricted by perceived controls over the exchange of ideas and knowledge.

Two centuries on you could almost argue that we have reached a pinnacle in knowledge exchange with the development of technology that allows:

  • Instant global connectivity and collaboration;
  • Very low information storage costs;
  • The ability to quickly and easily reproduce exact copies of information;
  • Virtually zero transmission costs; and
  • Things Jefferson couldn’t have imagined such as webinars, videos, Skype etc.

200 years on and Jefferson’s Taper description stands up as a reasonable explanation of what the Internet provides. Did Thomas Jefferson write the first specification for the internet?

“…..ideas should freely spread….over the globe…, like fire, expansible over all space, without lessening their density in any point, and like the air in which we breathe …..incapable of confinement…..”

One final thought, as important as the taper is, without the flame it serves no purpose. A single unlit candle produces as much light as a million unlit candles. I suppose the same is true of the Internet. Without data, information and ideas it’s just a jumble of wires and hardware.

So, what’s the PONT?

  1. Many good ideas concerning knowledge exchange have been around a very long time.
  2. A taper without a flame is of little use. The flame is necessary to the taper as are ideas to the exchange of knowledge.
  3. Without data, information and ideas, Jefferson’s Taper and the Internet are just hardware.

Previous Jefferson Post:
http://whatsthepont.wordpress.com/2013/02/09/busmans-holiday-the-jefferson-memorial-wastewater-treatment-and-root-cause-analysis/

Picture Source: Jefferson Memorial, Washington DC.

Interesting Links: Jefferson’s Taper Letter:
http://press-pubs.uchicago.edu/founders/documents/a1_8_8s12.html

Cardiff University Lecture on Jefferson’s Taper:
http://www.cardiff.ac.uk/share/newsandevents/events/history/distinguished-lecture-jefferson-taper-and-the-future-of-books.html

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Busman’s Holiday. The Jefferson Memorial, Wastewater Treatment and Root Cause Analysis.

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20130209-094238.jpgTo avoid any confusion with my friends I need to put something on the record:

  1. I did not take my wife on a visit to a wastewater treatment plant (sewage works) on our honeymoon.
  2. We had a lovely time camping in a second-hand tent at St Cast, Brittany, NW France.
  3. I did visit the Barbados Wastewater Treatment Plant – alone – whilst we were on holidays in the Caribbean a few years later (it was fantastic).
  4. I did visit several other wastewater treatment plants whilst overseas on holidays during the following years (they were also very interesting).
  5. Yes, this activity was associated with my job at the time so it could be labelled as a Busman’s Holiday, but my wife never came on any of the visits, she’s far too sensible (bet you are now thinking I’m a real catch……).

Fast forward almost 20 years…….. Washington DC Hotel, family holiday with the kids.

Me: “Come on kids, get ready, we are off to see the Jefferson Memorial”

Oldest Son: “Ah yes, Thomas Jefferson, Third President of the United States, principal author of the Declaration of Independence, born 1734,  etc etc etc…… ” (He’s still talking)

Wife: “Yes, it’s where Howland Blackiston from the Juran Institute filmed that classic video on root cause analysis, The 5 Whys.”

Me: “Yeah, I really want to go and see if there are any spider webs left”.

Younger kids: “Please can we stay here and watch Sponge Bob on TV?”

Two points to note here:

  1. The 5 Whys video is a great one to watch if you are interested in root cause analysis and the 5 Whys technique. I’m not going to explain it and spoil things; I suggest you watch the 60 second video. By the way I did see plenty of spider’s webs at the Jefferson Memorial.
  2. This was a sublime moment when my wife and I were completely in tune and thinking about the same thing (that wasn’t kids related). We had both been exposed to the 5 Whys video during separate work activities and were genuinely excited about going to see the real place (well I was). A joint busman’s holiday, lovely.

Fast forward to summer holidays 2013 (Back to the Future)

It turns out we are going on holiday somewhere that doesn’t excite me very much. I’m not really a posh hotel sort of person. I’m not one to complain either, which is probably why I enjoy the hardships of cycling with my friend Geof. But I am someone who sees opportunity in even the direst of situations.

Good news! The place we are going has some interesting industrial facilities nearby AND some wastewater treatment operations. Even better they are really good at continuous improvement and staff engagement. I know a few people in the country who may be able to arrange a visit for me (and eldest son, he can tell them all about Jefferson). I am truly excited about the prospect of this latest busman’s holiday; hopefully I can share my learning experiences in some future posts.

It really is a bit like back to the future. My wife plans to go swimming with dolphins while I’m off at the industrial complex. I thought she did that in the Caribbean?….. whatever, roll on summer!

So, what’s the PONT?

  1. There is opportunity for learning even in the most unlikely of circumstances.
  2. If you enjoy something it doesn’t feel like work, or a busman’s holiday.
  3. Having a few different interests to your partner isn’t such a bad thing.

Busman’s holiday: Definition from
http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/busman%27s_holiday

Etymology:  First recorded in 1893 in the UK. The idea is that a bus driver going off on a holiday, would take an excursion by bus, thereby engaging in a similar activity to work.

Noun: busman’s holiday.  A holiday or vacation during which one does something similar to what one does as work

Interesting links:

5 Whys and Root Cause Analysis a the Jefferson Memorial
http://www.oahhs.org/quality/lean-transformation/jefferson-memorial-root-cause-analysis.doc

Why you need to ask Why?
http://www.ideachampions.com/weblogs/archives/2011/05/some_years_ago.shtml

Howland Blackiston Juran Institute video. The 5 Whys.

Picture Source: Lego Bus
http://www.google.co.uk/search?q=lego+london+bus&hl=en&tbo=d&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=4QsWUYmcFufY0QXnsYDQCw&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=768&bih=929#biv=i%7C12;d%7C_0gRqkBD9u9ZTM: