Tag: Development
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What does OD have to do with the Climate and Ecological Emergency?
In February 2021 I wrote a blogpost for NHS Employers which was published here. For posterity’s sake (websites for professional organisations do change over time, and things sometimes disappear!) I have decided to post this into my personal blog. At the time of writing, over a year has passed since its publication – a lot…
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A definition of leadership
Any behaviour that has the effect of helping groups of people achieve something that the majority of the group are pleased with, and which we assess as significant and what they would not otherwise have achieved. Bendell & Little, 2015 Leadership. It may be a title, a position, a rank, an authority. The above definition,…
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The parapet
Shall I raise my head above the parapet? Careful of those dangers But we’re talking in metaphor, aren’t we? Metaphor doesn’t deny the existence of real danger Sometimes there’s a moral duty… maybe…? Choose your battles Perhaps I will stick with naming elephants instead.
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What does the Titanic have to do with the Climate Emergency?
I have recently started to watch the “Just In Case” lecture and interview series hosted by Mee Yan Cheung-Judge on her YouTube channel, Quality and Equality. This is a great resource for anyone interested in Organisation Development and I recommend if you haven’t come across it before. Recently I was watching an episode with Glenda…
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System Addict
The 80s pop group Five Star sang about systems in one of their most famous hits “System Addict”, where they warbled about their connection to electronic systems of music (keyboard, Walkman etc.). This blogpost is sadly nowhere near creative or catchy as their song, but its reference here is my vaguely clever/lazy and convenient segue…
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Abby in OD Wonderland
I originally posted this on my old blog after attending the OD Network Europe (ODNE) conference in 2015. I am happy to republish it again here. What is your story? Once upon a time a kind-hearted and determined woman called Abby won a golden ticket to enter the magical Kingdom of Roffey Park. It sat…
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The seeds of Grit
I read an interesting book recently, titled “Grit: Why passion and resilience are the secrets to success“. The author, psychologist Angela Duckworth, posits that regardless of the natural ability we already have, the development and application of “grit” is one of the key ingredients that more than likely will propel us towards success and achievement…
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What do you bring to the room?
How you show up matters. Whether you like it or not, your arrival to, presence at, and departure from, a situation has an impact of some kind on those who are there. Big or small, mindful or thoughtless, loud or quiet, active or reflective. It matters. What you say, how you behave, how you look,…
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The consultancy spectrum
A stereotypical image of a ‘consultant’ (and there are different consultants out there – but let’s go with management consultant for now) is someone who is expert in their chosen field; they ‘fly’ into an organisation or situation; analyse, diagnose, advise, impart their wisdom, and intervene to ‘fix’ whatever needs sorting out. Superman/Wonder Woman both…
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Finding my voice
I have been reflecting on the development programme I attended last year. It was a rich learning experience – really good to get ‘back in the classroom’ and oil my brain cogs, particularly as I am usually the facilitator… The first afternoon of the five-day programme (which was delivered over four months) was spent reflecting…
Abigail Hopewell 