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Monthly Archives: May 2016

Bloody Ships – Bloody Systems: A Managerial Reflection on the Centenary of the Battle of Jutland

“There seems to be something wrong with our bloody ships today…” remarked Vice Admiral David Beatty to his Flag Captain. Beatty was commander of the Battle Cruiser Fleet at Jutland, and his cool comment belied the scale of the catastrophe. … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, General | Tagged battle-cruiser, Bismarck, complex systems, context, David Beatty, HMS Hood, HMS Lion, Horace Hood, Indefatigable, innovation, Invincible, Jutland, Nelson, Queen Mary, Trafalgar | Comments Off on Bloody Ships – Bloody Systems: A Managerial Reflection on the Centenary of the Battle of Jutland

Down With Descartes! If You Can’t Measure It You Had Better Manage It

  In Landmarks of Tomorrow (1959) Peter Drucker wrote “We still profess and we still teach the world-view of the past three hundred years… a Cartesian world-view.” It is a world-view redefined by Lord Kelvin (1824-1907): “… when you can … Continue reading →

Posted in Change, General | Tagged Berlin, change, Descartes, Drucker, ecological perspective, Iraq, judgement, Kelvin, management principles, measurement, purpose, science, systems thinking, weight-loss | Comments Off on Down With Descartes! If You Can’t Measure It You Had Better Manage It