Golden means or ends?

The desirability of ethical behaviour is universally acknowledged, and this has been particularly evident as we review the findings of recent Royal Commissions in this country. Unethical decisions made by senior personnel holding ‘positions of trust’ appear to have been one of the consistent themes. Politicians, pundits and the media tend to characterise these behaviours… Continue reading Golden means or ends?

Sustainable purposes

The not-for-profit sector is sometimes called the ‘for purpose’ sector, as this reflects the way organisations in the sector generally share common goals ‘for society‘. Many companies in the ‘for profit’ sector have engaged social license, corporate social responsibility, and sustainability issues over recent years, and met with a mixed reaction. Sometimes they were accused… Continue reading Sustainable purposes

Proof, clarity and compliance

I recall apologising to a senior politician once for troubling him to pose for a photo with my office bearers. His reply was disarmingly direct – “If there’s no photo, it didn’t happen”. A similar message was offered in the newly published Joint Statement on board minutes from the AICD and the Governance Institute. My… Continue reading Proof, clarity and compliance

“All models are wrong, but some are useful”

Originally a reflection on statistical modeling, this quote from British statistician George E. P. Box can also be helpfully applied to most business and planning models commonly used in strategic planning and governance deliberations. The quote is similar to American scientist and philosopher Alfred Korzybski’s remarks that “the map is not the territory” and that… Continue reading “All models are wrong, but some are useful”