My previous post highlighted the choices we make to pay attention to certain perspectives (and ignore others) when engaging in deliberations and decision-making. Earlier posts have also canvassed a wide range of models and frameworks that can be adapted for uses suitable to your nonprofit governance or management circumstances. De Bono’s six thinking hats, design… Continue reading Questioning Frameworks and Options
Tag: decision-making
Attending to Attention and Intention
And so, we turn our attention to … attention itself – especially as we apply it in deliberative and decision-making processes. As with most reflective practice, this involves us being both participant and observer. While participating in the use of attention, we simultaneously (or intermittently) observe our engagement with attention methods, qualities, and levels. Such… Continue reading Attending to Attention and Intention
“The die is cast”: On Randomness, Intentionality and Certainty
Julius Ceasar was reported to have said “The die is cast‘ when he sent his troops across the Rubicon in 49 BC. This quote is generally thought to refer to his having made a decision from which there was no going back. While we can’t know what was in Ceasar’s mind, nor whether he actually… Continue reading “The die is cast”: On Randomness, Intentionality and Certainty
The curious director
Curious about Curiosity I have been wondering about curiosity lately. This strangely circular activity feels a little like the sensation you experience when you step between opposing mirrors and see an infinite array of reflections bouncing off each other. I have used the mirror metaphor when advocating reflective governance practices before, acknowledging that it has… Continue reading The curious director
Diplomacy in the Boardroom, and Beyond – Part 2
We encounter many kinds of conflicts in different settings throughout our lives. Some are personal, involving the inner critic. Others are interpersonal, where we disagree with one another for some reason. Conflicts may also involve groups or organisations we belong to, while others are commercial, legal, or political matters, some of which are played out… Continue reading Diplomacy in the Boardroom, and Beyond – Part 2
Diplomacy in the Boardroom, and Beyond – Part 1
‘Conflicts’ in the boardroom are normal. That doesn’t mean we intend to be disputatious or belligerent though. Diplomacy is not reserved for national governments. Conflicts of interest, conflicting opinions, and interpersonal conflicts are some of the more frequently discussed conflict issues that Boards need to manage. The partial typology illustrated below suggests a few others,… Continue reading Diplomacy in the Boardroom, and Beyond – Part 1
Strategic Capability, Flexibility, and Maturity
During a recent project focussed on evaluating board effectiveness, the client’s wish to enhance ‘strategic capability’ was highlighted. As this concept is one with many possible interpretations, it triggered this post, reflecting on: Strategic Capability Organisational capability includes numerous dimensions, one of which is called strategic capability. Strategic capability, in turn, is a collection of… Continue reading Strategic Capability, Flexibility, and Maturity
Actors, Factors, and Vectors of Change
Not all goals are amenable to linear change processes. Some prefer being nudged towards actualisation. While there is a range of possible strategic styles and methods, the two contrasted in this post involve linear (logframe) and non-linear (vector-based) theories of change (ToC). These are illustrated in the header image above as the straight line arrow… Continue reading Actors, Factors, and Vectors of Change
Working with assumptions – risky but necessary
I presume that: Examining assumptions Good advice in one context may be poor advice in another. For example, the injunction to ‘never assume‘ may be sound advice when applied to making assumptions about people and their motivations. It is likely to be poor advice however, when applied to strategic planning and project management. Not that… Continue reading Working with assumptions – risky but necessary
How effective is your board? – Part 6
This post concludes the series on board effectiveness evaluation with a somewhat disparate collection of observations and reflections. Some of the ideas and charts included here might have been quite relevant in earlier parts of the series, but if they were not available at that time, their inclusion here acts as an amplification and reinforcement… Continue reading How effective is your board? – Part 6