Box's blog

Mon 13th March
Breaching the blokey bastion

Met up with some really interesting people today and discovered a funky work place too. The people were London South Bank University's Program Manager, Peter Holliday and latest addition to the London Construction Excellence team, Isabelle Beuamont of Workplace Futures. (Yes, a woman. At last the female of the gender has breached the blokey bastion! See Blog ‘Tues 7th February, Constructing Excellence, not romance') The funky work place was London's Royal Exchange.

First up was Peter Holliday, an ex-Army Major who is currently overseeing the £47m capital programme at the University's site in Elephant and Castle. We discussed his role and how his military experience in logistics and collaborative working were really coming to the fore in his ‘new project management career'. Also on our agenda was exploring the very real need for the university's design and construction teams to produce work spaces that promote not only an excellent learning environment, but also spaces that engender networking, relaxation and encourage a sense of community.

Regular readers of this blog will know I am an admirer of the Armed Forces' training and development, specifically the incredible work ethic discipline they impart to their people. As an industry we would do a lot worse than to hang around the MOD and capture the talent that, like Peter, regularly leaves its hallowed halls in search of their ‘next career'.

Isabelle is not ex-military, but an architect by training. Nonetheless, Isabelle too is heavily into logistics, collaboration and a disciplined work ethic, after working for the likes of one of Britain's other well known ‘institutes'; the BBC.

We discussed our shared belief in the importance of ‘place' in the pursuit of creative endeavor, the ‘processes' used to spark creativity and having the right mix of ‘people' to produce tangible creative products and services. Plus these factors needing to be conducive as a mix, all in the ‘context' in which they are employed, i.e. one profession's creative workspace is another's bedlam. If these four key factors are managed appropriately, an employee's personal wellbeing is enhanced and the company obtains economic benefit. A win-win situation, how cool is that?

The Royal Exchange, situated between Threadneedle Street and Cornhill in the City, was once an integral part of London's finance market and is now a wonderful space to enjoy a coffee, network, or take in some shopping. An excellent backdrop in fact for my meeting with Isabelle. It provided sufficient privacy yet also the desired interaction of passers-by to add that vital sense of community, necessary for good mental stimulation.

I have to say it was intriguing to note that both Peter and Isabelle, although from totally different backgrounds, agreed whole heartedly in the importance of effectively managing the relationships between people, the places they work within and the process they engage in, to develop, manage and sustain organisational innovation in the appropriate context. Academically this interaction and the resulting relationships are termed ‘Collective Creativity'. In laymen terms, after talking with this two eminently practical people, it is probably best defined as just ‘good common sense'.

Does your organisation concern itself with its ‘Collective Creativity'? If ‘no', do you think they should? If the answer is ‘Yes', how does it help? Do let me know, as I am always intrigued as to what really makes for better organisational life. Many thanks in advance!

Wed 15th March
Typically English

I attended a good old fashioned, rousing ‘English Cup-Tie' this evening, the West Ham United v Bolton Wanderers F.A Cup 5th round replay to be precise. Marvelous it was, full of passion, neat ball skills and athleticism. A very good advert for the game one might say.

The game was also a very good advert for the managerial attributes of two wannabe head coaches of the English national team, replacements for the soon to be departing Sven Goran Erikson; West Ham's Alan Pardew and Bolton's Sam Allardyce. A chance for them to pit their wits against one another on a live televised game. The Guardian had picked this up earlier, and stated that actually the only credentials needed currently for the soon to be vacant England Head Coach job was ‘Englishness'. More to the point, all of the contenders, including Pardew and Allardyce, were just mediocre and, more cuttingly, "…classic English managers - dour, industrious, dull". Quite damning, don't you think? Not the Englishness bit, the dour and dull part.

I mentioned this to a mate of mine as we sat in the stands, awaiting the games kick-off. "Well, maybe all managers who are English and aspire to lead, regardless of the business they are in, lack the more creative credentials of verve, passion and vision, so often aligned with their American and European counterparts. Any Englishman who does display such credentials, is more than likely the exception to the rule." Funny enough, my mate included Scots, Irish and Welsh amongst the "European counterparts"!

Well dear reader, is my mate correct? Are the majority of top English manager's, regardless of the business they operate in, dour, industrious and dull? What are the top managers in your organization like? Also, if my mate is correct, is it because that's the formulae that the ‘English' market demands - dour, industrious and dull?

It is an intriguing point you know. Think about it. The description of an archetypical English manager stated above, does seem to describe Sir Alan Sugar doesn't?

Thur 16th March
A metaphor for managers

I have only caught rushes of Wednesday evening's edition of ‘The Apprentice', so I am not fully up to speed. That said, at least I know that 28 year old Alexa Tilley, cousin of ‘Little Britain's' brilliant comic talent Matt Lucas, was this week's victim of Sir Alan Sugar's wrath. And what wrath too!

Not only was she fired in the usual, obligatory theatrical manner by Sir Alan, but she was also called a lightweight and her already dubious management skills were further queried by the ex-Tottenham Hotspur FC owner.

Overall, the series has hardly been the best showcase for young Alexa's skills, considering she earns her living imparting her knowledge as a management consultant.

I have been wondering what would be the best metaphor to describe Alexa's management style. You see, for the actual tasks the hopeful Amstrad Executives have to complete, I'd say that management writer, Wieck, is on the money. His perception is that modern day managers are, metaphorically, like Jazz Musician's. They act on the hoof and make sense of what they do in retrospect. I like this metaphor because it ties in with the extremely short time frames the apprentices have to deal with, so as to fit in with the TV recording's schedule.

As for Alexa's style, well, the metaphor I have chosen is not quite so graceful. Unfortunately I cannot get the image of her cousin's character from Little Britain, the hapless wheelchair bound slacker Andy Pipkin, out of my mind when it comes to an appropriate metaphor.

You see, Alexa was seemingly useless, pushed around by others and when she did ‘get up'…she caused havoc!

And finally…

"I find it rather easy to portray a businessman. Being bland, rather cruel and incompetent comes naturally to me."
John Cleese