Doctor's Note

A mix of essays and commentary about design, innovation, technology, society, coaching, personal and leadership development. Since 1996.

Systems Thinking Failure

Systems Thinking Failure

I committed a cardinal sin of systems thinking in the last issue of Doctor’s Note. Well, a little bit, at least. I mentioned the fact that the annual influenza …

Online Teaching Tips

Online Teaching Tips

I’ve been teaching online since the late 90s when I first started working on the Omnium Virtual Design Studio project. Back then 50 participants from all …

Suddenly remote? Tell me your stories

Suddenly remote? Tell me your stories

Suddenly working from home remotely? Tell me your stories for a new podcast. We’re in the middle of an unprecedented social experiment with so many people …

Workplaces need to change, not women

Workplaces need to change, not women

One of the best pieces I’ve read all week about the structural gender inequality of workplaces was the transcript of HBR’s IdeaCast podcast with Michelle King, …

Remote Work in the Age of Corona

Remote Work in the Age of Corona

In wake of the coronavirus (COVID-19), many organisations are telling their workers to switch to remote working, including 7,000 GPs (MDs) in the UK. An …

Organisational Amnesia

Organisational Amnesia

I’ve noticed a pattern recently. In the last 18 months or so, I have had three client organisations ask me to come and teach and coach their CX, UX or Service …

Revisiting The Californian Ideology

Revisiting The Californian Ideology

I finally had a chance to read Derek Thompson’s piece in the Atlantic, The Real Trouble With Silicon Valley in which he laments the fact that “too much American …