We’re almost at the end of January and I’ve already had a rewarding month delivering an updated Digital Marketing module at Nanyang Business School, launching my new Digital Business Transformation module for the MBA at NUS, exploring brand data for a large bank, and running an intensive 2-day team & Read more
I have spent most of the last couple of years shaking off the past (the bad vibes of Covid, lockdown and Hyper Island) and steering a course towards the future. This has involved huge amounts of reading (both fact and fiction), listening to new podcasts and long thoughtful walks, but Read more
I really enjoy being interviewed well about things I have done and decisions I have taken. This interview by Joe Escobedo dived into some of the design principles and challenges that I faced in my 26 years at Hyper Island and when working with companies and other universities. Some of Read more
I am currently working for a digital transformation client who are very focussed on what they are doing right now. This is perfectly appropriate given market conditions (challenging) and the genuine strength of their business (very good) but it comes with huge risks; what if customers switch to a competitor, Read more
In the last few months I have delivered more and more sessions to help companies think about their future. I wanted to use this post to describe how I approach this. Future thinking has become more important because of things we see and have experienced around us: Covid-19, ugly Read more
I spend my time helping companies prepare for change. This involves developing leaders and teams to be more digital, to sense the technology world, make prototypes, become more agile and more questioning. It involves new ways of working and new forms of leadership. In March 2023 it also means discussing Read more
When I parted company with Hyper Island (after a quarter of a century), I wondered briefly the answers to 3 questions: would I find interesting clients and companies to work with going forward, would I be able to focus on learning design, and would I be pushed in my own Read more
Data storytelling is complex. The data has been collected, wrangled, analysed and visualised. Data scientists have worked hard and produced a visualisation that shouts powerful insights. But business leaders don’t see the same picture and the effort is wasted. They want to ask subsidiary questions, explore alternatives and stress test Read more
It’s customary at this time of year to make predictions about what’s ahead especially if you are in tech. 2022 was a very odd year for me personally as I left a role I had loved for over a quarter of a century and rebuilt my life as a freelancer. Read more
“There are three principal means of acquiring knowledge…observation of nature, reflection, and experimentation. Observation collects facts; reflection combines them; experimentation verifies the result of that combination.” Denis Diderot The French philosopher Diderot would have been helpful in guiding many companies towards becoming learning organisations: observe what is going on, reflect Read more