I was asked recently to run a workshop on self-assessment for members of the Humanitarian Centre in Cambridge. It was a great opportunity to re-think how self assessment works for smaller groups. Most (though not all) of the members are
I was lucky enough to take part in a mediation training course for primary school children last week. Over three days, a group of 12 children learnt how to resolve disputes between other pupils – not through arbitration or judging
I have just finished the facilitation of INTRAC’s 5-day course on Advanced Partner Capacity Building, and, as always, I found it a very stimulating experience. The focus is on a values-based framework for the design and implementation of capacity building
I have just started as a ‘test-pilot’ for Edinburgh University’s exciting new online course entitled ‘Global Environmental Challenges’. Already I’m learning a lot about how to set up a small online community and make it vibrant (encourage people to connect
I’m currently working with Oxfam Novib on their approach to innovation. It’s fascinating examining the overlaps and interconnections between innovation, knowledge management and organisational learning. As a result of the research I am doing, I’m clearer now that there are
If you’re interested in helping organisations to sharpen how they put their values into practice, there’s a new report out called To practice what we preach: A survey of organisational values in charities. Published by the Centre for Charity Effectiveness
The county of Norfolk is aiming to be a fully restorative county within a few years. In January I delivered two trainings in Restorative Approaches for the Norfolk County Council. These were the first of what will be many series
It’s been both enlightening and frustrating reading this book – the unlikely winner of the Financial Times/Goldman Sachs Business Book of the Year award in 2011. The starting point is that policies to help the poor need to be based
I have just finished reading Walter Isaacson’s incisive biography of Steve Jobs. It was fascinating to gain insights into Jobs’ visionary thinking for Apple (and Pixar). In a particularly revealing section on the development of the iPod and iTunes, Isaacson
At the end of December, we finished the second (and more or less final) draft of the Capacities for Effectiveness Self Assessment (CESA) tool for Bond. It has been a good process, starting from about February last year, with many
I’m sure many of you are seeing your newsfeeds full of discussion about what is happening in Ukraine, and how best to help. That desire to help is a basic human instinct, and the reason why many of our current
