Open letter to Japan’s Prime Minister and Education Minister on their instruction to close humanities and social science faculties

In case you hadn’t heard, the Japanese government have recently instructed public universities to close their humanities and social science faculties and concentrate on “areas that better serve society’s needs”. Here is the Times Higher Education Supplement article about it. This open letter is my response to the men behind that decision. Dear Messrs Abe and Shimomura, IContinue reading “Open letter to Japan’s Prime Minister and Education Minister on their instruction to close humanities and social science faculties”

Is Whiplash a film about organisational culture?

I wrote this article for the Centre for Workplace Leadership in 2015. I got very excited when their Tweet was liked by someone that had been in the film! NB: This article discusses elements of the film. If you haven’t watched it, you might want to look away now. And go and find it, it’sContinue reading “Is Whiplash a film about organisational culture?”

Could I have gone solo earlier?

I’ve had a really good week. I’ve got some really excellent work lined up for the next few months, which plays to my strengths while moving into my area of particular interest for the future, organisational behaviour. I’ve finished my degree, handing in two assignments for my Educating for Knowledge and Understanding course and finishingContinue reading “Could I have gone solo earlier?”

FlexThink – a workshop

I ran a workshop today via Peer Academy on How to Tackle Rigid Thinking. I’ve written on this topic previously on LinkedIn, but this was the first time I had run a workshop. The process of designing the workshop was incredibly useful in creating a framework for identifying, analysing and tackling rigid/inflexible thinking in the workplace, as wellContinue reading “FlexThink – a workshop”

Academic research in an age of social media

The last time I wrote a dissertation was 1993. It was my final year at the London School of Economics and because I had taken a semester to do Erasmus in Leiden, I had the option of writing a dissertation instead of taking an exam for one of my courses, given I had missed someContinue reading “Academic research in an age of social media”

A Knitting Wedding Spree

Two of my friends have got married this autumn and I offered to knit both of them a shawl or shrug to wear with their outfit. I’m very happy that they both accepted, and in fact chose very different things. Jane had a very traditional church wedding in Chipping Camden in the Cotswolds, and choseContinue reading “A Knitting Wedding Spree”

Unfinishable

There are few things as lovely, in this age of electronic media, as coming home and finding  a handwritten envelope on your doormat. I had that experience today. To enhance the pleasure of the whole experience, the envelope bore unknown handwriting. A handwritten letter from someone unknown! How delicious! I’m sure we’ve all been thereContinue reading “Unfinishable”