Tag Archives: systems thinking

Dial ‘F’ For Failure

Posted on May 16, 2013 by InspGuilfoyle

The NHS recently launched its non-emergency 111 number. Staffed by ‘a team of fully trained advisers’, the scheme’s aim is to quickly and accurately identify the most appropriate medical response to the caller’s needs. What’s important to note is that … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged blame, demand, division of labour, management, nhs, risk aversion, systems thinking, variety | 4 Comments

My Name is Bill King

Posted on May 12, 2013 by InspGuilfoyle

‘Bilking’ (also known as ‘making off without payment’) was an offence under the Theft Act 1978. The most common forms include running off from a taxi without paying the fare, running off from a restaurant without paying for your dinner, … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged assumptions, management, policy, risk management, systems thinking | 2 Comments

Finding the Source

Posted on April 18, 2013 by InspGuilfoyle

As I go about my formal and informal research into the effects of target-driven performance management, I regularly have conversations with people at all levels of organisations. One thing I’ve found is that the people at the very top of … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged assumptions, binary comparisons, blame, command and control, decision making, management, measures, organisational culture, performance management, police, systems thinking, targets | 6 Comments

Panic!

Posted on April 13, 2013 by InspGuilfoyle

There’s… “Panic on the streets of London! Panic on the streets of Birmingham!” So says the song of the same title by UK band The Smiths, anyway. The true story that follows (yes, I’ve caved in to popular demand and … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged assumptions, binary comparisons, data, decision making, knee jerk reactions, management, measures, performance management, performance measurement, systems thinking | 6 Comments

Ministry of Silly Systems

Posted on April 10, 2013 by InspGuilfoyle

Recently, I had cause to write to a Government department to ask a question. I knew my query was in good hands as soon as I received an automated reply advising me of their service level agreement for replying to … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged demand, flow, purpose, systems thinking, targets, variety, waste | 8 Comments

One Thing Leads To Another

Posted on March 27, 2013 by InspGuilfoyle

Being as I know you love my artwork, I thought I’d treat you to this pictorial representation of a particularly nasty little cycle that is behind a lot of serious organisational failures. Look at the sort of stuff that starts … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged blame, command and control, cover your back, criticism, management, nhs, performance management, short blog post, systems thinking, targets | 11 Comments

Play Your Cards Right

Posted on March 24, 2013 by InspGuilfoyle

Remember the classic TV game show ‘Play Your Cards Right’? (Showing my age now). If not, then the basic premise was to predict whether each card in a row was higher or lower than the previous one. If the contestant … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged binary comparisons, performance measurement, prediction, systems thinking, targets, variation | 4 Comments

Do Something Different

Posted on March 15, 2013 by InspGuilfoyle

I recently came across this blog post by Bernard Rix, the Acting Chief Executive of the Confederation of Police and Crime Commissioners (CoPaCC). Bernard has been thematically analysing the draft Police and Crime Plans that Police and Crime Commissioners (PCCs) are … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged measures, pcc, performance management, police and crime commissioner, police and crime plan, systems thinking, targets | 8 Comments

This Time Last Year

Posted on March 9, 2013 by InspGuilfoyle

Question: What have these four things got in common? 1. Choosing a random number generated by a lottery machine. 2. Reading tea leaves. 3. Blindfolding yourself and sticking a pin in a board. 4. Tossing a coin. Answer: They’re all better methods of … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged binary comparisons, control charts, management, performance management, systems thinking, variation | 7 Comments

Must Try Harder

Posted on March 5, 2013 by InspGuilfoyle

Remember the heady days of last year’s ‘Bad Performance Measurement On Tour’ blog posts, where objects of ridicule such as targets for dog poo collection were cruelly exposed and roundly mocked for your delectation? Well, that series sparked a call-to-arms for … Continue reading →

Posted in Systems thinking | Tagged comparisons, education, gaming, league tables, management, performance management, schools, systems thinking, targets, teaching | 6 Comments