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Isivivane is a Zulu word that refers to a concept found in a number of other African cultures. In Zulu, Isivivane literally means ‘throw your stone upon the pile…’ and refers to rocks arranged as piles and / or hub and spoke patterns. Once upon a time, stones were used in the ancient world to […]
‘Eunoia’ is the shortest English word that contains all the five vowels. It derives from the Greek word εύνοια which means ‘well mind’ or ‘beautiful thinking’. It is a rarely used medical term referring to a state of “normal mental health”. By contrast, we have a vast vocabulary for states of mental dis-order and dis-ease. So […]
Meaning – Stories are used to convey meaning, whether it is how to close a sale, reprimand a subordinate, motivate someone, give a presentation or something more profound Planning – Cognitive scientist William Calvin suggests that we gradually acquire the ability to formulate plans as a result of storie s we hear in childhood. From […]
Rituals and events are both important in both change management and KM work and practitioners need to have a clear understanding of the importance of such activities. Rituals and events present an opportunity to reinforce certain value systems, stories and ideas. They can be used to reflect on the past, celebrate a moment in time […]
In almost every corporate environment in which we work, I often see computerised employee card activated coffee percolators and espresso machines on every floor. I’ve often wondered why caffeine is so much part of corporate culture and how people casually adopt the language of café society into everyday conversation. I often hear ‘Let’s meet over […]
Once there was and once there was not, a successful IT company based in Johannesburg. It was expanding quickly and had a very hands-on managing director who had grown the company from his bedroom at home to an operation that employed 80 specialist developers and programmers in plush offices in Rosebank. The MD led by […]
An often overlooked but fundamental aspect of change management is how we use words and metaphors and how slippery meaning really is. Think of how differently you relate to these terms when they are reframed: The ‘block of flats’ is now called a much more interesting sounding ‘vertical village’ The resale value of a ‘used […]