Dave Snowden on achieving change in a complex world

Our brains got a serious workout when we were joined by a bunch of public and nonprofit sector leaders for a workshop with award-winning management consultant Dave Snowden.

Snowden is the director of the Centre for Applied Complexity at The University of Wales and father of the Cynefin framework, one of the first practical applications of complexity theory to management.

He promised a firehose of information, and delivered. This blog post summarises his ideas on achieving change and shows how his process fits with Agile.

Dave Snowden: How to have a lasting impact in a complex world

Serious games set you up for success

Serious games are an important part of what makes Boost’s Agile training so effective. That’s because using games in training:

• demonstrates and reinforces the theory by showing it in practice
• lets you build your own understanding
• gets your whole brain working as you move, listen, look and collaborate
• uses competition to fire up higher cognitive function
• locks in the learning by creating positive memories.

Our Agile Professional Foundation course uses exercises like the paper planes game to deliver a fun, practical two-day workshop grounding you in the principles and processes of Agile. Get back to work ready and able to put what you’ve learned into action.

"The paper plane exercise was so much fun and miraculously encapsulated everything we were there to learn.”
Hone Lele, UX/UI Designer at emhTrade

Learn more or book the Agile Professional Foundation

Check out the course on YouTube

So you want to manage a product?

This post from the Product Coalition community looks at what’s great about being a product manager or owner, and what no one tells you about the role.

So you want to manage a product?

Starting a project when you’re new to the role

If you’re just starting on a new project or product, you need an easy-to-understand guide to getting from vision to product. Our Agile project kick-off kit shows how to get under way with a practical one-day workshop, and it’s designed for everyone, from beginners to experts.

“A great learning tool. I really liked the natural language used in the kick-off kit.”
Marcus De Luis
Digital Business Analyst
Victoria Department of Premier and Cabinet
 

Download the Agile inception workshop kick-off kit

Bringing outer space into schools

Earlier in the month we sponsored a visit from the Otago Museum Starlab to five primary schools around the Wakatipu Basin. About 450 kids were able to experience space from inside this portable planetarium, opening their eyes to worlds beyond our own.

Learn how your school can book the Starlab

How government agencies can help business online — report

Victoria University’s Chair in Digital Government has put out a report on how state agencies can make it easier for small businesses to engage with them online, and how this can help agencies take advantage of the efficiencies that digital channels offer.

Some of the recommendations for better G2B digital relationships are nothing new (follow the principles of user-centred design) while others might be surprising (businesses hardly used social media channels that were aimed at them).

Making it Easier for Small Businesses to Interact with Government Online (PDF)

Contact James on james@boost.co.nz or 04 939 0062 if you’re looking to build better digital relationships with businesses.

Preserving the internet

The National Library are hosting the International Internet Preservation Consortium’s General Assembly and Web Archiving Conference.

The General Assembly is on 12 November 2018, followed by the Web Archiving Conference on November 13–15.

Early Bird registration closes on 12 September so get in quick!

IIPC general assembly and web archiving conference

The Boost News archive

Boost News has its own little archive, full of ideas to help you and your team make a bigger impact in your work. If you don’t subscribe to our newsletter already, you can sign up from the archive page.

Boost News: Tools to help you make a difference

Sign up for Agile Professional Foundation - our next course is 15–16 October. Get the skills to deliver successful projects that deliver more value, faster.

Email: info@boost.co.nz
Phone: +64 (04) 939 0062