Emergence International» – Phillip Bonser’s website and blog

Leading from the “radical centre”.

Phillip Bonser — Mon, 06 Sep 2010 04:20:21 +0000

“The highest ideals on earth are realised when leaders strive to secure them through close attention to reality. Lofty idealism without pragmatism is worthless. What is pragmatism without ideals? At best it is management, but not leadership.” Noel Pearson, 2010 John Button Oration. In his 2010 John Button Oration on Friday evening , Noel Pearson

Why sticking your head out the window is a good thing!

Phillip Bonser — Mon, 21 Jun 2010 03:15:08 +0000

Did you ever notice when you blow in a dog’s face he gets mad at you? But when you take him in a car he sticks his head out the window. Steve Bluestone I love this quote. Mostly because it is fun and conjures up an image of several dogs I have known over the

Putting the “messiness” at the centre of the conversation

Phillip Bonser — Fri, 26 Feb 2010 03:15:31 +0000

Yesterday I happened to come across this statement in an abstract for a conference paper: “… ‘messiness’ can be seen as problematic when viewed through the lens of more traditional governance processes. Looked at differently, however, it reveals a level of richness that can fuel innovation, enthusiasm and commitment if we design processes specifically to

Making It Up as We Go

Phillip Bonser — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 22:38:22 +0000

At the moment I am quite focused on questions of strategy. I’m doing some work that is right in the middle of trying to make one aspect of a particular inter-organisational strategy actually work. My task at the moment is to wade through all of the documentation so far and sort what has been agreed,

Quotes of the Week

Phillip Bonser — Wed, 13 Jan 2010 01:19:38 +0000

“It is from numberless diverse acts of courage and belief that human history is shaped. Each time a man stands up for an ideal, or acts to improve the lot of others, or strikes out against injustice, he sends forth a tiny ripple of hope.” — Robert Kennedy (US Attorney-General, 1925-1968) “Remember there’s no such thing

Leadership, complexity and change

Phillip Bonser — Tue, 12 Jan 2010 01:31:44 +0000

[Insert your professional field] “ … has developed a specialised discourse to allow individuals within the profession to communicate effectively about all matters associated with the design and implementation of [insert the things you do]. Yet have we locked ourselves into a self-perpetuating set of values and practices that make it difficult to move thinking

Cynthia Kurtz – Quotes and echoes

Phillip Bonser — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:54:43 +0000

Here is an interesting and thought provoking reflection on where the internet might be taking us from Cynthis Kurtz’s blog – Story Coloured Glasses I’ve left off the “echoes” as they refer to an earlier unrelated post. Phillip Quotes and echoes I’m slowly preparing my next blog post while enduring a flu-like illness (I refuse

Government 2.0 Taskforce – draft report

Phillip Bonser — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 22:16:25 +0000

The Government 2.0 Taskforce draft report has been released and is available for comment. If you are interested in how the internet might help make government processes and policy-making more accessible and open to influence have a look and/or make a comment online. Share

Boundary jumping!

Phillip Bonser — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 02:47:20 +0000

“Encounters between people who are very different from each other but prepared to trust and cooperate are where the interesting stuff happens.” Lynda Gratton One of the most useful and thought-provoking ideas I have come across recently is the idea of what I call boundary jumping. In a recent book Lynda Gratton refers to “jumping

Inspired!

Phillip Bonser — Tue, 01 Dec 2009 02:05:10 +0000

I have been inspired by Lilia Efimova and Viv McWaters to post more and to let go of at least some of my need to feel that what I have to say is clever and complete. To this end I am going to try to make this blog more of a learning journal and record