Instructions for INNOVATION*

Innovation is nothing less than:

“The process of Turning (new) Ideas into Money (or social benefits).”

1- Innovation is change – so the Laws of Change** apply. But because it is (new) change, engagement must be more than logical – it must be emotional and/or cultural

2- The Sparq of an idea goes on a journey to end up as Money (Social Benefits) – as on any journey The Speed of Innovation and time taken is Determined by the Bottlenecks not the number of ideas which set off!. In a complex system there are rarely ever more than half a dozen bottlenecks. Innovation has five potential bottlenecks:

• Lack of opportunity to begin to innovate Create the Opportunity
• Lack of focus and clarity on ‘why’ and ‘what’ we wish to achieve or is acceptable Achieve Focus
• Lack of engagement of the people inside or outside the organisation (customers) Engage Commitment
• Inappropriate scale or poor protection Make t Possible
• Ineffective execution or inappropriate project management  Make it Happen

3- For every extra idea squeezed through the bottleneck you will have an extra innovation – so increase the throughput through the bottlenecks. All time and resources spent on nonbottlenecks will have no impact at all on the level of innovation achieved. Its’ not how big the funnel is it’s the size, organisation and use of the orifice!

4- Sparqs which originate outside the organisation, Pull Sparqs are at risk inside the organisation – Sparqs which originate inside the organisation, Push Sparqs are at risk outside the organisation. The closer to the end recipient the Sparq originates the more likely it will be accepted. The closer the Sparq originates to the capabilities of the organisation developing it the more likely it will be executed.

5- Because innovations change the world they enter, success is not just the impact of doing something. Success is the sum of the effect of doing something AND downsides of doing nothing!  This means that conventional business cases and value calculations are irrelevant

@EddieObeng

– Watch Eddie Obeng on TED global talking about innovation at https://www.ted.com/talks/eddie_obeng_smart_failure_for_a_fast_changing_world

* From the book Who Killed the Sparq? - Get the free ebook download at http://PentacleTheVBS.com/WhoKilledTheSparq_FreeDownload.htm

** From the book Perfect Pojects -Read it on Amazonhttp://tinyurl.com/oe8reb4

Meet, interact and apply this with Eddie Obeng and your work colleagues on QUBE
http://pentaclethevbs.com/inventtomorrow.htm
Read about other companies using Eddie Obeng's Innovation Accelerator 
http://qube.cc/accelerate-innovation-across-a-global-organisation-in-a-fast-moving-market/

“I name this app QUBE v3. May God bless her and all who work on her.”

Party goers put sticky notes on the
world map to show where they're
joining from

The latest iteration of QUBE, the world's most engaging collaborative learning and business transformation social medium, was released earlier this month. Version 3 improves almost every aspect of QUBE, which means more learning, easier to use, faster, fully integrating learning and doing real work and completely eliminating the difference between ‘being online’ and ‘being there’.

To celebrate the release and give people an opportunity to try out the new version, Pentacle threw a launch party. Of course, the party took place entirely on QUBE, so that people around the world could join without having to leave their own desk. The New World Café was decorated specially, and there was a virtually unlimited supply of virtual champagne.

Users chatting on the New World Cafe
lawn, in front of the main presentation
screen

Throughout the day veteran and new QUBE users dropped by to meet the Pentacle team, including professionals from AkzoNobel, Amey, Atkins, BAE Systems, Birmingham Community NHS Trust, Duke Corporate Education, Gower Publishing, Grant Thornton, Lexmark, Telefónica, Thomson Reuters, Vink, Vizeum and Wolters Kluwer, among others.

Many of the Pentacle tutors were on hand to demonstrate how working on QUBE increases engagement and makes collaborating with geographically-dispersed colleagues easy. Dr David Lomas spoke about some of the new features available in Version 3, and Prof Eddie Obeng outlined his vision for the future of executive and management education. Guests who had previously attended courses on QUBE shared their experience of how working virtually had enhanced performance in their organisations, and there were also video showings on the lawn screen, such as Eddie’s TEDGlobal talk.

Dr David Lomas tells some guests
about the new features in Version
3 of QUBE

By the end of the launch party, it was determined (using the handy Carbon Calculator built into QUBE) that a total of 42,479 miles of travel had been saved by everyone meeting on QUBE instead of physically. This means that all the participants would have had to drive for 21 hours (or fly for 6 hours) each, and 103 trees would have had to be planted to offset the carbon emissions!

If you weren’t able to attend the launch party, don’t worry. If you gather together a couple of your colleagues, you can have a “guided tour” with one of the Pentacle tutors, who will run a short workshop for you on a useful topic. To book a time, go to http://PentacleTheVBS.com/ContactDetails.htm

If you haven’t already downloaded Version 3 of QUBE, you can get it from http://QUBE.cc/Downloads . First time using QUBE? Go to http://PentacleTheVBS.com/QUBE_TryIt.htm to get an entry pass.

When a nomination challenge is turned into fun & learning...

Eddie Obeng explains how he has accepted a Challenge to spread the idea in his TED Talk that "Most of us spend our lives reacting to a world that we recognise and understand but which no longer exists."

Link to the blog... http://imagineafish.blogspot.co.uk/2014/10/ive-been-nominated-now-its-your-turn.html

Link to the TED Talk... http://on.TED.com/b0VdQ

Eddie Obeng shares the challenge of Breaking Habits and Growing WAM Behaviours ...

In a blogpost, below, Prof  Eddie Obeng provides a rare insight into one of his own leadership challenges in developing a Pentacle global network who all instinctively work in a way suited to our World After Midnight.

The blogpost is reproduced from http://ImagineAFish.com

___________________________________________________

When Habit Trumps Innovation

If you know me , you'll know I like quirky, non-mainstream tech. At home I still have a "Pick up, tap, tap, tap  and shout 'Operator' several times!" phone and a Bakelite phone (both still work!).

In the late 1980s I decided to "splash the cash" and buy a cordless phone.  I'd seen it for sale in Tottenham Court Road in London but the stimulus, as always, was when I described it to a friend.  They laughed at me impulsively and asked why on earth anyone would need a cordless phone?  As a rule I use derisory laughter at ideas I propose as a sure-fire acid test of innovative change.  So I bought it, took it home and installed it.

I waited patiently for someone to call me so I could experience the freedom of walking to the hall, answering, and walking back to the room I'd been in and continuing what I was doing rather than as usual, being forced to sit chained (or corded if you prefer) to the phone in a freezing hall!.

I waited.  Then it rang.  Joy!  It was my mum.  I picked up the phone, sat down and fifteen minutes later was shivering as I hung up.  Yes. I had done what I had always done picked up the cordless handset and sat down next to the base on the bench we always sat on to make calls.

When the moment for innovation came, I simply forgot my opportunity to do something different.  My automatically learned actions kicked in. I didn't even consider not sitting down - it never came up into my conscious decision-making brain!  It took a pile of books on the seat and about a month of conscious hard work to create the habit of picking up and walking away.  (Developing the habit to put the handset back was far easier - I didn't have to unlearn anything.)

Despite my best efforts my habit subverted my conscious desire to innovate.

I was reminded of that story today when I came across a number of long email exchanges between several Pentacle tutors who've just joined the network.  Just like me, they had let habit overcome innovation.  As Pentacle tutors they now have access to QUBE the most powerful collaborative-social medium in the world - they could easily have resolved the discussion on QUBE with a meeting as qubot avatars or by working asynchronously or by leaving videos or snapshots to explain the details but instead they had resorted to multiple emails!

Despite our best efforts our habits sometimes subvert our conscious desire to innovate.

When the World's Leading Advisors Innovate they turn to QUBE

Who do the world's top legal, healthcare, tax and accounting specialists turn to when they need advice and information themselves?  Wolters Kluwer.

Over the past 176 years Wolters Kluwer have innovated to provide the most relevant information in the most effective and efficient way.

Pentacle were delighted when Wolters Kluwer asked to use QUBE to develop and facilitate a crucial global project being delivered internally.  25 executives and senior managers from the regions e.g. EMEA, Americas etc., across the world learnt the supporting Pentacle's World After Midnight (WAM) concepts and tools and applied them to deliver an excellent solution.  The solution required deep buy-in not only from the participants but also from their stakeholders.   The project which normally would have taken several months  was delivered without a single flight, in less than a month with human engagement and putting in place some new & deep relationships!.

Now, that project on QUBE has been short-listed as a finalist for the prestigious Global Innovation awards!  

Wish us luck!

Snapshots from the Pentacle eFacilitator course

Group discussion at Demonstration Whiteboard -
every session saves 15,000 miles of travel

The Pentacle QUBE Spring eFacilitator course began last Thursday. Over three gruelling weeks the participants will be transformed from novice QUBE facilitators to being able to deliver engaging qubinars. The course structure is based on the UK General Aviation course for helicopter pilots. Over the three weeks the intention is to give participants as many 'flying hours' as possible to enable them to go Solo, coach and lead on QUBE.

Paritipant points at a key issue to bring
to the attention of everyone - no hands
but Star Wars-styled laser

The participants get to develop an understanding of QUBE, how it functions and the safe operating limits, while becoming very comfortable and familiar with the controls. In the first module they get to explore all the directions of functionality. Everything from making furniture appear to how to find the cheat sheets that accompany every single embedded Pentacle Effectiveness Tool (PET).

The first set of PETs included: Hopes & Fears^TM (engaging everyone from the start),  SpinCasting^TM (keeping everyone engaged during the session), Learning Cycle (the importance of learning in the New World - how can we make sure that we realise what’s happened, including your thoughts about it, identifying a pattern and figuring out how to apply it) and 5Ps^TM (briefing people in situations of uncertainty and ambiguity).

Seated at their desks in syndicate groups,
each participant has a 'Slate'
(a sort of tablet computer for taking notes etc). 

Each module is summarised as QUBE Learn (the New World leadership and business management tools), QUBE Do (activities and actions for applied learning) and QUBE Ware (an understanding of the platform), which together provide the basis of good Airmanship or good  QUBEpersonship.

Participants have added Sticky notes of their
 key learnings to a PET poster

Each module is followed by a significant piece of coursework. There is a final exam and the course ends with the participants going solo.  Find out more about how you can use QUBE to boost your business either as a consultant/coach by enabling you to develop a global market from your desk or as a business leader wanting to develop a high-performing dispersed team.  Download brochure.

A New Way of Learning For Heathcare Professionals around the world

Introduced, "It is totally appropriate for an online guru and pioneer that he is joining us online as his virtual form...," Pentacle's Eddie Obeng spent 40 minutes saving the world hundreds of thousands of miles of travel by running an interactive session at the People in Health Summit from Beaconsfield in the UK to Melbourne in Australia.  He achieved this using Pentacle's collaborative learning platform, QUBE.

The innovative design included a pre-summit session run entirely on QUBE where everyone attended as qubots.  This was followed by a contribution to a major summit for Healthcare professionals and finished off with a post summit event again on QUBE.

In terms of quality and cost the learning experience was exemplary and at a fraction of the cost of travelling to Australia or a video conference the session was a winner all round.

Professor Eddie Obeng told the participants on the other side of the world that "It's not about what I know, its about what you learn!" and then took the audience on an engaging  roller coaster of a journey.  The highlight of the session was that he shared his "Why children are becoming obese.' 'BubbleDiagramTM' with the audience.  

The Chairperson summed up the session saying, "That was such an innovative session that the conference organisers should really be thanked for organising  something so interesting and so involving!"

Pentacle intends to create a global learning community for Healthcare Professionals on QUBE. If you are interested please send us a message here>>

Can you see the new "World After Midnight"?

 

Have you ever experienced that moment, when the drawing of the old witch transforms into a young lady? Or stared at a Magic Eye picture of coloured dots to suddenly see a butterfly emerge? Or that moment in the film The Matrix when Neo sees the data that makes the world in zeros and ones?

The next nine minutes will transform how you see the business and economic world around you. Things will never be quite the same again.

 

Welcome to the New World After Midnight ...

NOTE: You can download a version of this video from http://WorldAfterMidnight.com/

Time Travellers use Social Media to stay out of touch

In his latest blogpost, Professor Eddie Obeng issues a challenge to all social media sites: "Let's make Social Media really Social".  Eddie seems to think that there is a big mistake with early 21^st-century social media. 

He writes of his love for 'swooshing and swiping' his screens, hearing in his head the god-like voice of Patrick Stewart as Captain Picard, commanding the device to “Make it so”. And it happens!  Bigger, smaller, up, down.  But then he complains that all the swooshing and swiping isn't natural or human, but is fun and extremely rewarding.  

He describes how we love broadcasting to the world and updating our timelines, describing how "somewhere inside my head I feel like a celebrity, imagining all the adoring fans who are following my every word, every tweet.  (In reality it's just one or two friends who I bug until they respond.)  And it sort of happens!  Diagnostics tell us the hits, people tell us their likes (and dislikes).  It’s not interaction, it’s not banter, it’s not a real emotional and creative discourse, but it is fun and rewarding."

Eddie then gives us an insight into the strategy for the development of QUBE, the world's first collaborative-learning social medium for executives and managers.  He says: "When we began developing QUBE, I was adamant about many things.  Mostly that it replicated as much as possible the grown-up business environment with the Trojan horse of learning disguised at its core, so that we could achieve the vision of learning without boundaries.  I had in mind a Lloyds-style coffee house atmosphere (important to be able to breakout and have sub-conversations) mixed with a Leonardo da Vinci-style artist's studio, with younger artists learning and applying the skills they needed, showing their sketches to each other, sharing their experiments with each other and surpassing their teacher."  He claims that "This is human, this is interactive, it’s banter, emotional and creative, and it’s fun and rewarding."

Having begun to make his case against social media, Eddie invites us to watch his Google Zeitgeist talk, where he describes how 21^st-century people have stuck to 19^th-century habits of commuting, so that people leave a home well-equipped with the latest computer, super-fast broadband and 21^st-century tech to travel to an office with a slow, locked-down 20^th-century computer connected to the internet through a piece of wet string!  He calls commuters ‘Time Travellers’, as they travel back and forward covering a distance of 200 years in an hour!

Eddie then insists that by sticking to our old habits we have no chance of creating real demand for what he calls Social Media 2.0.  He states that "As long as we continue to pursue the 19^th-century habit of moving atoms (our bodies) instead of electrons, we will have lots of boring, low-quality time on trains, in queues and in cars.  This boring time we will fill using our mobile devices to interact with data.  Why?  Because although it’s a lower grade experience than interacting with people, it’s better than getting bored.  And it avoids the potential awkwardness of social interaction or interrupting what a friend is doing (nothing, they are just composing a text to you!).  So we broadcast asynchronously.  And we read, and we watch cat videos selectively.  It’s not interactive, it’s not banter, it's not emotional and creative, but it is fun and rewarding."

Finally, he suggests that the real challenge for Facebook, Twitter and other social media is their business model.  By operating a business model where the asynchronous, non- verbal, typed-up data generated by users is the key source of revenue, they are trapped in the mode of intermediaries, keeping us apart and out of touch so that they can collect and track the data we provide.  

He ends by saying: "I hope that Facebook 2.0, Twitter 2.0 and other early 21st-century social media platforms will begin to go the same way as QUBE,  finding ways to allow people to interact over and above the data-driven activities. ... I do hope they will try to reinvent themselves. Because I for one don’t want to interact with data, I want to interact with people."

If you wish to comment on the original article, please follow the link here

Go slow to go much faster!

Professor Eddie Obeng had the pleasure to join Camila Batmanghelidjh, Founder of Kids Company and the opening speaker at the 2014 Association for Project Management (APM), at the annual conference.  Eddie, Winner of the 2011 Sir Monty Finniston Award for his contribution to project management, is the founder and learning director of Pentacle, the world's first Virtual Business School.  Eddie also created Pentacle QUBE, the first 3D, fully-immersive, educational-social media platform. 

The APM website describes his session: "The founder of the world’s first virtual business school, Pentacle, didn’t disappoint as he took the audience on a motivational, entertaining and interactive journey through the day’s experiences, recognising the importance of people in project management and the future roles they will play.

"Asking the audience to set the agenda for his speech with questions, he told delegates to look at the people aspect and ‘step into their shoes’. 'We need to engage our people and put fire in their bellies,' he said, 'it is then likely that they will go and do something amazing.'

"And he called on project managers to 'stop thinking about not changing' but to make some space for themselves too. 'Take the time to ground yourself. Find something that will help you refocus and then help you go forward.'

"Telling project managers they need to build trust, by slowing down and minimising surprises, he added: 'Going slower means engaging and involving people and building their trust before executing the project.'

"On closing he had these words for all involved in the profession and their future projects, echoing the APM vision of a world in which all projects succeed.
'There is no reason why projects can’t be perfect,' he added, 'It is possible and we are learning how to achieve this right now. We are the ones who change the world.'"

CALLS TO ACTION!

•  Learn more about Kids Company and donate now!

•  Get ready to join Eddie for conversation ZERO on how we will together create a 'World Where Every Project Succeeds', or for one of his open enrolment Inspiration Monthly sessions.

More on APM Conference:

It's time to evolve ...

In a recent blogpost, Professor Obeng explains how, flicking through a dead-tree newspaper, he came across a picture (see bottom of post) that reminded him of an exercise he used to use to explore how innovative participants' organisation were.

He describes the land of Caprona, inhabited by pterodactyls, dinosaurs and weird sea monsters.  A land where somehow, although the world had moved on and evolution had happened, Carpona had avoided real change altogether.

The quiz has been reproduced below; the question is
"How long ago was the most recent thing in this picture invented?"  

"... and what was it ?" 

A. The Clock on the Mantelpiece: 14th century
B. Paper: 105 CE
C. Glasses: 1890
D. Suits: 1811
E. Chairs: 10th century BCE
F. Graphite writing implements: 1565  
G. Pens: 4th century BCE
H. Chandeliers: 5th century
I. The dye/colouring used in the hair of one of the participants: 1960s?





So, "How long ago was the most recent thing in this recent picture invented?" 

It looks as if not much has changed in the 'corridors of power' over a couple of decades, not even a nod to the 21st century, and here's why.

Apparently, evolution happens because of the 
dynamic, continuous changes which influence the survival and co-dependence of different species.  Without external threats or with the ability to dominate the surrounding environment or ecosystem, there is no need to evolve.  As a result the more power you have, the less likely it is that you are transforming yourself or your organisation to meet the challenges of the new world.  This means that the better your market or leadership position, the more at risk you are of being left behind in our new world. 

  

For our world after midnight there are three choices: evolve, dominate or die. 

What’s it like using QUBE?

To read the first part of this series, click here.

Using QUBE, like anything, takes a short period of adjustment.  Dayner Proudfoot, PR and marketing manager, Association for Project Management (APM), takes up the story: "Using a virtual environment can feel a little bit peculiar to start with, but we soon got used to it.

“With the help of a quick but thorough orientation”, adds Proudfoot, “we started to feel that using virtual technology to meet and work together in small groups was a really good and effective way to collaborate.” The consensus was that for a virtual conference to succeed, it needed to be planned virtually.  Owain Wilson, Web and Media Manager, APM, agrees: “Regular meetings (we called them ’DrumBeets^TM’) are all absolutely vital to keep the project going – when you meet more regularly, it really helps to keep things moving along.”

A different working environment also throws up different ways of working together, ways that were to prove more effective.  QUBE uses tools and techniques designed by Pentacle to make the most of these benefits.  The Pentacle tools are described by Proudfoot as: “Light touch, very iterative and fast moving.” One example of these techniques was “Hopes&Fears^TM”, in which participants are able to express what they hope will be the outcome of a meeting - and what they honestly fear may result if the meeting goes badly.  Too many meetings face-to-face are held in a confrontational format, where a physical presence and entrenched positions can only create feelings of intimidation and victimisation.  Expressing hopes and fears, far from bringing unwanted emotions to the table, has the opposite effect in a virtual environment.  Rather than reinforcing entrenched positions, it helps participants to realise that perhaps they have a more common agenda than perhaps might have been first realised.  Wilson puts it well: “I think ‘Hopes&Fears^TM’ produced more relaxed meetings.”

The experience of Pentacle tutors of working in a virtual environment was another crucial factor to more effective planning and meetings.  Proudfoot was impressed by the skills of facilitation: “Facilitation in a virtual environment should not be heavy-handed or bureaucratic in any way.  At its best, it encourages a mix of opinions, leading to focused decisions in meetings.” And best practice in a virtual environment has beneficial spillover effects in the real world.  Wilson argues that Pentacle’s skill in facilitating a virtual environment lies in the way they develop conversations where people are not physically in each other’s presence: “It feels a bit like a magic recipe for pastry.  All the ingredients are jumbled up in a way no one has ever tried.  We make mistakes along the way but somehow what comes out tastes delicious.  And in the process we learn together and laugh together.”

Next week: using QUBE as the conference approaches.

Getting to ZERO: A World in Which All Projects Succeed

Would you like to be part of a world where every project succeeds? Of course you would. The Association for Project Management (APM) certainly does - and they know a thing or two about the subject.

Pentacle the Virtual Business School, led by Prof Eddie Obeng, joined forces with APM in 2013 to host a conference with an unashamedly idealistic objective - to work out how to eliminate failed projects altogether.  Their aim was effectively to get to ZERO – or create a world in which all projects succeed.

To put together the conference was a six-month project in itself, starting in mid-April 2013. And so this and subsequent blogposts chart the attempts of APM and Pentacle to plan, organise, host and deliver a one-day conference in mid-October 2013.

The reality for APM and its 20,000 members is that: –

• Many projects fail;
• Successful practice in project management is frequently ignored; and
• Professional project management skills are in short supply.

Part of the reason for project failure comes down to the flaws of traditional working environments. So APM and Pentacle agreed to try something radical – to conduct all elements of preparation for and the hosting of the conference itself within QUBE - a revolutionary, completely immersive, virtual environment for business. QUBE is a highly effective way for business people to go online to run their companies via board, planning and delivery meetings and in the process to innovate, collaborate and have fun. It’s like a company headquarters on the web, with new ways of sharing ideas plus great tools and techniques to help get things done.

APM and Pentacle decided to start by holding regular planning meetings, called Drumbeats, in this virtual environment. They enjoyed some obvious anticipated benefits from using QUBE  - the two organisations were based in different locations and this saved on travel time – but quickly discovered other significant gains. The conventional business wisdom is that face-to-face meetings are preferable and more effective than telephone or video conferencing, but the working group quickly discovered that there were aspects to virtual working in QUBE that created more productive meetings, with the virtual environment helping to focus attention to the task at hand and with few distractions. This helped the team move more quickly and effectively.

So how did working on QUBE help? Click here to find out.

Dream or nightmare? You decide.

Image courtesy of
imagerymajestic/
FreeDigitalPhotos.net

It’s nearly midnight and you’re tired. It’s been a tough day at work - you and your team have been struggling recently. Everyone’s trying hard, but events keep moving on before you can work out how to respond. As you drift off to sleep, you remember the boss’s final words: “Bring everyone together for a 'Big Conference' to get back 'on top of things'.” What things? Certainly not the daily things that will still need doing while you’re all away somewhere else, or the budget that the same boss wants you to cut to hit team targets.

So, will you be having dreams or nightmares tonight?

Here is the nightmare. Some of the widely-spread team with a distance to travel don’t even want to meet, too busy struggling with their daily tasks to waste precious time talking rather than doing. Even those that do use the opportunity to avoid making decisions - everything will be decided anyway at the “Big Conference.” Resentment and inertia grip the team and everyone seems tense. You co-opt a reluctant team member to set up the event. He organises venue, flights and accommodation – it’s a big and costly task. The event seems to go OK: you capture some good ideas on the flipchart and leave with a vague sense of wellbeing.

A week later, your PA asks you to decipher the flipchart. You promise to when you get more time to remember. A month later, your boss asks you what the “Big Conference” achieved. Your reply doesn’t convince either of you. Six months later, she cuts your budget in half. A year later, you’re working harder than ever to cover and recruit to replace colleagues who recently left the organisation. Exit interviews show they liked their colleagues, but found it difficult to get anything done.

Here is the dream. The world is changing faster than you can learn. You can’t change the world, so you decide to change your approach. You ask one of your team to sketch out (roughly – a quick “guess-timate” will do) the likely cost a “Big Conference”, then tell your boss confidently you can save the company this money. You ask your team for ideas for working together more effectively, more creatively and feeling more engaged. Some are encouraged to brainstorm alternative ways to collaborate, while others are asked to suggest their own “drumbeat” sessions - how often they should meet to air new challenges and keep projects moving along quickly. The team come up with far more ideas than you ever expected, and suddenly you recall reading about something called QUBE …

Whether you have nightmares or dreams in your World After Midnight is your choice. The dream is, in fact, a reality. Many leading companies are already using QUBE. It’s the ultimate medium for a world changing faster than it learns - a revolutionary, completely immersive, virtual environment for business. It’s a highly effective way for business people to run companies, innovate, collaborate and have fun. It’s like a company headquarters on the web, with new ways of sharing ideas plus great tools and techniques to help get things done. Over the coming weeks, we will be blogging on the experience of working and holding regular meetings and a conference on QUBE, with the help of our colleagues at the Association for Project Management.

The story unfolds …

When you can't make it into the office, don't end up going round in Merkels ...

An artist's impression of Angela Merkel
engaging in immersive virtual working.

As the first female chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel doesn't usually have much time to put her feet up. And breaking her pelvis in a skiing accident hasn't slowed her down any. While her doctor has ordered her to rest for three weeks, she will still be chairing the first cabinet meeting of the new year, and will be in constant contact with her ministers by phone.

Of course, there's only so much you can share when you're just talking over the phone. You can't share a document with someone. Or stand shoulder to shoulder with a colleague and develop ideas on a whiteboard. Or switch between group discussions and private conversations in a matter of seconds.

Accidents happen, as does illness, or just having commitments that keep you at home. Being unable to move doesn't mean that you have to stop working. Prof Eddie Obeng posited the same thing here. Hopefully the word will get to Angela.

To learn and work better across time and distance, why not check out QUBE? Contact us to arrange a demonstration - http://PentacleTheVBS.com/QUBE_TryIt.htm