N E W .W O R L D. T I M E S

"The only culture we have is on a Petri dish..."

2012-01-25T03:02:00.000-08:00

Remember the 1970s? Leyland, the home of British vehicle manufacturing, became an international by-word for failed organisational culture. Unwilling (or unable) to change the way it did things led to the demise of a once great industry.

More recently we have heard about a “culture of institutionalised racism” within the London Metropolitan Police Force, or a “culture without accountability” in some areas of banking.

Culture seems to have a significant impact on the future well-being of organisations.

Why?

Just consider how teams are managed within these organisations, how decisions are made and how reporting lines work. Teams tend to be rigid, reporting lines are based on a pyramidal hierarchy; red tape is the order of the day and the leader knows best.

Let us call these characteristics - the Old World.

So what is the problem?

Have you noticed how the world business environment has changed? Do the things we used to do have the same impact? Do these ways of working help or hinder us?

What has happened is that all of us have been slowly and steadily moving from a world in which we could learn faster than the world was changing, into a world which changes much quicker than we can learn. This NewWorld^TM leaves us with less and less chance to predict or even imagine our future. In these circumstances, culture plays a determining factor - it is the handmaiden in the process of inventing the organisation’s future - because existing processes become redundant.

Are you thinking of evolving your business into the New World^TM? Why don’t you ask yourself whether your organisation follows Pentacle’s 12 New Rules for the NewWorld^TM?

Is your solution integrative? Say AND, not OR.
Does your solution recognise the need to tailor actions to meet different populations/needs? FAIR = DIFFERENT
Is your solution capable of self-governance? Change DEPENDENCE to INTERDEPENDENCE
Is your solution designed to ensure focus on delivering to your goal of making money (delivering benefit to society)? Do NOTHING of NO USE.
Is your solution designed around the people who have to deliver it and live with the results? STAKEHOLDERS RULE OK!
To what extent have you made or scoped your solution to the possible rather than the ‘nice to have’ impossible. Make Time FIT.
Have you reduced the scope to de-risk your solution appropriately? CHUNK it or JUNK it.
Have you ensured that your solution appropriately uses new technologies? All constraints into TOUCH SPACE.
Have you ensured that your solution appropriately uses new knowledge? Unlearn EVERYTHING.
Have you taken into Account the overall impact of change on your ability to deliver results? Don't Change ANYTHING.
Is your solution self-sustaining? LOOP it UP.
Have you developed a solution with powerful results, which relies on an approach, which is not popularly adopted? Go VIRTUAL.

What do you think? Lets talk. Visit us at PentacletheVBS.com

When Soft Bits Become Harder

2011-12-15T03:14:00.000-08:00

Insights from a moving case …

We were recently asked to step in and support a project that had become quite “emotional”. A large multinational was moving & regrouping several ‘locations’ (do you notice that they didn’t use the term “teams”?) into a brand new building. The HR team in charge of the project named it “Zeus” and referred to it as “a transformation project”.

At first glance, all seemed OK: the new building was… stunning! The proposed canteen was… gorgeous! The plan (you know the type of document full of little boxes, arrows, and what they call “dependencies”?) was… crystal clear! People, 12 months before the actual move, already had their own space allocated … Quite a good start n’est ce pas?

So what was the problem? Despite demonstrating the politically correct “positive attitude”, the key stakeholders - the staff - were clearly not supporting the project, or even worse, were preparing secret plans to leave the company before being ‘kindly invited’ to move to ‘a better place’.

I immediately asked a naïve question: “Why did you call this project Zeus?” The reply was abrupt: “We needed a name. This one sounded smart.” It soon became clear that we were talking about a plan, not about people. In other words, all hard, tangible, process aspects were pretty well under control, but there was strictly no meaning behind the plan, not a single piece of emotion. The only visible sign of attention to people was to be found in a glossy communication brochure featuring mottos like “Great place to work”, “Fully green building”, “Open areas for networking”, “Let the sun shine in”, … I was speechless. How can smart people genuinely believe that these mottos can make sense, translate into emotion, make people dream, convey a real meaning? … The meaningless name (Zeus, is apparently NOT the god of removals!) was just the symptom of a meaningless plan.

But this was just the beginning of the surprise. My second question (a bit less naïve this time) was: “What did you do to engage your staff to make this move?”. According to them, they did a lot of things. Brochures (showing the extraordinary bright and sunny new building), leaflets (to explain the support plan that would be given to people for their home removal), a website (to keep people aware of the latest project news), … but amazingly (to them), people remained “unengaged”.

It took one day of hard debate to nail down my point: Communicating to inform is not the same thing as communicating to engage. A simple corrective plan would explain WHY we do what we do, thus injecting some meaning into the project, rather than focus on the WHAT and HOW. This combined with an opportunity for everyone to “feel, visualize, hear, imagine, story tell” their new office allowed them to contribute to its design… This was just the beginning of a 2 day journey!

Sounds like common sense? Yes… But when was the last time you felt enthusiastic about a reorganisation, a transformation plan, an office redesign? Have you ever seen people genuinely engaged to design their own workspace? When did you last see ‘project scoping documents’ starting with a plan of how to engage the most important stakeholders?

Two days later, we finished this emotional journey into communicating “the meaning of - work - life” and designing an “emotional engagement”.

Want to know more? Let’s talk!

Should aliens receive foreign aid?

2011-10-17T04:06:00.000-07:00

Pentacle has recently been working with the Chief Executives of some of the largest foreign aid charities in Ireland. They face real risks that change hourly and which they need to deal with as they arise.

The Old World way of dealing with these risks is to gather them all up, assign an arbitrary description based on likelihood and severity (High, Medium and Low) and then put them in a risk register. If you are really lucky the auditors will come around annually and check that you have done it right ;-)

Does it really make sense to write a list of what might happen and then put it on a shelf where nobody reads it? Is this approach even relevant when lives are at risk?

In the New World, where change happens at the speed of light, you need a different approach. Luckily, we don't need to learn how to do it because we have all been part of a government sponsored programme to teach us about risk... using Science Fiction movies.

Don't believe me? Think back to watching those movies …

You know the story, the ugly, green, drooling, slimy monster arrives on Earth; the natural reaction would of course be to run away, but no, the hapless hero immediately wants to investigate further. At the first sign of aggression from the alien, our hero tries to blast it with his laser gun. If that doesn't work (and it usually doesn't), then they usually try and capture it whereupon they stick it in a "secure facility" and put some unhinged scientist with wild hair and pebble-thick glasses in charge. When that all goes pear-shaped (and it usually does), then there is usually a"Plan B" which seems to involve a thermo-nuclear device.

Familiar?

Well risk management is just the same. First you have to Identify the risk, then you should FIX IT NOW!TM No messing around putting it into a risk register. If that isn't possible, you should contain it (while monitoring the whole time). And just in case, you should have a Plan B.

How do you manage your risks? Still putting them in a risk register? Are you surprised when the alien turns around and bites you?

Staying Digital all the Way

2011-10-12T05:01:00.000-07:00

An overheard 'phone call:

"OK, so let me get this right - you need me in Hong Kong on Wednesday for a three hour client meeting and then I need to be in New York on Friday to meet with the design team and then the following Monday I need to be in Shanghai to talk to the manufacturer to get the production process agreed? Wow. Is there any other way to get this done? That's a lot of travel for not a lot of face-to-face time. Are you sure? Right then. I'm on my way."

In the New World, where everything and everybody are interconnected, does it make sense to have this conversation?

How could this trip be 'chopped down' reduced or even made obsolete by using just two of Eddie Obeng's New Rules for the New World?

ALL CONSTRAINTS INTO 'MEATSPACE' -- can we look at what needs to be done and figure out the problems that really requires a physical presence versus the rest that can be done at a distance?
Go Virtual! -- Lets concentrate on the effect of what we do, not the form.

So lets replay the phone call with the New Rules in mind:

"OK, we have the video call set up by the Hong Kong client on Wednesday -- I'm assuming we'll be using the high-quality boardroom system? Fine. Listen, I think I will go to New York on Friday because I haven't met the design team yet, it will be our first time working together, I want to set-up a project team culture of working hard and having fun and the easiest way will be for us to spend a long day together with a lot of laughs and perhaps a couple of beers (which I can't do in cyberspace). Whilst I'm there, we'll also set up a collaborative workspace on QUBE and reproduce their working environment on the three dimensional internet (3Di) so that afterwards although we will not meet again it will always feel as if we are in the same 'space'. We will establish regular team 'drumbeats'. For the Shanghai manufacturer, how about we take the results of the client and design team meetings, do a shared screen session, say by glance, with Shanghai and place the conclusions in a shared folder, say by dropbox? Then the plant can detail the production process and give us an idea of timelines and update the folder so that we maintain a 'single version of the truth'. And don't have to waste our lives emailing and chasing each other. We can catch up with them in the next week or so via QUBE. I think we should set it up so that the Manufacturer owns the travel budget so that each time I have to go to see them their profits are reduced. This should encourage better long distance collaboration and prevent any misunderstandings or serious issues arising. Does that sound like a plan? Great!"

We need to establish good relations with people we don't know - that is basic stakeholder management. Some of us have the skills to do this virtually but for most of us we are still at the same stage that people were in using telephones half a century ago, and don't know how to connect emotionally without the face-to-face element. Make sure that you can work effectively at a distance. Learn now.

Plan to meet face-to-face when only when you want to boost the emotional temperature or an extremely interrelated and complex set of problems to explore.

Staying digital - all the way! There is no better alternative.

Stakeholder Engagement - Place your bets... Now!

2011-09-03T11:21:00.000-07:00

You are on the horns of a dilemma – you are at the start of a tricky project and are trying to work out what you need to do and how the hell you are going to achieve it. First impressions count and its important to make a strong start and inspire confidence in all connected with the project. This project could make or break you!

So what do you do? Consider the following choices… do you:

Go to ground with a small team of experts to work out what to do…surfacing when you have answers to the key questions that will inevitably arrive (appearing clueless is not a flattering look!)
Talk to people who have either something to gain or lose from the result of the project (but risk being attacked for not having the answers and having a half baked solution)
Book a long vacation, some where far and remote with no phone coverage and hope by the time you return the project has been cancelled (and say to your colleagues you knew the project was doomed from the start)

Whilst considering where to place your bet... consider the following: From our research and experience at Pentacle, we know that only 1 in 4 projects successfully deliver their anticipated benefits. These aren't great odds! This is a result of the New World, where the fast paced environment we now find ourselves in, (World after Midnight) where knowledge has a short shelf life and reliance on expert views, based on past events, are not a good indicator of what to do with our unique problems now our in the future. Option A is not looking too promising!

Option C sounds great…but how likely is this to happen?... and even if it did, you’d need to be extremely lucky with your timing... a bit like spinning the roulette wheel and placing everything on “22 Black”.

In the New World, “stakeholders rule ok”, and they are an essential part in deciding what it is we need to do and how we need to go about it. Engaging them at that start gets their buy-in and makes it easy for them to place a stake on you to succeed in the risky business of project delivery. All those that opted for Option B collect your winnings from the front of house! Early engagement (now!) goes some way to allowing project managers to avoid the lottery of successful project management delivery.

Since we don't get a second childhood.....

2011-09-03T07:35:00.000-07:00

What do you do when your Children's charity encounters the New World?

The new world changes everything for everyone even if your mission in life is to ensure that children have the best childhood they can. Children in Need, the BBC charity, just like the rest of the world is facing growing expectations from customers (donors want to know more) more challenge with a tough economic climate, multiple choices to reach their audience as media options multiply and many other challenges you would find familiar.

David Ramsden and his team are rapidly moving into the New World developing new philosophy for both raising and distributing the funds and doing this across the UK through a dedicated and energetic team. The focus was on more and faster so that children across the UK would have better childhoods not in the future but now.

To accelerate the process Professor Eddie Obeng was invited to participate in a workshop at the Leadership College in Nottingham to share consolidate and plan the future. Eddie Spent the time he had with the group sharing some of the tools and tricks of surviving and thriving in the New World - He shared with them the WorldAfterMidnight video (from WorldAfterMidnight.com) and together they used the EDD PET (Performance Enhancement Tool) to explore creatively what to change for real to make the difference. Eddie also shared with them a number of PETS for gaining speed through alignment, understanding the underlying barriers to change and engagement.

Since we don't get a second childhood... every second counts!

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Another way to travel through ambiguity

2011-09-03T07:08:00.000-07:00

There are many ways to make a journey, by plane, by road, by car... that works for 'touchspace' or the real hardware world. In 'cyberspace' you can journey by browsing the web, walking around QUBE, meeting friends to play on your xbox or Wii with the right software. In your mind you can make learning journey's through your 'wetware' brain world.

But one of the most evocative and iconic ways to make a journey is on a Harley Davidson.

Professor Eddie Obeng was working with one of the worlds most famous brands to explore the journey of learning to lead in an an ambiguous world. Over a roller coasted day session he led the audience of top executives around the pitfalls and possibilities of Leading in a world of Ambiguity. They traavelled past 'What being wrong feels like', How to enjoy and thrive in Foggy change but missed what would have been a groundbreaking session by Steve Whatmore who as a VirutalGuest was to discuss his role in transforming Rolls Royce Motor Cars and Aston Martin. The course began last April with a webinar from Eddie. Using traditional webinar software Eddie revved up a tale of challenge and intrigue explaining the sources of ambiguity as well as engaging a number of polls. In one he asked "Did you predict the Arab spring more than a month before it began?" The Exec leadership group answered just the same way as you just have.

He explained how a combination of the pace and scale of change and the fact that human interaction has become so dense that a revolution in one country can spark a revolution in another country in the same way as news about a particularly funny cat on youtube spreads. The virtual and face to face sessions were in partnership with Duke Corporate Education is part of a significant journey of development for the leadership cadre programme directed by Denis Baltzley himself a Harley owner.

One quote heard about Eddie was - "He's a real live wire!" and that from Harley Davidson is real confirmation of Eddie's Rebel/ Rockstar of Executive Education status! The participants zoomed past Pentacle PETs (Performance Enhancement Tools) including AliensTM, IDQB TM, GapLeapTM and SquarePegTM proving that there really is another way to travel through ambiguity.

HEADLINE: Woody Allen goes looking for the Holy Grail?

2011-08-01T11:05:00.000-07:00

Project Management is and enormous subject. If you Google search for "Project Management": 359,000,000 results (0.14 seconds). There are hundreds and thousands of courses, software, technologies, frameworks on how to do projects. However there are also hundreds and thousands of stories about failure of projects across organisations. Apparently: “one-third of all money spent on software is used to repair botched projects, with billions spent each year reworking software that doesn't fit requirements."

What memories do you have of projects at your workplace? Great success all round? Be honest now. Let's take and example. Often, cost-saving projects – really do lead to savings - but also lead to stress, incomprehension and hostility. So how do we ensure we deliver results without delivering unwanted side effects?

At Pentacle we have begun to think that the challenge is in the projects themselves. Because they are all different, advice from one person on how to achieve success is irrelevant on a different project. In fact their advice might make your chances of success worse. And also what you learn personally about projects may also trip you up. And as a leader your success on one project might convince you that the most important thing is the passion and encouragement you give your team. But what if the next project which comes along demands listening and support rather than gung-ho energy?

Pentacle has tried to find a way to group these differences. One group of projects we noticed is a group that has clear goals but there is plenty of ambiguity and choice in how to deliver. We looked around for a suitable metaphor/ analogy and found one in history. In Olde England there is a legend about a King Called Arthur who sent all his knight out searching for decades for a single object, the Holy Grail (the cup Christ is supposed to have drunk from). There was no problem with the objective the challenge was with the best way to find it. Where to look? And how? On their quest the knights rode to the four corners of the world, clear on what they were to achieve but having absolutely no idea about how they were going to do it.

Another group we noticed seemed to fit the analogy/ metaphor of making movies. Yes cameras and actors are going to be involved. And maybe some CGI. But what is the subject? What is the script?

Once you start to see the pattern you begin to understand why your personal learning and leadership approach could easily trip you up. King Arthur was probably perfect for his Quest, Woody Allen for a romantic comedy movie .

But what do you think would happen if you swapped them round and put King Arthur in charge of delivering the romantic comedy?

At Pentacle we think that understanding what type of project you are dealing with is the first step in delivering successful projects. That way you can decide in advance what the leadership style and behaviours you should use to best guarantee success. That way you'll never see the headline "Woody Allen goes in search of the Holy Grail"

In the QUBE no one can hear you weep...

2011-07-27T12:36:00.000-07:00

For decades we have been promised that technology would imminently conquer distance and time and enable us to work together at a distance as if we were side-by-side.

Video conferencing missed the mark and quickly became known for its cost, unreliability and the need to go to a ‘special room’ to peer into the faces of distant colleagues, email has evolved into he electronic version of those birthday candles which once blown out immediately relight themselves. Audio conferences and webinars are simply one person talking and 18 doing their emails in on mute – occasionally replying yes or no to a poll!

On the 12th of July two things happened. The first was the launch at Cape Canaveral signalling the final end of the space race and the second was that Professor Eddie Obeng led the first conference in the Pentacle QUBE entitled Innovation Without Boundaries.

QUBE is our attempt to create a natural working environment for collaboration at a distance. We designed it as a way to enable our business education applications so that we could seamlessly intertwine education with real work for our global clients. But we got more than we bargained for. Instead what we have created is perhaps the most natural collaborative environment available when people around the world need to work together. Because everything stays where it’s left, even across time zones, we can create the equivalent of ‘sticking a post-it on your monitor’. The secret is not just in the technology it is also in our understanding of creating environments where people wish to share and also in our skills in driving and influencing the behaviour change needed.

Key speakers were David Williams CEO Amari Plastics, David Kester of the Design Council, Sebatian Conran, Dr David Lonmas and Professor Eddie Obeng.

Perhaps the best comment we received on the day was one very animated participant who at the end said in a tight voice, “When I think of all the time in my life I have spent, wasted, miserably watching Powerpoints and been bored rigid listening to audio conference monologues and not progressing the work itself, I could weep.”

You can find out more about QUBE at http://QUBE.cc

Dancing to the B.E.A.T of Rapid Change

2011-07-24T14:49:00.000-07:00

Ghana is thumping! For a country known for it’s talking drums and foot tapping ‘hi-life’ music, the intertwined rhythms of change, innovation and execution have stepped-up their volume. In the last few years GDP growth has shot up and is predicted to hit 15% soon. Everyone wants to join in, from international and regional players to local start-ups, everyone is clamouring to do business in Ghana, and Accra is in the lead.

But the party spirit is dampened by anxieties about change projects that nobody believes in, complaints about lack of the right talent. ‘Resistance to change’ is often the refrain.

Kwame Akuffo and Michael Anaman of Pentacle Africa were joined by delegates from Bharti Airtel; Buck Press; BVM Advisory; Databank; Ghana Commercial Bank, First Atlantic Bank; HFC Bank; JLD & MB Legal Consultancy; MMRS –Ogilvy; Ogilvy Africa Media; SSNIT and UT Bank and other companies well known in Ghana for two days. The theme was Managing Today, Inventing Tomorrow - Welcome to the New World!

Over the two days the delegates were challenged, amazed and delighted by the range of Pentacle frameworks and concepts. They were really energised by the Pentacle guests: Prince Kofi Amoabeng, CEO and founder of UT Bank and UT Holdings and Mr. Reginald France of Boulders Advisors and valued the fact that they had many chances to put their learning into action, guided by the tutors.

The most popular ‘tracks’ of the conference were on: “How to cope with the pace and speed of change”, How to avoid the “Dead Body Syndrome” of dissatisfied stakeholders and most to all the crucial importance of sticking to the Leadership B.E.A.T. (which stands for our own Behaviours and the paradigms that underpin them; the Emotional engagement of followers; the prioritisation of the key Actions and the new world Thinking which de-risks all of it).

There will be another chance to dance to the BEAT with the Pentacle duo in September 2011. If you want to find out some more visit us at http://www.Pentacle-Africa.com/

Note to: Harvard Business Review Editor - Please correct your spelling...

2011-07-21T07:20:00.000-07:00

It seems that time travel is possible and that Pentacle has managed it. This month ion an article entitled Who moved my cube? Creating workspace that actually foster collaboration. HBR is exploring touchspace. We think that they got it absolutely right but in the wrong stardate. For the 21st century should probably be exploring cyberspace with the Pentacle QUBE - or maybe it was just a spelling mistook!

Old World

New World

In the QUBE no one can hear you weep

2011-07-18T02:20:00.000-07:00

For decades we have been promised that technology would imminently conquer distance and time and enable us to work together at a distance as if we were side-by-side.

You can find out more about QUBE at http://QUBE.cc

When Information Is No Longer Enough...

2011-06-09T22:59:00.000-07:00

Have you noticed colleagues literally disappearing around you? No, not by magic, but because they leave the company (well, that is what they pretend, but in reality, it is more likely they are leaving their boss – possibly even YOU?).

In the most extreme cases, people have been known to “absent themselves” by committing suicide.

This particular tragedy happened recently to a manager I know. Can you imagine yourself in such a situation? Would you still sleep at night? Although it sounds extreme, in the complex, fast changing, ambiguous world in which we live, this sort of situation is less and less a “low-occurrence possibility” and more and more a well identified risk.

How would you tackle this risk?

Well … by recognizing that there is a big difference between communicating to engage and communicating to inform.

“We do not communicate enough! I don’t know what is going on!” is the usual refrain from frustrated managers.

Sounds familiar? But think about it. If your team really wanted to get ‘information’, they would all trawl through the annual report and browse your corporate intranet in order to access the tons of data there. Do they do that? No.

People say “I want more information” but in reality, they mean “I want to be engaged, to feel part of a system”.

The challenge is that dealing with information is not that difficult, but engaging people emotionally is somewhat new for most leaders.

In some of the companies we are working with at Pentacle, “proximity communication” and “corporate connections” have become key phrases. They have two important dimensions:

- transforming all leaders (ie: anyone who has people reporting to him/her) into better communicators. This is often based on quick, on-the-spot, training on engagement techniques …

- supplying regular “engaging” information to them, as the “fuel” for monthly connection meetings they are asked to lead themselves, with two objectives in mind: developing the sense of being part of a whole, and creating an open dialogue.

I know, this sounds absurd to ask team leaders in factories for example to stop a production process for 30 minutes for a ‘connection meeting’, to recognise that all need to be good communicators, to realise that open dialogue is a must. But, do you know what? Companies we are working with are experiencing tangible results … and we, at Pentacle, are ready to explain how…

It’s time to talk!

Moving into the New World

2011-05-18T08:47:00.000-07:00

Walk around Bratislava in Slovakia and you notice something remarkable; there is almost perfect wifi coverage across the centre of the city.

"Give me a two cans and I can turn
this string into into a virtual network"

It is the kind of thing that authorities in the older parts of Europe merely dream about and the impact is astounding. There is a fluency of communication and speed to doing business that makes the normal round of meetings and agendas seem very Old World.

Robert Hewins of Pentacle Benelux, and Toby Scott of Pentacle Ireland have just finished two days with some of the brightest project managers in Slovakia teaching them the principles of the NewWorldTM. This is a country that carries a legacy of Soviet occupation in the form of outdated practice and conservative attitudes, but, in terms of their ability to do business in cyberspace, they have truly gone virtual.

Because Pentacle’s worth it ...

2011-04-17T13:16:00.001-07:00

L’Oreal recently ‘adopted’ Christophe Gillet in their “Global leadership for growth” programme, designed and delivered by Cedep, in order to help project managing & facilitating one of their most sophisticated and successful learning event.

When HSBC France thinks about innovation ...

2011-04-17T13:15:00.000-07:00

Paris. The world’s local bank is definitely a leader in NewWorldTM thinking. In an industry that is supposed to be extremely regulated, most banks give up trying to really innovate. Leaders like HSBC, on the contrary, consider this situation as a real opportunity to differentiate. Senior leaders from France gathered in Paris for a one day workshop led by Christophe Gillet. Keywords: Thinking differently, opening minds, grabbing opportunities, changing perspective, designing for change, and indeed innovating for value. When leaders get serious about innovation and change, it seems that they naturally find their way to Pentacle. Long life to innovation at HSBC France!

Janssen Cilag, top pharmaceutical leader, go for change with Pentacle & Gillet ...

2011-04-17T13:11:00.000-07:00

Dusseldorf. When it comes to real change, people must come first. No way to change processes, organisations, methods, if people are not engaged and willing to support. At Janssen, this is well understood ... and put in practice, with Pentacle. The leading team was invited to a one day workshop that was organised around the idea of ‘stop rushing / start thinking differently’, in other words: creating a privileged moment of new thinking, new perspective building. Go slow in order to go fast was a key motto. Needless to rush more and more. There’s always a limit. Rather think differently about problems, use of time, delegation, and work/life balance. The “rat race” is over, the NewWorldTM has come ... with Pentacle

TOTALy Senior, with Pentacle

2011-04-17T13:06:00.000-07:00

Paris. What do a worldbank VP, a worldclass pianist, a world famous philosopher/ethnologist and the expert coach of a french minister have in common? The largest French petrol company chooses Pentacle to design and deliver their senior execs development programme, twice a year, both in French and English languages. A unique team of international speakers and tutors joined Christophe to deliver a ‘serious but non-orthodoxical’ programme designed to surprise and develop even the most experienced senior leaders ... Energy and new thinking in action! A Pentacle programme.

When HSBC Asia think “Strategic Agility”, Pentacle is not too far away ...

2011-04-17T12:53:00.000-07:00

HongKong. The world’s local bank is definitely a leader in NewWorldTM thinking. In an industry that is supposed to be extremely regulated, most banks give up trying to really innovate. Leaders like HSBC, on the contrary, consider this situation as a real opportunity to differentiate. 40 senior leaders from Asia-Pacific gathered in HongKong for a 3 day workshop led by Christophe Gillet and Graham Wilson, articulated around the concept of ‘strategic agility’. Keywords: Thinking differently, opening minds, grabbing opportunities, changing perspective, designing for change, and indeed innovating for value. When leaders get serious about innovation and change, it seems that they naturally find their way to Pentacle. Long life to innovation at HSBC!

New models, new relationships and a new era....

2011-02-13T10:15:00.000-08:00

The Guardian Public Sector Summit comes at exactly the time that the phony war on cuts has ended and now something must be done. Entitled New models, new relationships and a new era and sponsored by PWC, BT, CSC & HaCRIC it was likely to be a rough and tumble of argument, emotion, heated discussion and exploration expertly chaired by David Brindle of the Guardian.

The Conference was kicked off with a keynote by the UK's Deputy Prime M The Right Honourable Nick Clegg MP who asked the delegates "not to criticise the boss but to become the boss." There were a wide range of views from 'The Virtual Council' by Suffolk County Council to the use of technology to deliver better health services.. The Social Enterprise movement also spearheaded the third sector debate.

The other keynote Over two days the speakers used case examples to argue and explore the possible futures for the Public Sector.

Pentacle's Eddie Obeng delivered the closing keynote. He began by declaring that "I live in the future so that you don't have to...yet with a backdrop of Pentacle's face to face learning approaches and and a video of the Pentacle QUBE - the 3D immersive learning environment. more...

He introduced the audience to The New World model and used this to get past the 'old world ' either or thinking to help the participants consider wider options. He then helped delegates to understand how new challenges needed new models and new models needed new words. Eddie explained how having been grounded as a pilot because his weight was too much for his height he had decided on a programme of cuts himself and had decided to sacrifice his left arm before re framing the challenge as 'delivering differently a better outcome'. He got the delegates to agree to banish the word 'cuts' from their vocabulary. He told them how R.A.B.B.I.T.sTM could enable innovation illustrating his stories with Case studies from the Design Council's work where as a rule in the Public Services by design programme every pound spent returns 26!

Eddie's keynote was described by the Guardian as '...stirring and inspiring...'

Exploring the BuyerSphere

2010-12-20T10:59:00.000-08:00

If you’re involved in selling anything remotely complicated - anything that involves thoughtful consideration over an extended period by multiple stakeholders before a decision is made - you’ve probably noticed something.

The Old World “always be closing” approach to selling is increasingly irrelevant, and diminishingly effective. The harder we get sold to, the less we like it - unless we’ve acquired a taste for toying with dumb sales people. And our prospects feel the same.

It’s clear that the balance of information power has shifted from the seller to the buyer. Prospects no longer look to sales people for information, for the same reasons that they no longer attend trade shows, unless they work for local government.

They have found far better sources of insight. The internet - when combined with their formal and informal social and business networks - enables them to thoroughly research possible solutions and identify potential suppliers without the discomfort of having to speak to a sales person.

Buyers tell an old joke told about sales people. It goes “How do you know when a sales person is lying?” The inevitable answer? “When their lips are moving”. Funnily (or not) enough, sales people tell the same joke (with one obvious variation) about buyers.

So, in a world where buyers avoid the need to observe sales people’s lips moving until the last possible moment, what’s a New World vendor to do? I’d like to suggest a possible answer.

Today's prospects are influenced by a wide variety of sources, far beyond the traditional analyst and press community.

They look for recommendations from a community of trusted advisors, who can include formal and informal networks, business connections, existing vendors and many other sources - collectively referred to as their BuyerSphere.

Your prospects are building these connections, following these pathways of influence and forming opinions long before they decide to take action on an issue or reach out to a salesperson, with significant consequences for your sales process.

So how should a New World vendor respond? You can make a start by carefully exploring the BuyerSphere that surrounds your most valuable prospects and customers. Find out who they are influenced by. Learn who they trust. Find out where they naturally turn when their status quo is disturbed and they start searching for solutions.

And once you start to understand this web of influence, don’t hack through it like an Old World explorer in a pith helmet tramping their way through the undergrowth, and frightening everything within a five mile radius.

Don’t pitch, educate. Help your prospective customers learn from your experience. Encourage your existing customers and fans to help you get found in the places their peer group go looking for advice. Share your insights without expectation.

When (as it inevitably will) your generosity with your insights strikes a chord, make it easy for them to find out more. And coach your sales people to stop closing and start looking for ways to support your new prospect’s decision-making process.

Necessity is about to become a Mother Again*

2010-12-20T09:26:00.000-08:00

Professor Eddie Obeng's guest blogger week at HM Government's Department of Business Innovation and Skills

Public Sector Innovation Blog 3

Creating the Opportunity – How to systematically find chances to innovate

2010-12-20T09:24:00.000-08:00

Professor Eddie Obeng's guest blogger week at HM Government's Department for Business Innovation and Skills

Public Sector Innovation Blog 2

Innovation - it’s like playing the lottery…

2010-12-20T09:21:00.000-08:00

Professor Eddie Obeng's guest blogger week

for HM Government Department of Business Innovation and Skills

Public Sector Innovation Blog 1

Do PIGS choose Big Cuts or Happiness?

2010-11-28T07:58:00.000-08:00

The old joke was, "What's the difference between Iceland and Ireland?" The answer: "One letter and six months", proved inaccurate but only in timescale. Last week Pentacle (Eddie Obeng on the left and Toby Scott below) completed the delivery of the Leadership4Growth programme in association with Duke CE and Enterprise Ireland.

The programme, aimed at organisations associated with the built environment, was a practical programme to help Irish construction and related organisations get up off their knees and thrive again. In the wider context hunting down the PIGS began with a G not a P - Germany leading the bailout of Greece. In parallel in the UK starting with a bonfire (of Quangos) the solution to the BIG Cuts (which for some reason the journalists insist on constantly describing as 'Painful') is to get an even BIGGER Society. The question of “How much growth is enough? - If you can't grow as fast as the BRICs then how much growth is OK? – And anyway does growth make the citizens ‘Happy’?

To be honest all this focus on austerity, cuts and innovation is desperate, worthy but probably pointless - the chances of successful change execution and delivery, if anything like the normal averages, is very, very poor. Less than 25% of change activity delivers what was expected when it was expected at the cost expected. Even less than that number actually delivers the benefits originally envisaged. Or put another way, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and most of Thursday are spent but are not an investment because a real investment has a return in terms of benefits.

The goal is not to have a vision or strategy - the goal is to make it reality without wasting all the resources and benefits you hope that the vision or strategy will add.

Pentacle's Professor Eddie Obeng, ever the pragmatist, has been working hard to deliver ideas, concepts and most importantly approaches frameworks and tools to help. To support this he has written a series of articles aimed at the current economic challenges.

In addition to releasing a new edition of the World After Midnight podcast Eddie has written and published

Necessity is about to become a Mother Again - To help you understand that not all innovation comes from the same sparqs and that you can select the best way of delivering innovation.

Big Cuts, Big Society, Excellent Execution and Happy Citizens - is a pragmatic but light hearted take on what would happen if the crises were being managed and delivered by Programme and Project managers rather than politicians and civil servants. It is a guide to what you should be doing yourself.

ESP - 100 Percent Perfect Projects - is a summary of the Breakthrough approach pioneered by Prof Obeng four years ago which enables delivery of huge benefits without waste. Basically it explains how you can deliver real change even though you have no money to invest by eliminating all the waste of change

The Blueprint for Transforming Strategy into Reality - How to organise for really BIG change

If I Knew Then What I Know Now… - To remind you that 21st century change in the New World is more closely aligned with sailing than driving and that the only way you can be really certain of success is to keep on track through reviews

Development. What a Monumental Waste of Time – Is a new take on developing organisational leaders for these difficult times. Moving away form the 20th century ‘Talent’ based thinking to a more appropriate solution.

So if PIGS could choose, And if the PIGS had read the articles would they choose BIG Cuts and Happiness? Webmail us here or joining the Pentacle LinkedIn Group. We think that they would.

Putting the human back into Business

2010-11-09T07:42:00.000-08:00

Do you remember, not very long ago, when every customer counted and every touch point and experience was unique and personalised?

No. Neither do I. I think it is a myth brought on by watching too many heart-warming period dramas as a child. It may have been true at the corner shop, but was rarely if ever true of larger organisations.

What we recognise at Pentacle is that the environment in which organisations operate has become more complex; this may be due to globalisation, speed of communication or international competition. The more complex their environment becomes, the more those organisations are forced to adopt inflexible processes and one-size-fits all solutions that suit the organisation but rarely satisfy the consumer. They become "inhuman".

Nowadays, consumers are searching for authenticity and genuineness. These attributes do not come out of a tin marked "Humanity"; they are created by embedding a culture that places the consumer, or final user, at the heart of decision making. This means giving individual staff members autonomy and delegating power to the person who has the greatest expertise; usually the person closest to the customer.

At Pentacle, we are educating and enabling organisations to create and deliver authenticity to their customers by helping their employees to increase their capacity to manage complexity without becoming slaves to process or getting caught in the headlights of change.

We are helping companies to put the human back in their business.

Do you feel lucky, punk?

2010-10-15T04:09:00.000-07:00

For many organisations the solution to the question, "How do we generate more innovation?" has a very simple answer. The answer is "Generate more ideas!" So a lot of organisational time and resource is dedicated to this in the hope that if they get enough ideas they will "Get Lucky".

But being lucky in generating ideas is not enough. Even a 'killer idea' is at risk of getting killed by the people across the organisation. Why? Because it was not-invented-here, because it means change, because they don't like the sound of it because they are human beings, because the senior management are cynical and won't support it, because the 'killer idea’ originated with a client need and there is no obvious part of the organisation which knows what to do with it, because executing an innovation project which is not completely locked-down doesn't work with the stage-gate or project management process, because we can't create the business case, because.... and the list continues. So they often react negatively against it and jump on it and block it doing their best to 'kill it'.

So unless the organisation is very, very lucky - so lucky in generating ideas and so lucky in having people who not only let the idea pass but actually work on it to realise it the goal of 'Generating more innovation' - it simply does not come to life.

Imagine if instead of ‘hoping for luck’ we found out the places and things which caused the demise and death of all the 'unlucky' ideas. And imagine if we could then systematically remove the causes of the 'bad luck', we would be able to generate a significant amount of innovation without first having to be lucky. This is what Allianz, one of the UK's largest and best known insurance companies has done. Using the Pentacle R.A.B.B.I.T. Model, the Strategic Innovation Unit led by Jeremy Trott and sponsored by Philip Gennoy have transformed the delivery of innovation at all levels, from micro team-based opportunities to company changing strategic challenges.

Recently, David Lomas has joined the Pentacle team of Eddie Obeng, Christophe Gillet and Colin Burns who worked with Allianz at the inception of its i2s programme. David has been working with Jeremy and his team to develop Version 2.0 of the successful programme which has generated amazingly large numbers of new innovations and more importantly significant financial returns for Allianz.

So the choice is up to you. You can continue to be 'one of the herd', a typical organisation that approaches innovation-by-the numbers, hoping to get lucky. Or realise that you can systematically innovate for real returns with out having to be lucky at all.

Well, do you feel lucky?

Home is where the Heart B.E.A.T. is!

2010-09-27T17:11:00.000-07:00

Ghana is changing, and the executive team at Home Finance Company Bank (HFC Bank) in Accra, Ghana, have been quick to recognise this and are rapidly changing and expanding their business.

HFC Bank and their Human Resources Manager, Mr Emmanuel Adom are not content with, “Doing what they have always done before”. In their business world, where the pace of change is faster than their ability to learn, they are ready to put into practice New World Thinking.

To help the Executive Team to more effectively lead the changes in HFC Bank, Pentacle Tutor Kwame Akuffo went 'back home' to Ghana - where he was born. He used a series of workshops to help the executives learn that they needed to develop several leadership styles in order to cope with all the multiple challenges of their business environment - and come out on top.

Kwame Akuffo facilitated the creation of personal development plans, devised to equip the managers for the surprises challenges and opportunities times that lie hidden in the future for HFC Bank.

Participants learnt that in order to drive change, leaders must first look closer to 'home', actually to themselves and establish a B.E.A.T. They need to look at their own Behaviours and the paradigms that underpin those behaviours, Emotionally engage the hearts and minds of their teams, take Action with real courage and Think clearly about the challenges that lie ahead. The managers at HFC Bank really committed to adopting this approach and making it central to their leadership approach. So Kwame left them with the BEAT proving that for him, "Home really is where the Heart B.E.A.T. is!

The Precariat? NOT an early orange root vegetable!

2010-09-19T08:12:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's a new buzz-word to us as well. It seems to be a concatenation of "precarious" and "proletariat". French sociologists a couple of decades ago used the word to describe a new class of 'unprotected', temporary or seasonal workers. It has since been adopted by the Japanese to describe workers who choose the flexibility of short-term contracts and temporary work rather than bow to the established job-for-life tradition of the 'salaryman'. Like them, we see these people as a critical part of the "virtual team" within an organisation that allow it to be flexible enough to respond to rapid change.

Toby Scott, Director of Pentacle Ireland, will be provoking the audience, by proposing how the pace of change in the New World means that the Precariat will become the dominant employment group over the next decade or so, at a free symposium in Dublin arranged by GradCam, the Graduate School of Creative Arts and Media on Friday 24th September. Toby plans to then educate the audience on how to respond to the change and benefit from it.

Uproot yourself and join Toby if you can!

Leadership in Crisis or Crisis in Leadership?

2010-09-04T16:42:00.000-07:00

For the fifth year Pentacle has continued to support the African Leadership Institute. It is AfLI’s belief that without good leadership across the various levels and sectors of the continent, all the other excellent initiatives in Africa will be stifled. Investment in good leadership thus has an enormous return in terms of future social, economic, political, technological and environmental benefits. Eddie Obeng has now worked with over a hundred future leaders on the ALI flagship Programme the Archbishop Tutu Leadership Fellowship Programme. This year's course was directed by Peter Wilson, Sean Lance and Lord Hacking. Seeds of New World Leadership thinking have been planted in the fertile soils of Senegal Burundi, Nigeria, South Africa, Zimbabwe, Ghana, Tanzania, Mozambique, Kenya, Madagascar, Angola & Liberia

Let's Talk Again - Welcome to the World After Midnight Version 2.0

2010-09-03T13:32:00.000-07:00

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 from http://worldaftermidnight.com/

Leading Others to Make Practical CHANGE in the Team and Organisation

2010-06-06T12:22:00.000-07:00

Eddie Obeng and Robert Hewins have been working on an informal Pentacle survey of over a thousand managers and executives to find out what they feel their key learning needs are. The result was this wordle

Eddie for President - But don't tell him...

2010-05-22T07:16:00.000-07:00

There was a strange result in the Pentacle LinkedIn home page - It seems that people viewing Eddie Obeng's profile had him mixed up with someone else....

Redesigning Business for the 21st Century

2010-03-15T01:59:00.000-07:00

Pentacle has actively been developing and communicating a rethink of how businesses can work and succeed in these volatile times. To overcome the waste and inefficiencies which large companies face on a daily basis, Robert Hewins has developed the SpinCasting^TM Programme. Through effective, disciplined communication between and within virtual teams, SpinCasting^TM saves global businesses millions through dramatically improved management and workforce productivity, lowered travel costs and improved project delivery. With SpinCasting^TM concepts, methods and supporting technology, the end finally is in sight for dead-end video and conference calls with low active participation, short attention span and distractions such as email. Eddie Obeng has been sharing this New World approach with delegates at the Economist Big Rethink Summit more...

Inspiration Monthly Schedule for 2010

2010-03-02T03:04:00.000-08:00

Designed with issues and materials in mind that link New World principles to the fast-moving events around us, the 4th edition of Pentacle's Inspiration Monthlies is brimming with thought-provoking, relevant and pragmatic ways to fulfil our 2010 theme of Finding Possibilities.

Continuing our commitment to Open Source Learning, Pentacle Inspiration Monthlies are open to all, wherever they may be situated.

Inspiration Monthlies run for two hours (18:00 UK - 20:00 UK) on the evening of the THIRD Thursday of each month when you will get a chance to sit around with stimulating people and be provoked, challenged and enlightened by the Pentacle Team.

Be Economical with your Design Re-Thinking

2010-02-02T00:51:00.000-08:00

Design was put firmly at centre stage in the strategic direction of business at the Economist Big Rethink - Redesigning Business Summit. The Summit Conference which was closed by Sir George Cox and Robin Bew saw contributions from leading thinkers and practitioners such as Jonathan Sands of Elmwood - who explained how Elmwood had embraced and understood the opportunities in the BRICs, about how design and branding had turned 'Muck into Brass' at Serious* and left us laughing at his alpacas, Joe Ferry of Virgin - who drew a strong link between design and financial return and concluded with a picture of a goose and golden egg. Joe forgot to mention that Virgin provide the most comfortable and effectvie earplugs of any long haul carrier! Paul Bennett of IDEO made the audience rethink the 'purpose' of their businesses. And there were many others. There was an Innovation Masterclass by Professor Eddie Obeng and Friends from the Design Council , and what brilliant friends they were. Richard Seymour of Seymour Powell explained the true essence of design, David Kester CEO of the Design Council used the iconic Design Bugs Out! project to explain how design could transform the public sector and Bonnie Dean used her vast experience of commercialising design and examples of new market opportunities which arose from Designing Out Crime in the mobile telephony sector to show how design could create and drive new markets.

The audience and Economist Bloggers warmed to the key models, Old World vs New World, The SparqTM map of innovation, the Double Diamond which resolves the New World issue of problem defintition and the Design council Safe Space as a way of bringing together many different interests skills and ideas quickly to deliver surprisingly good, amplified results.

The Leader is a Black Horse called Resilience

2010-02-02T00:49:00.000-08:00

The National Exhibition Centre in Birmingham was the venue for a fast paced journey into exploring Leading with Personal resilience.

Professor Eddie Obeng led five hundred managers from Lloyds Banking Group Retail through a fast paced gallop which took in all the key aspects of how to maintain Personal Resilience in the face of complex and significant changes.

Moving from Opportunities to Possibilites...

2010-01-04T13:41:00.000-08:00

Late in 2008, at Pentacle, we realised that around the globe the industrial/ post , industrial 'nomadic, hunter-gatherer' phase was officially over. Senior executives were starting to recognise that they couldn't identify opportunities for growth. In fact they were finding it hard to identify any opportunities at all. We launched the World After Midnight podcast to try to help them to realise that this was to be expected and in fact they had prolonged the hunter-gather illusion through two decades of M&A and Financial Black Magic which had now largely unravelled. For 2010 we are planning to help our clients move onto to the modern 'next phase' of thinking and acting. We have celebrated the start of the decade with two messages.

The first is a computer created composite from Christophe Gillet which we turned into a new year card which explains simply the two mindsets when applied to markets. You can download a copy to send to your boss or colleagues here. Then we had Susan Obeng's painting, in the style of Matisse, titled IMAGINE A FISH which encourages exploration and innovation. You can download this here. The additional lines to the traditional proverb which explain why, before you can teach a man to fish, you must first IMAGINE A FISH can be found here.

Pentacle Succeeding Through Change Eddie Obeng

2009-11-26T11:12:00.001-08:00

Check out this SlideShare Presentation:

Pentacle Succeeding Through Change Eddie Obeng

View more presentations from Pentacle.

Seeing the Wood and the Trees

2009-11-20T05:26:00.000-08:00

Pentacle's own Design-Led Innovation 'Big brain' Colin Burns led this month's Evening Inspiration global mini conference. He took us on a fantastic journey from funky cassette recorders through tiling retailing to closely observing other people eating yoghurt. Along the way we learnt how not to use focus groups, we were taught how to use all five of our FiveEyesTM to observe and discovered that many people were 'secret yoghurt lid lickers.' He made sure that we could access valuable insights by seeing the P.O.I.N.T.TM

If you want to share similar inspiration you should take a look at next year's Third Thursday of the month Inspiration Evenings and perhaps come and join in a couple. You can find out more at http://PentacleTheVBS.com/FootPrint.htm and then perhaps you too can see the wood and the trees!

Where's David Dimbleby?

2009-10-26T05:26:00.000-07:00

With the usual Question Time project manger, David Dimbleby otherwise engaged, Professor Darren Dachler had the job of keeping the five panelists in check during the Project Management Question Time at the Association of Project Managers annual conference in London last week. The conference was followed by the APM Awards ceremony featuring the new International Relief and Development prize sponsored by Project Management Today.

The eclectic panel of Nigel Smith CEO of OGC, Mike Nichols & Richard Pharro APM, Mike Rolls Royce and Professor Eddie Obeng who demonstrated the a key project management principle by turning up just-in-time for the first question. The questions ranged from the non-controversial to the controversial. Eddie Obeng did his best to stir-up the panelists and energise the audience with statements such as "I'm not sure it's just about being a profession - when I think of other professions, lawyers, accountants, they leave me cold and everyone hates them. It's all about delivery and building a reputation for taking people with us." He was also critical of the standard view and materials on sponsorship which allow most sponsors to see themselves as equivalents of the Queen launching a ship saying "I name this project, Daunting, God bless her and all who read Gantt charts upon her." and then disappearing for nine months only to return to kick the project leader. Perhaps that's why the usual project manager David Dimbleby was missing.

Taking root in the Netherlands

2009-10-22T21:06:00.000-07:00

NOW WHAT? was the provocative question posed
last week by Robert Hewins to a select group of business leaders and opinion formers from across the Netherlands. Robert led an Inspiration Event at the world famous De Hortu s botanical gardens in Amsterdam. The full title of the event, "Congratulations! You've survived the Meltdown. Now What?", was a theme which led to an interactive set of presentations, discussions and group work on key Pentacle concepts and principles.

David Lomas engaged the audience by demystifying innovation and explaining how to focus and make it happen using the R.A.B.B.I.T model and the participants' perceived challenges over the coming year.

Dave was followed by an energetic and inspiring contribution by Michael Anaman highlighting how to avoid and overcome resistance to change, and Toby Scott polished the session off by explaining how to think through business cases fast, using GapLeap.

The ideas planted have already taken root from the feedback and responses of the participants after the event...

The evening was capped by a guided tour through the botanical gardens, which were founded in 1638 -- the year after the collapse of the infamous Tulip bubble. Combined with 2009 being the year of Darwin and the recognition of Evolution, the Inspiration Event and its venue could not have been more timely in echoing the NewWorld strategic mantra of Evolve, Dominate or Die.

NOW WHAT? EVOLVE!

The Sparq of Design lights the UK Civil Service

2009-10-19T07:20:00.000-07:00

David Kester, Richard Seymour, Susan Osbourne C.B.E. and Professor Eddie Obeng led a higly challenging and dynamic session for leading Civil Servants. The session sponsored and organised by Phil Rycroft of BIS (Department for Business Innovation and Skills) showcased Design-led Innovation using the "Design Bugs Out!" demonstration project which significantly impacted the infection rates of MRSA and C. Difficile in a target hospital. Eddie used the R.A.B.B.I.T. model to set the context and explained how the four types of innovation Sparq - (Push vs Pull, Human vs Technology - are best executed). David established the role of the Design Council in enabling the process and providing safe spaces for Open Innovation, Richard explained how design could help in process innovation and Susan provided a 20:20 vision from the user's perspective.

The country's top 200 civil servants participated actively making the session releveant, practical and useful. David Lomas made it memorable by creating a 'Book' of concepts as a follow-up memory jogger.

Ascending to the Start

2009-10-19T07:11:00.000-07:00

Exactly a year ago Eddie Obeng had the chance to work with the participants of the innovative ASCEND programme On that occasion he was speaking of the NewWorld as the financial system shuddered and ground to a halt. Now one year on, the Programme aimed at Talented Women in Johnson and Johnson, and co-directed by Liz de Wet, moves on strongly. As always, the build up is a team effort. Christophe Gillet runs the first leg of the NewWorld aspects of the programme spending a module working with the participants in detail on how the new world creates opportunities and possibilities for their businesses. Eddie then rounds this of with the session involving the participants line managers...

Autumn Leaves Fall

2009-09-23T12:43:00.000-07:00

The start of Autumn in Beaconsfield means one thing. The Pentacle Tutor Network bi-annual get

together to learn by sharing. This time the agenda was packed with old favourites and new ideas. Christophe Gillet led the journey for learning whilst Eddie Obeng explained in detail how Pentacle plans to revolutionise Change, Project and Programme management through its new E-S-P offer. And there were some very large Rabbits...

Your Country Needs You.... To Innovate

2009-09-23T12:17:00.000-07:00

The Chairman of the Design Council Sir Michael Bichard and the entire council spent a couple of days of creative and challenging thought at the newly opened Institute for Government. The venue, with its blue plaque to Lord Kitchener, is a superb location for engaging top executives and leaders in pushing at the edges of their thought processes.

The council were provoked and facilitated by Professor Eddie Obeng, himself a councillor. The next few years will show the impact of the retreat on design and innovation in the UK. The slogan should probably be " Your Country Needs You... To Innovate."

Hair Yesterday Gone Today

2009-07-29T14:48:00.000-07:00

Overlooking Dublin, Toby Scott and Eddie Obeng of Pentacle recover from a tough session working in collaboration with Enterprise Ireland and Duke Corporate Education on the Leadership4Growth programme. The Programme conceived by Enterprise Ireland is for Executives from the Irish Construction Industry to respond to the 60 - 80% decline in the market. About 100 members of executive teams from across the industry gathered for a practical module on identifying Possibilities and transforming them into Opportunities to exploit. Like these two who are standing 'beyond the pale' (outside the city limits) it seems as if to reach growth the leaders of the industry have to venture outside conventional areas.

Mailing Your Colours to the Mast

2009-07-29T14:10:00.000-07:00

Royal Mail L&D are reinventing themselves and Pentacle, Know Innovation and other partner organisations are helping. Based on an ingenious colour coded plan created by Karen Lord the L&D diaspora are exploring the key capabilites needed to support Royal Mail. The process kicked off with a one day event in Rugby for 150 key L&D managers and executives.

A Standard above and beyond

2009-06-11T05:09:00.000-07:00

Standard Bank is driving towards a distinctive strategy for growth. As part of this strategy it has invested in one of the leading learning centres in the world. Eddie Obeng had the chance to work with a large group of cross-course/ cross functional managers from Standard bank to explore "How to deliver more with less resource?" A copy of the presentation can be found here

Yammer it out!

2009-06-03T05:44:00.000-07:00

Pentacle has been experimenting with what has been billed 'the twitter for business.' Yammer is an attempt to bring facebook-style networking to organisations. Unfortunately at this stage the model yammer uses for an 'organisation' is a 17th century hierarchy! It is impossible to represent your business relationships as a project or process based organisation let alone a virtual organisation. That said, the product is simple and addictive enough to use. To learn more about the 21st OrganoWeb and how you can increase (quadruple) your productivity or (knock 75% off your costs) by organising as if the world around you was changing and getting more complex rather than as if you employ obedient, non-creative, clones click here... To read a global case study of successful implementation click here... More cases here...

Stone me! What about virtual?

2009-05-26T07:01:00.000-07:00

Susan Ross represented Pentacle at the launch of The Stone Club. Face-to-face and 'touchspace' it may be but Carol Stone has managed to connect her 30,000 friends to begin a journey of networking at an amazing scale.

If you're good at spotting people you'll see Susan here at the start...

Winds of Change Blow Through City For The First Time

2009-05-13T04:42:00.000-07:00

In collaboration with our partners Duke Corporate Education, Pentacle's Eddie Obeng has been working with key members of the Finance Function of HSBC in a Finance Academy course in Chicago. The Academy sponsored by Ian Mackay and led by Peter Mansell has been working to develop leaders in one of the worlds strongest banks to take on the challenges of our New World.

Having rashly sworn not to go to the USA whilst the the USA maintained Guantanamo Bay as a detention centre, this trip was the First that Professor Eddie Obeng has made to the US for a very long time. Let's hope that the concepts, tools and ideas he shared don't just blow through but stick in the city!

Switching Over without Switching Off

2009-03-23T13:30:00.000-07:00

The BBC is very serious about making sure that when the digital switchover happens none of the most vulnerable people in the country are 'left behind' without services. The level of professionalism the organisation has put in place is being supported by Pentacle which is working with the managment team on this very significant programme.

Snow Falls Whilst the Construction Industry Rises

2009-03-23T12:11:00.000-07:00

Pentacle has been working with Duke Corporate Education on a programme with Enterprise Ireland designed to help the key leaders of the construction industry explore and develop concrete ways of re-inventing themselves and their businesses for the challenges of the downturn. The Leadership 4 Growth programme is a new incarnation of a programme previously run by Stanford Graduate School of Business

Eddie Obeng introduced the CEO's to a number of foundation New World concepts and frameworks including the RedAntMan TM FutureMapping TM and FutureFamiliar TM on the day of the heaviest fall of snow in the UK for eighteen years. If nothing else the piles of snow will make the day memorable for the participants.

When it comes to Gaming, Insight is better than Foresight or Hindsight

2009-03-23T11:27:00.000-07:00

One of the world's leading leisure groups, Rank, has begun to stretch its capability to deliver services and brands developed and driven from customer insights. Pentacle introduced the Mecca, Grosvenor and Rank Interactive teams to several of its most effective models and frameworks. Starting from the overarching and popular R.A.B.B.I.T. TM model managers were taught how to slow-down and observe through FiveEyesTM, how to check the relevance of insights by jumping the five BunnyHopsTM to using the P.O.I.N.T. TM framework for capturing and storing insights....

Sixty Six Tigers Loose in Hospital Wards!

2009-01-15T15:01:00.000-08:00

No, not really. But sixty six marketing, sales and supply chain executives supporting Tygacil let their brains run riot in a session titled What's the BIG idea? in Montreux. The session led by Professor Eddie Obeng was aimed at one of the worlds most effective and relevant antibiotics Tygacil. Tygacil with its tetracycline-based molecular structure has the ability to really get under the skin of bacteria and stay there, This makes it very effective across a broad spectrum. For troublesome bugs like MRSA, and for a selection of patients who need an early result, it becomes the first, second and final line of defence being effective where other antibiotics have been rendered less useful due to the bug's ability to shrug them off.

The team of tigers worked at breakneck speed, through three stages of the Pentacle R.A.B.B.I.T. model, Creating the Opportunity (through creativity techniques from the Pentacle Magic Box of Tricks including Back-to-Front, Calling in Other Professions, Excursion Thinking & Random Connections) Engaging Commitment (understanding resistance to change by publicly de-risking using Hopes&FearsTM, engagement through IDQB TM) to Making it Happen (GapLeapTM and StickyStepsTM)

So beware. If you're a bug and you think you're tough your hours are numbered, the Tyga's going to get you!

The New World is your Oyster...

2009-01-02T08:15:00.000-08:00

For 2009, we have launched a project designed to help all our clients, customers, collaborators and (ex)course participants deal effectively with the combined challenges of the credit crunch, climate change and corporate competition and globalisation. The project called Oyster means that we will be trying really hard to make our New World approach and learning available to as many people as possible,

Among consultancies, business schools and coaching organisations we have the unique distinction that we have always focussed on complex change challenges. The NewWorld assumption has always been to take nothing for granted, to assume all 'respectable' and 'traditional' theories, concepts and methodologies are already obsolete or well past their sell by date.

To participate in Project Oyster you need to let us know what specific challenges you are wrestling with. We've begun the dialogue by releasing a nine minute video - World After Midnight and started a conversation called 'LetsTalk' You can join the conversation here

Pentacle also invites you to submit topics you'd like to hear for this year's Inspiration Monthlies. You can influence the topic selection by clicking here

Delivering a Healthy Scotland

2008-12-23T12:55:00.000-08:00

The Beardmore Hotel in Clydebank was the site of the final Masterclass for the third cohort of NHS leaders on the Delivery through Leadership programme. The programme directed by Hazel Mackenzie uses masterclasses, coaches and action learning to transform senior NHS managers into leaders who make it happen. Professor Eddie Obeng ran the final masterclass on Delivering the Future. This very practical session covered many of the challenges of real leadership in the NHS

How do Germans Finnish in Namibia?

2008-12-08T03:02:00.000-08:00

By launching business innovation. Jon Foster-Pedley has been invited to be a visiting Professor at the new Namibian Business Innovation Centre. The Namibian government has a particular interest in creativity and innovation and has assembled a multinational team to grapple with the issues and ensure it is well designed and executed. The initiative is being funded by Finnish and German Aid Funds. Jon's role will be to advise on creativity and innovation - so they should not have a shortage of R.A.B.B.I.T.s there then!

Welcome to World After Midnight

2008-11-16T20:39:00.000-08:00

Pentacle has just released a short 9 minute video clip which will change your perception of the world around you. It will explain why no one saw the credit crunch coming, why we have such difficulty aligning to stop climate change and why you are having to work so hard... With thought provoking comments and humour take a second look at the world we really live in... View here There is also a supporting website at http://worldaftermidnight.com/

Inspiring Dragons to Lead to Results

2008-11-15T08:25:00.000-08:00

The packed 250-seat arena at the University of Wales Newport was host to Lead On 2008. Over the course of the day Managers and Entrepreneurs from across Wales were challenged, inspired, provoked and allowed to network, in an event sponsored by the Wales Management Council and chaired by Christopher Ward CEO. Introduced by a member of the Welsh Assembly, Eddie Obeng delivered the first keynote on Leading to Results. Within minutes it was obvious to all present that he himself had been inspired by dragons. Over 45 minutes, he put the current financial crisis firmly in its place as a simple 'event' in a bigger pattern of change. He then went on to explain how to deliver results in our world which changes faster than we can learn. He used a short story about a money making machine shop to demonstrate how to set clear priorities in the health service and other public bodies. The session became more and more interactive as the dragons stirred and demonstrated their determination to learn to lead like never before. Eddie furiously drew and scribbled (his notes are here). Together with the Eddie, the participants went on to explore how they could lead through their behaviour, emotions, actions and thinking. No sleeping dragon was left to lie.

Mr Bean smashes the glass barriers to strategy at Pilkington

2008-11-15T08:09:00.000-08:00

Pilkington Executives were treated to a challenging session on what 'Strategy' means in the current turbulent times. Starting by referring to Porter and other traditional strategists as 'old fellows', Christophe Gillet led a romp through ideas and modern practice. He pointed out that less than 5% of 1950's Fortune 500 are discrete entities today and then went on to explain what differentiates Old and New World strategy. He illustrated the need to focus on strategic events (irreversible and organisation wide) rather than strategy, by describing the antics of Mr Bean ending with an explanation of how all trade comes from what he termed a 'misunderstanding of value'.

Nero still fiddling

2008-11-07T05:24:00.003-08:00

Weaving a future which suits us best.

2008-11-01T01:06:00.000-07:00

In a 50 minute 'tour de force' Eddie Obeng completed the round of speakers which included former German Chancellor Schroeder and the Prime Minister at the Turkish Textile Employers Association Conference, Marti Hotel Antalya. Eddie's presentation on Thriving by Making sense of the future covered all the New World fundamentals. He took time to explain how to apply the New world rules such as chunking - to manage uncertainty, going virtual - to give emerging societies and economies a level playing field with the rest of the world and Stakeholders rule! OK. as a way of identifying customer led business innovation in a demanding environment. The conference which concentrated on Globalisation, Energy and the current Financial crisis was well attended and reported on CNN Turk along with an interview by Professor Obeng

Conduire un changement d'organisation à l'échelle européenne

2008-10-28T07:15:00.000-07:00

Comment faire aboutir un projet de changement d'organisation à l'échelle européenne dans un grand groupe international tel que Johnson &Johnson ?
Comment engager la totalité des parties prenantes pour assurer l'aboutissement du projet ?
Telles étaient les questions auxquelles Johnson &Johnson a répondu en organisant un séminaire dans le cadre prestigieux du Chateauform de Faverges-de-la-Tour.
Animés par Denis Rieu, un travail en profondeur sur les différentes dimensions du changement et ses aspects émotionnels puis un retour sur le projet en cours, ont permis de répondre aux attentes de tous.
Dans un ambiance conviviale, faite de discussions et d'échanges les participants ont pu enrichir leur perception du projet et le replacer dans la dynamique du monde complexe dans lequel nous évoluons. Ils sont repartis avec des outils pratiques et pragmatiques pour eux mêmes et leurs équipes.

Flattery or Fashion at the Cutting Edge?

2008-10-27T08:50:00.000-07:00

Do you notice any similarity between the new Pentacle Navigator and a younger but larger organisation? Amazing how lightning strikes several times in the same place. I guess that's what animated the primordial soup....

Totally Absorbed

2008-10-23T03:54:00.001-07:00

Christophe Gillet and Denis Rieu rolled out their new design of the innovative Experienced Manager's program in Strasbourg for one of the world's leading energy companies. Over the course of a week the participants had a chance to learn about the global economy from Jean-Francois Richard formerly of the World Bank, Yves Henry award winning pianist on Music and Leadership, emeritus Professor Youssef Bissada and Hoda Bissada, and an amazing string of the Pentacle Team
One participant was overheard to remark, " It seems that you have assembled only geniuses to teach this course!" The participants were totally absorbed
The course was developed in close partnership with the client. The teaching rules were no death by powerpoint, real pragmatic stuff and participation.

Doh! Learning Transforms the Future... not the Past

2008-10-23T01:21:00.000-07:00

Words of wisdom from a key character from The Simpsons cartoon series. Pale-ed (aka David Lomas) got the message to Project managers from the Open University Estates Department at Burke Lodge Beaconsfield UK. It is pretty common for people in organisations with a public sector bias to have missed the big transition to the New World and as a result to assume that what has been will always be. David charmed the group with a clear rendition of the Project Type Blues in a style similar to that of one of his neighbours Homer.

Big smile melts the hearts of of hard project managers

2008-10-11T02:03:00.000-07:00

Project managers from The Open University Estates department are used to delivering tough projects. From security, through new offices to IT infrastructure all these must be delivered to a highly challenging stakeholder base. Michael Anaman worked closely with 18 of them at The Virtual Business school demonstrating through his warm approachable manner in small group work how to gain commitment from the toughest and most cynical of stakeholders

Stopping the Indians turn into Cowboys

2008-10-02T05:34:00.000-07:00

Doing business should be simple. If you want the supplier's product or service more than you want your money, and they want your money more than they want their product, then everyone comes away happy.
But this can also be hard work, and shortcuts that economise with sound ethics can look appealing, especially when business is growing at over 20%.
Will Stevens was in Mumbai last month, spending time helping young salespeople in Dow Chemicals adopt sound principles of selling that conform with honest values, and turn these into winning traits. Working with over 30 managers and sellers, Will took them on a journey to understand how people buy, how decisions are made, how to communicate an accurate and compelling business case, and how to make sure that both supplier's and customer's interests are served in a business relationship.
"...great learning experience for getting to know more about strategic selling." "...gave a thorough insight on various buying influences and their perspectives." "...the instructor was very motivating and encouraging."
This was Will's second trip to India this year. He came across no cowboys, but did eat lots of curry.

Sleeping Volcano Showers Actuaries with Sparks

2008-09-29T04:50:00.001-07:00

In spite of having had only a couple of hours sleep because of ATC problems at Heathrow, Eddie Obeng closed the Institute of Actuaries 2008 GIRO Conference in Sorrento, across the bay from Vesuvius, with a series of loud bangs and flashes! The five hundred strong audience of leading actuaries were challenged to look at the world through 'New World' eyes. Eddie's presentation covered the basic drivers of the 'credit crunch,' the impact of climate change and the need for new thinking and leadership. the tripple whammy of; pace of change> learning, interaction>movement and emergence>linearity. "In a world which changes faster than we can learn, what do we need to do differently?" he asked. He introduced them to Karl Fisch's "Did you know?" video, challenged them to develop non-linear models to match the reality of our complex world

How Project Management Saved the World

2008-09-25T01:18:00.000-07:00

At the Project Expo in Olympia London the worlds leading project event, UK delegates were treated to a very, very high speed presentation on how to deliver 'perfect projects' interlaced with an explanation of global change, environmental challenge and financial crises. Explaining that, "a speech never implemented anything", Eddie Obeng got the delegates chatting amongst themselves animatedly. He also told the now famous 'Alien Story.' After the session there was a rush for the stall selling copies of the New World Book series - All Change (listen to mpeg)and The Complete Leader (see video) proved the most popular

Rank and Xerox merge!

2008-09-23T03:45:00.000-07:00

Well not really. Only within Pentacle. Eddie Obeng's diary told the story of two sequential events. One with Rank - now one the world's most formidable gaming businesses, with several channels to market from casino's, through bingo halls, to online offerings. The breadth and depth of understanding of the gaming market is quite awesome. The next was another world. A conference for Xerox in Barcelona, where Eddie delivered three keynote sessions to audiences fascinated by the new addition to Xerox's iGen family of printers - the iGen4. Eddie explained how he had recently used online publishing to produce his most recent book The Complete Leader and how being allowed the flexibility to produce just one copy of a high quality colour book opened up the opportunities available - from customised versions for specific clients, to versions finished with the notes from a specific course. He explained the NewWorld rules, 'do nothing of no use' and 'chunk it or junk it!'

Show & Tell and Wow the Audience

2008-09-23T00:44:00.000-07:00

Eddie Obeng has been wowing audiences around the globe during his three month, pre-sales trial of the newest and coolest gadget, PaperShow from Oxford. Using a bluetooth enabled pen and a pad of specially printed paper he has worked audiences at events as diverse as Xerox iGen4 Conference in Barcelona, the Desmond Tutu African Leadership Foundation and the International Association of Conference Centres in Warwick . The kit allows him to get up close and personal, often even sitting in the audience to drive his dynamic interactive presentation. And then he put it to use in the office by illustrating a thought leadership article he was writing on Service Innovation. If you haven't put your name on the waiting list do so NOW. You can register at http://writeitshowit.com/ and quote the code UK008 so that they know where you heard about it. There's more noise about this by other bloggers

Do a million Glances make a stare?

2008-09-23T00:40:00.000-07:00

Pentacle has received the accolade of having hosted the millionth session on Glance.net. Glance which allows easy remote desktop sharing has been a staple tool for virtual working at Pentacle for five years It is used for internal meetings, on-line coaching of course delegates, new client sales conferences and perhaps most well known the Inspiration Monthlies.
In future we're just going to have to stare.

Service Innovation - Formlessness follows Free thought

2008-09-08T10:19:00.000-07:00

Form Follows Function has been a designer's mantra for decades. But what if the 'thing' being designed has no structure and instead is the journey of a customer:- the meandering, emotional rises and falls experienced by a customer who comes into contact with your organisation? Professor Colin Burns will lead an exciting session on the 18th of September. This Inspiration Monthly will explore how to extend the role of innovation to reinvent service delivery.

It will be a journey to remember. Find out more. Register now

Dodgy Deals?

2008-09-08T09:31:00.000-07:00

In collaboration with the World's No 1 Ranked Executive training outfit, Duke Corporate Education, Pentacle has been working to help the 'Tiger' deal makers at Shell even more effective. Eddie Obeng's i2o (Integrate to Operate) session featured the key New World frameworks of CradleGraveTM OpenChainTM and the famous PackOfDealsTM Typology model

Growing the Pentacle Network

2008-08-31T06:06:00.000-07:00

First rain, then sun then a deluge over the 'Growing the Pentacle Network' weekend at Pentacle UK. The virtual guests, Denis Rieu, Will Stevens, Jon Foster Pedley and Christophe Gillet brought the sessions to life with their descriptions of various aspects of life in Pentacle. This introductory session covered Pentacle staples for diagnosis, teaching and facilitating. Hopes&FearsTM led on to Killing aliens and FixItNowTM by BlowingBubblesTM through Foggy Projects to learn how to CO.A.C.H.TM .

The new members of Team5 learnt all about the customer's Learning2TransformTM journey whilst on their own transformational journey.

If you can't get your point accross... Shout!

2008-08-27T11:07:00.000-07:00

Do you want to watch Eddie Obeng shouting about Rabbits?

Brighton Rocks!

2008-08-27T07:53:00.000-07:00

500 Technical Managers from American Express gathered at the Metropole Hotel in Brighton to discover they were the talent of the future. Prof Eddie Obeng's one hour on "Enabling Business Growth" was described as 'refreshing, powerful and motivational' and the delegates 'appreciated the different perspectives offered which cut through to the real issues in the workplace with great humour and energy'

Leading to results...

2008-08-27T03:41:00.000-07:00

The Complete Leader ...Latest from Eddie Obeng & Christophe Gillet Laced with Humour... Scottish Leadership Foundation A pragmatic approach... Danone Brilliantly Different... Dorset Police Practical, applicable. relevant... Lexmark ADD TO BASKET Published by London Business Press

The Future is a Blank So Use The Right Printer

2008-08-27T03:38:00.000-07:00

Lexmark the global printing giant have turned to Pentacle to help to boost the leadership of it's major change program. 30 managers from across Europe are spending time at The Virtual Business School UK

Learning2Transform?

2008-08-27T03:37:00.001-07:00

Learning2TransformTM New solutions for a complex world - in a box! Pentacle's L2T product is becoming more and more popular. designed to provide all the great Pentacle tools like StickyStepsTM and new world concepts such as The R.A.B.B.I.T.TM model in a targeted and manageable way to large and medium sized organisations L2T will in time transform how consultancy and business management courses are delivered accross the world Read more

Inspiration? Monthly...

2008-08-27T03:36:00.000-07:00

Want to keep up with the latest NewWorld Thinking? Join us at an 'Inspiration Monthly'...Every Third Thursday of the Month New World Thinkers and Practitioners meet up to share the latest thinking why don't you join us from 18:00 UK - 20:00 UK

Web: Register for Inspiration Monthly

Lost the ability to think for yourself?

2008-08-27T03:35:00.000-07:00

Pentacle in the Media
Lost the ability to think for yourself?

Pentacle takes B-Schools by storm

2008-08-27T03:34:00.001-07:00

Over the past month Christophe Gillet has been demonstrating Pentacle's thought leadership position in a series of sessions at CEDEP, HENLEY and ESC. The topic to shake them up? Innovation more....

Ever asked yourself "How do I...?"

2008-08-27T03:33:00.000-07:00

Well now the answers are available from the new SolutionGuide and WorkPad portals...More answers to questions than you can shake a stick at! We have been collecting the questions asked in teaching sessions and now have written up answers and provided WorkPads for the most popular Click here

Best Practice Showcase and beyond

2008-08-27T03:32:00.001-07:00

Eddie Obeng was the lunchtime keynote speaker to 750 of the most knowledge hungry programme project and change managers around who attended the Conference at the London Hilton Metropole They were definitely hungry because the lunchtime keynote was sandwiched between their first course and dessert! They heard Eddie speak about subjects as diverse as the "anxiety gap" through to learning about "risk management" from extra terrestrials. He finished off Eddie's Project Survey Map a guide to prevent project managers getting lost in their projects, More.....

New Rules for New Emerging markets - Eddie's Cornerstone book now in Chinese

2008-08-27T03:30:00.000-07:00

Get a great deal on New Rules for the New World Eddie Obeng's classic on how and why great strategies and plans never deliver as planned, is available to you if you have the right language skills - Chinese
Click here for the more...

Double Decker or Double Act?

2008-08-27T03:26:00.000-07:00

When your team needs revitalising in the face of a publicity onslaught who are you going to call? No not the Ghostbusters but the Obeng and Gillet Double Act!
The A380 freightliner team were subjected to two days of provocation, inspiration and education by Eddie and Christophe.

Meet the World

2008-08-27T03:23:00.001-07:00

Collaborating with de Baak in the Netherlands Eddie Obeng provided the Keynote to their global celebration. Portrayed WITH "Dreadlocks" folliclely challenged Obeng provided the virtual fireworks to energise the event. 'Rastaman education, Yeah!' by the Prof.

More...Podcast of interview About the event

Great Relationships ... at a distance!

2008-08-27T03:18:00.000-07:00

Pentacle's Will Stevens continues his record of great applied training for Cadburys with his latest offering on Relationship Manage ment - the twist was to deliver the training completely virtually. Many said it couldn't be done but with patience (with the technology) and dedication Will did it! Participants commented on what a new but extremely useful experience it had been. Will's work demonstrates how one of the UK's Most Admired Companies should have on its products a Pentacle Inside icon!

London Develops Creatively

2008-08-27T03:17:00.000-07:00

AndyBurnett has proved that small businesses - can beat the big boys at creativity. Through a lively session he helped participants at an event sponsored by The LDA and London Innovation
Listen to the webcast

Virtual Working or Virtually Working?

2008-08-27T03:16:00.001-07:00

Pentacle's Christophe Gillet snapped at work.
How many computers?

Design Your Business

2008-08-27T03:15:00.000-07:00

David Kester CEO of the Design Council is passionate about transforming UK business through good design. However at the heart of the Council's organisation is a classic Pentacle Design - the OrganoWebTM. Pentacle's framework for ensuring that you 'never have to reorganise again because the focus, flexibility and joined-up leadership modern organisations need is at the heart of the OrganoWebTM

Success Manufactured!

2008-08-27T03:14:00.000-07:00

The Success Factory is again helping up and coming Industry Leaders to take on board real challenges in 3rd party charities. Graham Wilson and Eddie Obeng kicked the programme off at the Factory in Cheshire More...

Partners learn about C21st Management

2008-08-27T03:13:00.000-07:00

June Sebly of Henley Business School kicked off the session to 30 learning partners who had gathered to explore and understand more about what the challenges and solutions or the 21st century were More...

Tosca builds Trust

2008-08-27T03:12:00.000-07:00

Eddie Obeng joined a consortium from Cisco, Unilever, Zurich and many other top companies in their exploration of how trust influences business performance

Not the Royal Academy!

2008-08-27T03:11:00.000-07:00

The Royal Mail Academy Pentacle has been involved in helping the project team for get up and running

Project management in 21st Century - go to Delphi!

2008-08-27T03:09:00.000-07:00

Oracle and Pentacle have begun a collaboration through Project Delphi to develop the VERY BEST REAL LIFE working approach to project management for this new century If you missed the webcast on 2 March you can download the interview here or at the Oracle Website join us on 19th May for on for a morning seminar entitled Using C21st Project Management to Improve IT Performance
Peter Sparrow
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