“This way for disruptive innovation!” says Roy. Diya, Carla and I follow him to the sales floor where Sanj, Daz and Benny from Food Packaging Monthly are pitching to clients. Their desks have been radically altered. They still have a monitor and keyboard like everyone else. But unlike everyone else, they’re walking on treadmills. “The agile … Continue reading The Three Pioneers

“We’re here to pay homage to the power of the machine,” says Roy. We are squeezed, he and I, in the cupboard which hosts our IBM server. Its little lights blink in the dark. “This bad motherfucker,” he says, “can process multiple massive data sets and run advanced analytics and modelling at the same time.” … Continue reading The SuperComputer

We’re hiring an editor for Mining Technology Today. Carla, an Australian, has come for an interview. In her beret and trench coat she looks like a spy. A cool look, I think. I study my list of interview questions. "Can you tell me about a time you’ve learnt from a mistake?" I ask. “A woman of … Continue reading Goats in Mongolia

“This is a meeting to review your progress,” says the HR person, sitting with my boss on the other side of the table. “Okay,” I say. “How do you feel you are succeeding in your mission?” They stare at me, unsmiling. A number of factors are conspiring against me. I don't know how I feel … Continue reading The Great Escape

“Act as if you owned the business,” says Roy, kicking off our weekly team meeting. “Imagine the results,” he says, “of everyone thinking and acting like entrepreneurs, with a shared belief in our purpose and a shared focus on the bottom line.” “Harnessing the power of an ownership culture,” he says. “That’s what I’m talking … Continue reading Rocket Science

I have a meeting with a woman from IT. She unfolds a giant sheet of paper. It’s a riot of multicolour boxes, arrows and connecting lines. “This logigram," she says, "shows how the various parts of the organisation are implicated in your work processes.” I look at the thing, nodding gravely. I have no idea … Continue reading The Logigram

Our firm has introduced 360 degree performance reviews. They work like this: Your manager reviews your performance, as do the people around you, and the people below you (should there be any). HR want to discuss my review with me. Something is up. “Your manager’s feedback was fine,” says the HR person, "and your peers … Continue reading The Monocrat

"We all have a great deal to learn from NASA,” says Roy. We are climbing up the staircase, after having circled the sales floor and gone in and out of the kitchen. Roy calls it 'innovation by walking about'. He says idea generation increases by 30% when discussions take place on the hoof. “Do we?’” I … Continue reading Life on Mars

“Can you write something about our successes in gender mainstreaming?” asks the boss. “Sure,” I say. I don’t know what gender mainstreaming is. I have to look it up. Integrating a gender perspective into the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies, regulatory measures and spending programmes. I re-read the sentence several times. Sometimes I … Continue reading Caveman

Harry is telling us about hot yoga. He’s signed up for an after-work class in Aldgate. It's not out of any interest in Eastern culture; he saw it as a way to get laid. “There was me and eight women,” he says, “all sweating away in their lycra. In that respect it was splendid.” “But how does … Continue reading Hot Yoga