Ian Burbidge.

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Thinking out loud…

  • On being a systems entrepreneur

    How do we move forward in an uncertain world? A systems entrepreneur recognises that whatever their interests and various areas of expertise, they are moving forward into an unknown world.… Read more

  • On existing at different speeds

    “Civilisations with long nows look after things better. In those places you feel a very strong but flexible structure which is built to absorb shocks and in fact incorporate them.”  Brian… Read more

  • On a stitch in time

    I co-authored a report into the value of foresight and futures and provide here my introduction to that work. We set out on a research journey to write a provocation… Read more

  • On the need for community ‘truth and reconciliation’ conversations

    Local conversations could help communities make sense of the impact of Covid19 as it continues to unfold, could unlock local learning, knowledge and assets, and support what will inevitably be… Read more

  • On culture as an emergent property of a complex system

    Do we really need to align our organisation around values, beliefs and purpose? This is a core question I am sitting with. It occurs to me that if everyone aligns… Read more

  • On creating the conditions for innovation

    It’s a recurring theme, that of thinking about the journey to radical innovation in the public sector. It’s one thing to say that innovation occurs within your organisation yet the… Read more

  • On countering our anti-risk instinct

    Why does the status quo prevail despite our best efforts at change? We are faced with a huge amount of content. Incoming streams of news, data, demands are sprayed at… Read more

  • On productivity

    Is the pandemic proving we can speed up by slowing down? It feels to me as though this period is full of paradoxes, and this is one of the more… Read more

  • On pandemic foresight

    These are tumultuous times, as I am now closing out my second month of working form home in a Covid19-driven lockdown. Times during which the pandemic has already upended our… Read more

  • On making sense of crisis

    How do we make sense of how the crisis is changing the world as we are living through it? Lots of conversations are taking place around how we track, learn… Read more

  • On altering states (part 5)

    Bear witness to social change  Which leads us onto the second imperative, the importance of bearing witness to change. This was brought home to me by two events only a… Read more

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