Somewhere between blogs and the open road, between a carefully argued reflections and a quietly observed heron, lies the territory this site tries to map.
This is a site about two people who have not yet managed to keep work and life entirely separate — and have largely stopped trying. We take our work seriously, perhaps sometimes too seriously. Between us we have years of professional experience and a shared enthusiasm for wanting – or is it a need – to understand, discuss and reflect on what lies behind a concept.
Work and life is however not exclusive. We enjoy both the splendour and variety of the landscapes and the often overlooked small beauties our country offers. We find a balance, in creating pictures through words and diagrams, a quiet compulsion to pay close attention to a line made by a pencil, or the fleeting sighting of a bird in the early morning sky.
We find that the people we most enjoy working with tend to be interested in more than one thing. If that sounds like you, you are probably in the right place. For those who arrived with a more professional purpose, you will find information about Jan, alongside reflections that sit somewhere on the spectrum between academic or merely opinionated. You will also find some of his graphite drawings and, photographs of birds who remained entirely indifferent to being studied.
Have a look around
The reflections are not a number of disconnected posts but will build up to a coherent whole aimed at a business management audience. Over the next few weeks, strategic thinking, cultural understanding, and change management will be considered from a systems perspective… One reflection a week.
The focus is not on one-size-fits -all solutions or how to, but as the name indicates, discuss aspects to reflect on when creating unique solutions for a turbulent and changing world.
Read them here
Birding:
When the tools used to aid in one hobby leads to another, bird-photography.
The idea behind this gallery is primarily to share the joy and beauty of South African birds. There are many more and the gallery will grow as we have time to process and name them. As amateurs, we ask all birders to please let us know if we mis-identified one.
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Graphite Doodles.
When not busy reflecting, birding, editing photos or running around, the muse might have time to catch up.
Sometimes – seldomly – I grab a pencil and start making marks on paper. It is a slow process but eventually an image emerges. For me the most important aspect is not the image but the effect it has on me. The state of peacefullness experienced while drawing.
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Reflection 14 – Levels of OD (Functional vs Strategic)
Departmental or Strategic Organisation Development. Introduction Organisation Development (OD) has, since its formalisation in the mid-twentieth century, carried a persistent ambiguity of scope. In its most familiar guise, OD is a practice —... READ MORE
Reflection 13 – Why Organisations Look the Same.
Why Do Organisations Always End Up Looking the Same? Deep down, are they different? 1. The Central Puzzle: Despite the enormous differences between organisations in what they do, where they operate, and when they... READ MORE
