Latest thinking

The sound of one hand innovating

Blog

12 Feb 2013

Matthew Taylor

The great American comedian Shelley Berman (here is one of his funniest tropes) once said this:

The longest journey begins with a single step

Blog

11 Feb 2013

Matthew Taylor

Perhaps it was exhaustion after last year’s annual lecture but I haven’t for some time written about Cultural Theory and my various attempts to stretch and apply it. Some recent conversations have led me back.

How to set up a pop-up shop

Blog

11 Feb 2013

Kayte Judge FRSA ran 'We Are Bedford', a project supported by RSA Catalyst that used empty shops as creative spaces.  In this guest blog she shares her experience of setting up pop-up shops. 

In Search of a Prime Example

Blog

08 Feb 2013

Jonathan Rowson

If you are interested in Social Psychology (and who isn't?) you'll be well aware of some of the wonderful experiments on priming i.e. situations where participants are exposed to a certain kind of stimulus that influences their response to a future stimulus. The evidence on priming appears to suggest, for instance, that:

No more dogsbodies?

Blog

07 Feb 2013

Matthew Taylor

There is a subtle but important link between two of today’s depressing news headlines: the scandal at Mid Staffs Hospital and the confirmation by the IFS that economic sluggishness means the worst of public sector austerity is still to come.

National Curriculum behold, here come the Grand Curriculum Designers!

Blog

07 Feb 2013

It’s more than the national curriculum, more than lesson planning and bigger than building knowledge! Let’s design a curriculum by first asking Why...

The Wit and Wisdom of Jules Evans

Blog

06 Feb 2013

Jonathan Rowson

I first met Jules Evans at a Franco-British council's conference on the measurement of well-being. That's him with the microphone, and yours truly listening intently.

Understanding your values - a group exercise (+ new UK values report)

Blog

05 Feb 2013

An invitation from leadership coach Lee Chalmers FRSA enticed me to a very enjoyable launch event for an interesting research report by the Office for National Statistics and the Barrett Values Centre on the UK’s national and community values - including the UK’s very high - 59% - level of ‘cultural entropy’, a measure of dysfunctional values. [pullquote]what would a private detective think about your values if they followed you around for six months?[/pullquote]

Soap dodging: Would you shower less to save the planet?

Blog

05 Feb 2013

Do you care about climate change? Do you think you have a role to play in helping to reduce carbon emissions? Would you make small changes if you knew they would make a difference? What’s stopping you?