summary of writings: articles, books, and reviews

Leadership Values are at the Root of the Global Crisis –
Special Issue on Leadership Values, Organisations and People, The Journal of the Association for Management Education and Development www.amed.org.uk February 2005. A radical look at the values underlying the global crisis and positive ideas for change.

A Letter from Jamaica, short versions published in AMED News, www.amed.org.uk March 2005 and Training Journal www.trainingjournal.co.uk January 2005.
An impression of Jamaica after Hurricane Ivan; the difficulties it faces as a typical 3rd world country in the global economy, given an unfair trade system and huge interest payments. Suggests actions readers can take to lobby for fair trade and debt cancellation.

Acting in a socially and environmentally responsible way because it's the right thing to do, Training Journal, www.trainingjournal.co.uk December, 2004. The urgency of sustainability in the broadest sense, ie the environment and global justice, what companies are doing; an agenda for systemic change and the challenge for people in HRD and internal or external consulting and how they can influence.

Releasing Spirit, Energy and Creativity for Customer Service Excellence, Jamaica Customer Service Association Conference Paper, November 2004. A challenging, inspiring and practical approach to creating a culture that supports customer service excellence.

Creating a Cultural Revolution –The 21st Century Challenge for HRD, Training Journal, www.trainingjournal.co.uk, October 2004. For organisations to thrive in the 21st century global economy, workplace culture needs to release everyone's energy, creativity and leadership. We need a cultural revolution! The challenge for HRD and OD practitioners is to help leaders and their people bring this about. This article proposes ways of doing this.

British Culture is a barrier to Creativity - Leadership needs to focus on Values & Issues - An interview with Bruce Nixon by Liz Wilson, 9th July 2004

"Advertising and Marketing to Children – Everybody’s Business"- Article for the International Journal of Advertising and Marketing to Children, May 2004. Children’s diet is a major issue throughout the world. According to the World health Organisation, nearly one in six people word wide are considered over weight whilst large numbers of people are starving or malnourished.

This article offers a challenging and balanced description of the damage being done to children’s future health because of their diet and life style. It argues offers a constructive way ahead for everyone involved, including those in advertising and marketing to children, retailers and parents if we stop blaming others and accept that it is everybody’s responsibility.

"How To Facilitate a Top Team Retreat - a simple framework, People Management, 22-4-2004, A similar article, The Strategic Leadership Model, appeared in TrainingZone, July 2004. www.trainingzone.co.uk

"Do You Really Want to Transform your Company?" April 2004, This article, aimed at business leaders, is about responsible and successful business in the 21st Century and argues the starting point is the leader’s own continuing development. Your organisation is and will be a reflection of who you are. To be published.

Review for AMED Journal O&P, May 2004, Changing Conversations in Organisations – A Complexity Approach to Change, by Patricia Shaw, Routledge, 2002. Challenges conventional wisdom and offers ideas and stories from the author’s experience of using a complexity approach.

"Speaking Plainly - A New Agenda for the 21st Century", New Academy Review, March 2004, vol 2, number 4, winter 2003/4. I attempt to provide a radical, systemic understanding of global issues. I propose an agenda and, from of a living systems perspective, suggest ways forward to help change how the world does business in the 21st Century. This respected journal was founded by Anita Roddick, creator of the Body Shop. www.new-academy-review.com

Review for AMED Journal O&P, August 2003, The Hidden Connections — A Science for Sustainable Living, by Fritjof Capra, Harper Collins, 2002. An outstanding systemic view of the global system from a new sciences perspective with invaluable insights for leaders and consultants.

"Leading Business Transformation - Learning by Doing", Industrial and Commercial Training, July 2003 vol 35 issue 4, Emerald. Describes Real Time Leadership Development and the Strategic Leadership Model, a challenging and practical process for helping people bring about transformation, cultural change and learning and respond positively to the big issues of the early 21st Century.

"Releasing the Collective Intelligence of your Organisation". Generic article, published in edited form as "Columnist Article - How to Deliver Collaborative Leadership" in EuroBusiness, June 2003. A challenging and constructive look at what people in organisations say about leadership and how the process of change affects outcomes.Provides a simple process for a retreat. A similar article appeared in TrainingZONE

Review in AMED Organisations and People Journal, March 2003, "Building Tomorrow’s Company – A guide to sustainable business", Philip Sadler, Kogan Page, 2002. Positive, balanced news and constructive suggestions for the future.

"The Power and Instability of Global Financial Markets," AMED Organisations and People, November 2002 Vol 9 No 4, A radical look at the current reality of the global financial and trading system and its consequences. New thinking about the alternatives we need to explore.

Review in AMED O&P Journal, Winter, 2001, "The Silent Takeover— Global Capitalism and the Death of Democracy", Noreena Hertz, 2001, published by William Heinemann, London. A challenging eye opener as to how free market capitalism is working and not working.

Book* "Making a Difference - Strategies and Tools for Transforming your Organisation" by Bruce Nixon, June 2001, isbn 1-85252-353-0, paperback, Management Books 2000. Click Here for full description, contents, endorsements, reviews and readers comments available. This book provides practical tools, which you can use to help people transform your organisation. Written from a servant leadership perspective, it provides principles, strategies and tools for leaders of transformation and learning, including business leaders, people in HRD, internal and external consultants, students and "ordinary people. " Concise descriptions of key processes for involving people in creating change, resolving conflict and valuing difference. Four honest case studies. Described by Chris Green, CEO Virgin Trains as "This inspiring and practical book deserves to be read widely by leaders at every level, especially those at the top.  It is full of wisdom and common sense about how to lead strategic change, so essential in this era of rapid transformation and global competition" ; in People Management  "for development professionals....a must read" and in Organisations and People Journal, ExxonMobil's Jim Hopwood says "a long overdue text book on ....Real Time Management Development"

Book* "Global Forces - A Guide for Enlightened Leaders - what Companies and Individuals can Do", Nov 2000, isbn 1-85252-353, paperback, Management Books 2000, updated March 2003. Full description, contents, endorsements, reviews and readers comments available: Click Here This book presents a challenging, systemic picture of the big issues facing us at the beginning of the 21st Century; good news about many positive initiatives that are emerging; a realistic assessment of the global obstacles; and suggestions about how we will move forward to create a sustainable and fairer world. There are concise descriptions of many valuable processes for leaders, consultants and "just ordinary people", essential for finding our way forward, bringing about change and resolving conflict in a complex, unpredictable, chaotic and violent world. Described as "Brilliant - I can't remember the last time that I found a business book to be such a riveting read." Lin Arigho, MD of Aricot Vert Design, Fleet, Hampshire and winner of Best Boss Award, year 2000, sponsored by Parents at Work and Lloyds TSB, UK and  "A book of our time!  If you want to change the way you think, feel and act read this book now. It will make a difference to you, your organisation and the communities to which you contribute - indeed the World. It understands broadly yet attends closely to the details that matter. Stimulating, resourceful and accessible."  Roger Pitfield, Managing Director, NEW ERA Consulting, Milton Keynes. 

"Creating the Futures we Desire — getting the whole system into the room" Parts 1 &2 Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol 30 numbers 1&2 1998, Emerald: A description of four best known whole system processes, for releasing the collective intelligence of people and organisations; the history of their development; potential benefits and the author’s conclusions.

"Real Time Management Development", Nixon, B, AMED Journal, Organisations and People, Vol 3, No 4, November 1996. An exciting description of this simple, challenging and liberating process. It enables free spirits, to bring about transformation and learning, create a liberating culture and use their collective intelligence. It contrasts with safe, traditional, didactic, lecture theatre and classroom style leadership programmes.

"Business-Led Management Development", Nixon, B, Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol 28, No 2, 1996, Emerald Publishing and in Book* "International Executive Development Programmes", Ed Sadler, P, Kogan Page, 1996. Top rating *** for Practice Implications and Readability. Describes an approach to transforming organisations; how to release energy and spirit and empower people; create ownership by building partnership with your client, handing over your skills and enabling them to do it for themselves in their unique way. In this way people discover that they are fully capable of taking leadership and they are the best people to solve their problems for themselves.

Book* "An In-House Senior Managers’ programme for Organisational Change", Gower Handbook of Management Development, Ed Mumford, A, Fourth Edition, 1994. N/A

"Facilitating Empowerment in Organisations", Nixon, B, Leadership and Organisation Development Journal, Vol 15, No 4, 1994, Emerald. A practical and inspiring OD approach to creating an empowering culture in organisations, that addresses common purpose, male leadership conditioning and diversity. Three case studies and lessons learned.

"Developing an Empowering Culture in Organisations", Nixon, B, Empowerment in Organisations, Vol 2, No 1, 1994, pp 14-24, Emerald www.emeraldinsight.com. Leadership Model and Strategies for bringing about change and a culture that empowers, releases spirit and energy in organisations. The story of an open programme for consultants and HRD people, as leaders of transformation and learning. Emphasises the importance of valuing diversity and addressing the issue of typical male leadership. Lessons we learned we learned from our difficulties. One alumni is now HR Director of one of the largest global Supermarket businesses. Another was awarded an MBE for her work with Black Nursing Leaders.

Quotations That Speak to Our Time
Here are some quotations that speak to me about the big issues of our time. I hope they do so for you too

revised July 2006