Humansolutions Bulletin - April 18th 2019

Are you involved in student supervision or other ways of helping people learn? If so, Neil Thompson’s The Learning from Practice Manual is for you. Neil has been involved in supporting practice learning for over four decades. This hands-on manual of practice guidance encapsulates his experience and expertise in a way that readers will find very helpful. Available for purchase along with many other books by Neil here or from the Avenue Learning Centre here.

A common theme in the psychology literature is the distinction between introverts and extroverts. The former tend to prefer their own company and see social interaction as a necessary evil, rather than something to be enjoyed. The latter, by contrast, are likely to seek out and cherish social contact and may not feel comfortable when alone. These ideas have been very influential, despite the fact that they (the popularised versions at least): (i) take no account of the social circumstances (the role of culture, for example) that can be so influential in shaping behaviour and social interactions; and (ii) also tend to polarize people (that is, put them at one extreme or the other, without recognizing that people can be…

Parents and grandparents around the world are mobilising in support of the youth strikes for climate movement that has swept the globe. Under the banner Parents for the Future, 34 groups from 16 countries on four continents have issued an open letter. It demands urgent action to fight climate change and prevent temperatures rising by more than 1.5C, beyond which scientists say droughts, floods and heatwaves will get significantly worse. “What our kids are telling us is what science has been telling us for many years – there is no time left,” the letter says. “We now owe it to them to act.” Click here to read more

Two big questions currently dominate policy thinking on the world of work. The first asks how we can make our organisations more productive, and the second asks how we can improve the quality of working lives. Of course, a huge complicating factor, is how the answers to these questions will be affected by the UK’s future relationship with the European Union. Most commentators seem to agree with the Chief Economist at the Bank of England, Andy Haldane, that the productivity problem is caused by a long tail (55% of companies) not copying new ideas from the those leading the way; whatthe RSA’s Matthew Taylor described as a “poor diffusion of innovation”. Meanwhile the quality of work agenda seeks to address,…

There’s a common safe place: Being busy. We’re supposed to give you a pass because you were full on, all day. Frantically moving from one thing to the other, never pausing to catch your breath, and now you’re exhausted. No points for busy. Points for successful prioritization. Points for efficiency and productivity. Points for doing work that matters. No points for busy. Click here to read more

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