After a great Day 1 I had high hopes for the second day of SCiO's annual conference. Although the opening panel session on Systems Thinking in Government inexplicably didn't get beyond introductions and positioning statements in the time allotted, the rest of the day was fantastic.
…About 10 days ago, I discovered that SCiO's annual conference was happening this week down in Cranfield. After checking that I had air cover from my better half, I booked my place and so I find myself down here after a ~4 hour drive from Northumberland.
…I’ve just realised that yesterday’s post about consequentialism is closely related to something I studied as part of my postgraduate Systems Thinking qualification: Critical Systems Heuristics, or CSH. The 2x2 grid I shared in that post was a way of resisting the lazy claim that a system is justified merely because it “works”. CSH provides a more disciplined way to ask what is hidden behind that claim.
…One of the advantages and drawbacks of having studied Philosophy, History, Education, and Systems Thinking while having a background in technology is that you realise that everything... is just made up. Not just in a Steve Jobs "everything around you around was made by someone no smarter than you" kind of way, but in a William James "blooming, buzzing confusion" kind of way.
…I attended a workshop on May 1st, 2026 with Annalise Lewis of Manifesto which was so good I followed-up with her for some 1:1 coaching. What follows are my notes from that initial workshop, which I scribbled down in a notebook.
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