The Swiss Cheese Model is one which describes accident causation as a series of events which must occur in a specific order and manner for an accident to occur. A stack of unique individual slices of cheese is analogous to an organisational system – where each layer contains a gap. Accidents occur when a process [...]

The personal performance model is one that needs to be used like a survey – for a period of three weeks, fill this model rating each category (three of them) on a scale of 0 – 10. To do this, every day rate your tasks (as a group) by answering the following questions: Want to: [...]

How do you go about remembering all the information you get and want to keep … and how do you keep it in memory for a long time? Long term memory has two components: retrievability and stability. In other words, how close is the memory to our consciousness and how deeply engrained is the information [...]

At some point, we all fall to one of two misfortunes: Being tasked with a monstrous and seemingly impossible job. Hitting ourselves over the head with a blunt object hoping that an excruciatingly boring job comes to an end Somewhere in between those two lies a dynamic sweet spot; always keeping you on your toes [...]

The Hersey-Blanchard Model is a tool to manage and direct people based on situational factors. The model consists of two parts: a process (top) and a matrix (graph). The matrix is a tool designed for leaders and reads from right to left starting with S1 (Situation 1: Directing) to S4 (Situation 4: Delegating). The process [...]

The model above was developed by Drexler and Sibbet, founders of The Grove consulting.The model is self explanatory really, so I won’t dive into details. Follow the steps from 1 – 7 that take you through the stages of creating and sustaining a team. Each stage has outcomes based on failure to resolve or succeeding [...]

The Prisoner’s Dilemma is a classic game theory problem that shows how communication can drastically affect outcomes. The image is self explanatory: two prisoners are offered a deal, if one confesses the other gets 20 years, if none confess both get 1 year, and if both confess they each get 5 years in prison. Trust [...]

In the early 20th Century, a major development in philosophy took place called the Linguistic Turn. Not to bore you into a state of comatose ~ the linguistic turn is based on the notion that language constitutes reality and is not a transparent medium for thought. In layman’s terms: your language defines the way you [...]

This is probably my favourite model that has roots in organisational behaviour and psychology. The Single Loop The first loop involves formulating a strategy, actioning/executing it, and then doing the same provided outcomes from the first iteration of the loop. Note: outcomes might be intended or unintended and can impact the person in the loop [...]

Conflict is the condition that debilitates communication – the best way to overcome conflict is to understand the situation and understand your position in context (self awareness). The conflict resolution model helps you identify the type of conflict and possible outcomes to better understand the situation and your role n the conflict resolution. There are [...]