David McAra's Page

Hi Lovely David!

Welcome aboard!

Thanks, David - the new site is really impressive.
I also enjoyed yesterday evening - good to be back after a long gap.

Sheila

I've added the Link - thanks David

Hi David,
You are a miracle worker - thank you for fixing the logos.
Speak with you tomorrow.
Bx

Hi David
Thank you for your welcome.

I found out about your site by searching "organizational development" on Twitter. It's great to find a community of like-minded people, although participating in meetings could be a bit challenging from the other side of the globe - !

Regards,
Caryl

Hi, David

Thank you for your question about the missing contents of the Vol 13, No 3 Aug 2006 issue of O&P on Explication.

Yes, I was responsible for thi issue, which is the only reason I spotted their omission!

Here are the details (see below). Let me know if you'd prefer them as a Word document.

I hope this helps. Best wishes. Bob

*****
Organisations and People: Special Issue on Explication

CONTENTS: Page

PROLOGUE: TOWARDS AN UNDERSTANDING OF EXPLICATION
Bob MacKenzie & Peter Franklin
An introduction to this special issue on explication, including
an overview of the contents of this journal. 3-5

Some philosophical and theoretical aspects of explication
EXPLICATION AS A PHILOSOPHICAL ENTERPRISE
Peter Franklin
A sustained argument concerning the creation of new explicit knowledge achieved through explication. 6-11

PROSPECTS FOR THE FLOUNDERING SELF
Peter Abbs
Challenges and prospects for individual identity and self in our
postmodern world. 12-16
EXPLICATION AND CREATIVE WRITING
Graeme Harper
Explication can enhance the creativity that is inherent in ‘creative
writing’ in higher education and in management learning. 17-21

WORKING WITH EXPLICATION: FASHIONING THE PHILOSOPHER-MANAGER
Peter Franklin
The nature and role of explication in the strategic development of
people within and beyond organisations. 22-28

Explication for personal and professional development
THE EXCITEMENT OF EXPLICATION
Joanna Kozubska
Explication as a personal and professional development tool. 29-31

STORY-TELLING WITHIN PROJECT TEAMS IN POST-CONFLICT
ZONES
Joyce Leech
The uses of story-telling to accelerate and enhance the achievements
of multinational and multicultural teams. 32-39

CRITICAL FRIENDS IN EXPLICATION
Bob MacKenzie
How critical friends can help each other to create links between the
solitary and social aspects of explication. 40-48

Perspectives on explication

EXPLICATION – A PERSONAL NARRATIVE
B A Humar
An account of a critical incident that lays bare the struggle
between one aspect of self (the professional/academic) and another
(the writer/poet). 49-54

EXPLICATION AND METHOD IN THEOLOGY
Brian Smith, Bishop Of Edinburgh
Explicating actions other than words. 55-58
EXPLICATION WITHOUT WORDS – A COMPOSER’S VIEW
Sadie Harrison
Questioning the silent, implicit assumption that musical composers
must necessarily explain their art in words. 59-63

EXPLICATION - A BLACK PERSPECTIVE
Sandi Russell
The nature and importance of explication, known as 'signifyin[g]',
in black American culture. 64-66

EPILOGUE: TOWARDS THE FUTURE
Peter Franklin & Bob MacKenzie
Restates the objectives of this special issue, and invites readers
to become actively involved in developing our shared understanding
of explication. 67-68

Thanks David. I thought I'd fixed it but must have done something wrong as the fix didn't register. I think I've done it now though so hopefully the link will work.
Best regards
Barry

Thank you for whatever you did. i have now downloaded November's O and P . I look forward to reading it . Deborah Booth

Hi David - completely new to this - thanks. That is was only one I enjoy. I'll change it soon whenI've got the hang of everything!

Best

Dorothy

Hi David - thanks very much for letting me know.

Best regards

Caryl

Hi David,

I'm an MBA student with the OU Business School and was following links to David Sheppard's blog, who is a lecturer at the school. Thought i would join and see what i could learn and share.
Thanks for the welcome.
Dan

Thanks so much. The conflict I'm finding is that the one logo that really calls to me isn't the one that most people seem to like... I'm a bit torn that way! Ah well - I still have another 11 days to make a decision!!!
Thanks again,
Lisa

I was on the AMED Council a couple of years ago.

Hey David. Complete newbie, although recommended by a friend to get involved. You an AMED veteran?

You mean you can't get on the main page of my site? That's not good!

Give me a call sometime and we can chat through the integrity vs management debate when it comes to reputation! You could also give me some insight on the AMED site.

Rob. 07855 710 201

Copy of reply to AMED Council Email
Dear Belina and John,

Thank you for your warmth, I adored being addressed as a member of the ‘lovely’ AMED council. It felt warm and personal. I confirm I can attend Council Meeting 2 Oct (if you let me know venue).

I wholeheartedly support your vision of AMED as a COMMUNITY and the Objectives which you have set out for the next year.

Am horrified by financial situation which I didn’t realise was quite so knife-edge. How can I help?

Best Wishes

Deb.

ps. AMED Local Group went v. well. Members seem very keen to meet. Especially impressed by members being prepared to travel quite far for a 2 hour lunch. What I think I heard people say they would like from the Local Group included:

• Sharing stories
• Articulate thinking by verbalising it
• Network
• Talk about issues
• Have fun
• Be friendly
• Experience here and now stuff
• Learn language of OD
• Peer ‘supervision’ PPS Further thoughts about AMED


Interestingly it was decided to restrict access to the group’s AMED subsite to St Albans group members only . Are we (Amed members and potential members) feeling a need for face-to-face support right now. Is this a reaction to cyber-only networking? Is this relevant to David Shepherd’s question about virtual-only groups – do they leave people longing for real human contact, including all the non-verbals that cannot be conveyed by email etc. Maybe cyber-groups can be more sustainable if they can better emulate face to face communication, eg with webcam use?

PPS Further thoughts about AMED

This morning I heard a radio discussion about the dire future of newspapers. It was suggested that they had to build up a paying audience for a website by offering value-added that you can’t get elsewhere. They said the FT had an advantage here because the info provided was used by readers to do their jobs and they would thus be more prepared to pay for it. If AMED’s website enables subscribers to access face-to-face support (in relation to doing OD/Development work) it might be a very competetitive cyber-network (ie. meeting needs not yet noticed or met by our competitors) If so, it will lead to more people joining provided they hear about it (how do we advertise/ promote what we offer?).

John Gapper (Financial Times magazine a couple of weeks ago) describes a successful business model for internet businesses as ‘freemium’ where low costs of maintaining a free offering gets you to a place where you can ask to get paid. An established business with high fixed costs cannot afford to start giving away content at below marginal cost (without growing enough to make money from advertising or premium services) because it will go bankrupt. Implication – it must grow and take advertising and/or offer premium services which pay for free content. Is Amed growing its website through offering face-to-face support for developers (events and local groups) who will then wish to pay for O & P(by becoming full AMED members)?
What do you think?

David,

How are you? I think of you every time I see my photo on the website. You were so kind about taking the time and trouble to put it there. Hope you're having a good Summer. I hope you'll forgive me for sending you the following feedback about the website, as I'm not sure where else to send it.
Unfortunately the website is driving me nuts. Trying to send council members copy of my reply to Belina's email.
1. Can't easily find recipients because list of members not in alphabetical order. This problem is worse every day as there are more eople.
2. Why can't I send a long message if I wish? When i send along text on my phone it splits into 2 or more short ones and sends them sequentially
3. without wanting to start a group or discussion it doesn't seem obvious to a technophobe like myself how to send the same comment or message to several people simultaneously.

Best Wishes , Deb

Hi David
We started Learning Matters 2 Me in 2003 to represent the interests of local L&D people within the CIPD. We run 7 events a year, sometimes expert presenters, sometimes just sharing and discussing experiences, views and ideas on L&D topics or methods. Always participative and lively, what with us being trainers and facilitators! If you contact Cheryl Myles, the CIPD Branch Development Mgr at c.myles@cipd.co.uk , she'll put you in touch with someone in the N of Scotland Branch in Aberdeen. Do mention my name. Maybe you can do a joint event or reciprocal invitations, like we did with Belina.
Regards, Will

Hi David
Me - I have been a member of AMED many years on and off (the 'off' is when I have forgotten to send my subscriptions in).
Listening is so key to my work - yet I struggle everyday with really understanding what it means - 'dialogue' was my thesis for my MSc and this was a 'quote' that has been kept at the forefront of mind in my consulting practice.
Anyway it is nice to make a connection.
Regards
Jamie