This is a summary of Philip Atkinson's new article published in the Journal of the Chartered Institute of Management Services Summer Journal 2026

​Creating a Culture of Innovation

• Few organisations successfully embed innovation; many only experiment without full commitment.
• Key principles include establishing foundational attitudes and mindsets that permeate all levels.
• Interventions from manufacturing and non-manufacturing sectors highlight the importance of leadership, strategic milestones, and consistent messaging.
• Innovation issues to consider involve threats, opportunities, organisational meaning, flow of innovation, metrics, strategic integration, and communication.

Continuous Improvement and Creativity

• Innovation spans approaches like Kaizen, Rapid Improvement, and CANI, emphasising error-free implementation.
• High-performing projects, such as GE’s Workout process, focus on simplifying processes, boosting morale, and speeding responses.
• Developing internal change agents and cross-functional teams supports quality, cost reduction, and cultural shifts.
• Re-designing roles into change agents and fostering customer-focused strategies drive operational excellence.

Problem Ownership and Implementation

• Ownership is critical; without it, change efforts often fail.
• Top-down approaches frequently lack genuine commitment; problems tend to be addressed temporarily or by the most affected individuals.
• Shared ownership across functions is rare but essential for permanent solutions.
• Problems often recur because root causes remain unaddressed, especially when control over variables is limited.

Corrective vs Preventive Action

• Corrective actions are tactical, short-term fixes that address symptoms.
• Preventative actions are strategic, long-term, and aim to solve problems permanently by addressing root causes.
• Many organisations focus on fixing issues after they occur, leading to rework and ongoing problems.
• A shift to a preventative culture reduces firefighting and promotes cross-functional problem-solving.

Firefighting Culture and Problem Repetition

• Organisations reacting to symptoms rather than causes risk escalating problems and damaging competitiveness.
• Problems tend to re-emerge when big issues are not permanently fixed.
• Control over variables influences the ability to solve problems; shared control across functions is often lacking.
• Effective problem solving requires clear ownership and responsibility, which is often absent due to blame and fuzzy demarcation.

Case Studies and Practical Applications

• A catering equipment company faced severe cash flow and delivery issues due to reactive, short-term decisions.
• Cultural change initiatives, like GE’s Workout, fostered confidence, simplicity, and speed, leading to performance improvements.
• A major agricultural equipment firm implemented cross-functional projects and developed change agents to embed quality and cultural change.
• Internal audit and risk teams in a UK insurance company learned behavioural skills to influence commercial teams and ensure compliance.

Behavioural and Personal Change

• Training emphasises authentic self-confidence, influence, and communication skills.
• Modules focus on body language, persuasion, handling objections, and creating a strong personal image.
• Role plays and tailored exercises help professionals influence others effectively, especially in challenging environments.
• The approach draws on research in psychology and behavioral sciences to enhance interpersonal influence.

Learning Styles and Problem-Solving

• The Kolb learning style emphasises experiential, reflective, conceptual, and active approaches.
• Recognising individual preferences helps develop more effective problem-solving strategies.
• Increased awareness of diverse styles prevents over-reliance on one method and promotes balanced approaches.

Author and Expertise

Philip Atkinson specialises in strategic cultural and behavioural change with over 30 years of experience.
His work spans industries including pharmaceuticals, automotive, finance, NHS, and local government.
He has authored seven books and offers workshops, consulting, and research-based training to support organisational transformation.

The summary of an article in the Spring Edition of the Chartered Management Services Journal discusses strategies for implementing a "Right First Time" mentality in organisational change to improve efficiency and reduce waste in both the public and private sectors.

The document primarily focuses on developing a "Right First Time" mentality to drive cultural and organisational change, emphasising the economic benefits of reducing the "Cost of Service Delivery" (COSD). The key findings and conclusions are:

1. Importance of Culture Change: Effective culture change is essential for securing an organisation's future, improving economic outcomes, enhancing customer satisfaction, and fostering a competitive edge. It shifts organisations from a reactive, firefighting mode to a preventive, planning-oriented approach.
   
2. Negative Cultural Factors: Four key factors hinder effective culture change:
   • Poor or no leadership in decision-making.
   • A short-term tactical focus rather than strategic planning.
   • Silo mentality, which limits cross-organisational collaboration.
   • Firefighting prioritises solving past problems over preventing future ones.
     
3. Cost of Service Delivery (COSD): COSD represents the hidden costs of rework, inspection, and the lack of preventive measures. These costs can account for 20-40% of labour or operating costs in service-based organisations. Reducing COSD can significantly improve profitability and efficiency.
   
4. Rework and Inspection Costs: Rework and inspection are major contributors to COSD. Rework involves fixing errors and repeating processes, while inspection focuses on controlling service levels. Both are costly and often result from a lack of preventive measures.
5. Prevention as a Solution: Investing in prevention is critical to reducing COSD. Preventive activities, such as training, planning, and process improvement, can eliminate unnecessary rework and inspection, leading to significant cost savings and improved organisational performance.
6. Economic Benefits of Culture Change: Implementing a preventive culture can drastically reduce COSD, leading to substantial financial benefits. For example, a small service-based SME with a turnover of £10 million could save £1 million annually by reducing COSD by 50%, which is equivalent to doubling its profit.
7. Strategic Goals: Organisations should prioritise reducing COSD, not as a cost-cutting exercise but as a strategic initiative to improve efficiency, competitiveness, and service delivery.
8. DOGE Initiatives: DOGE (Department of Government Efficiency) principles, which focus on reducing waste and inefficiency, can be applied across both the public and private sectors to drive culture change and improve service delivery.

In summary, the article advocates for a shift from reactive to preventive organisational cultures, emphasising the economic and operational benefits of reducing COSD through strategic culture change initiatives.
If you would like a copy of this article, please email [email protected]
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This month, I focus on the key message of a book by Gary Keller. It’s called ‘The One Thing’  and concentrates on developing a strategy to achieve massive goals. To explain the approach, he applies the domino principle to goal-setting, where the goal is demanding, stretching, audacious and enormous in scope and scale. It is best explained by picturing a set of overlapping dominoes equally spaced on a table-top so that if one domino falls, it brings down the next and so forth – no matter in what shape they are configured. When falling, Keller tells us that a single domino has the power to knock down a domino that is 150% as big as itself. That’s important to remember. More on that later.  

My message is driven by Keller’s assertion in ‘The One Thing’ that Multitasking is a myth. Research in Neuroscience suggests that we can only consciously focus on one thing at a time to do it well. If we spread our focus across many goals at once, we do none of them well. Some people say that’s not true, citing the example of being able to ‘drive a car and hold a phone call’ simultaneously. Fact-based research tells us that we cannot do this and that it is neither desirable, sensible, safe, nor extremely dangerous. Let’s get back to focusing on that One Big Goal.
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What Big Goal will take you to the next level?

This month, I am focusing on the ‘One Thing’ and applying the thinking to the ‘One Big Goal’ that faces you, no matter what type of organisation you work in. I am not talking about small objectives, but the big ‘One Goal’ aspirational will take your organisation to the next level. Let’s focus on the One Big Goal you have to achieve in the next three years.

Aspirational Goals

Depending on your organisation, the big goal could be increasing client and customer acquisition by 50%, improving donations to your Charity by 100%, recruiting more than 30% of the community, improving service or end-user, patient, or recipient care by a challenging percentage, or something else.   This is how you can use the thinking.

Putting ‘One Thing’ into Practice

Now, define the desired big goal you want to achieve in 3 years in precise terms. Now consider and answer these six questions.

1. What big thing can I do this year to achieve my goal in 3 years?
2. What big thing can I do this month to achieve my three-year goal?
3. What big thing can I do this week to achieve my goal for this month?
4. What big thing can I do today to achieve my goal for this week?
5. What big thing can I do right now to achieve my goal for today?

For instance, what you do today will contribute to your Big Goal in 1095 days (365 x 3).

Impact of taking daily Action on One Big Thing
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Remember the beginning of the Blog, where I said that a domino has the mass to knock the next domino over, which is 150% bigger than the original domino – well, this is where things get really exciting. According to the book:

• By the 18th domino, the cumulative impact of the initial domino would be to knock over the Leaning Tower of Pisa
• By the 23rd domino, the cumulative impact of the initial domino would be to knock over the Eiffel Tower
• By the 51st domino, the cumulative impact of the initial domino would be to knock something down bigger than Everest
• By the 57th domino, the cumulative impact of the initial domino would be to knock something over the size of the Moon

Applying it to your Business

This all started with one domino. So how can you apply this to your One Big Goal?
It means that if you plan your strategy for one big goal, you can do something every day to start achieving it. This, in turn, means you should set yourself this ‘One Big Goal’ and start working on it as soon as you can.
It makes you think – doesn’t it?

The One Thing Notes

Successful people all share a single-minded focus on a single subject or passion. The goal had to be enormous and all-consuming. One obstacle that inhibits focus on a single thing is the belief that every task is equally essential for progress,
What single thing will make other tasks easier or irrelevant?
To make focus, and the success that it creates, into a habit requires consistent application and reminders. Using focus to pursue individual fulfilment will bring happiness.
Day-to-day strategies that facilitate focus include blocking out time for work on that focus, working toward mastery of a skill or subject, using purposeful rather than entrepreneurial thinking, and building accountability. Success also requires the ability to turn down opportunities, embrace chaos, maintain health, and build a supportive environment.

1. Common assumptions about productivity, including work ethic, Multitasking, and setting realistic goals, are contradicted by scientific evidence on what actually creates productivity.
2. What single thing can they do to make the rest of their tasks easier or unnecessary?
3. Issue visual reminders.
4. Focusing on a single purpose can bring happiness while pursuing fulfilment.
5. Time-blocking is the key strategy.
6. Four factors that obstruct productivity include being unable to turn down opportunities, avoiding chaotic situations, inattention to personal health, and an unsupportive environment.

Key Takeaways

1. The best strategy for productivity is to do fewer things and to focus on them entirely. The best approach is to narrow focus to only the things that make future achievements easier and then build momentum over time.
2. Focus on a single product, industry, or niche.
3. The focus question is composed of three parts. It refers to doing just one thing, immediately. That thing should be practical and as impactful as possible at that time.
4. Ambitious and particular – double turnover in six months
5. Visual cues, reminders and being personally accountable.
6. Schedule uninterrupted blocks of time to work without distractions, and time to properly unwind after a hard day of work.
7. Purposeful thinking is not driven by circumstances, but instead by the single-minded pursuit of a goal.
8. Four factors that obstruct productivity include being unable to turn down opportunities, avoiding chaotic situations, inattention to personal health, and an unsupportive environment at work or home.

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I watched Camilla Tominay’s interview with Arthur Laffer on the Daily T (Daily Telegraph) podcast. It was well worth the 40-minute episode. What an intelligent and humble man. He certainly does not look or sound like the 85-year-old man. I knew of the Laffer curve many years ago, when I was a lecturer in Economics, and it has been very much in the news lately, with Rachel Reeves set to use it to shape her Budget on 26 November.

What is the Laffer Curve?

Arthur Laffer’s curve has played a notable role in shaping tax policy debates in the UK, particularly during major fiscal reforms and in ongoing discussions about the balance between efficiency, equity, and revenue generation. While the theoretical insights of the Laffer Curve are valuable, its practical application requires careful analysis and consideration of the UK’s unique economic and social context. The Treasury must weigh the incentives created by tax rates against the need to fund public services and maintain a fair tax system.
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Possible Implications

The Laffer Curve suggests several possible outcomes and guiding principles for fiscal policy. The Laffer Curve, as a conceptual tool, is likely to inform debates about setting optimal tax rates to maximise revenue without discouraging economic activity.

Potential Impact on Income Tax Policy

If the Budget proposes adjustments to the top rate of personal income tax, the Laffer Curve framework can help forecast how these changes could affect government revenue and taxpayer behaviour. Raising rates too high may encourage tax avoidance or prompt high earners to relocate, leading to diminishing returns. At the same time, rates set too low could reduce the funds available for public services.

Will she raise income taxes on the wealthy or focus more on the greater number of professional middle-class professionals and managers?

Corporate Taxation and Investment

For corporate tax, predictions grounded in the Laffer Curve would focus on maintaining rates that attract investment while ensuring adequate revenue. Will she increase Corporation tax and incentivise enterprise?

Excessive corporate tax rates might deter business location and investment in the UK, whereas rates that are too low may struggle to fund key government initiatives. I doubt she will decrease the current rate.

Consumer Spending & Indirect Taxes

Although the Laffer Curve’s application to VAT is less straightforward, any significant increase in these taxes could reach a point where revenue gains flatten or fall due to changes in consumer behaviour.

Limitations and Predictions

Predictions based on the Laffer Curve must be made with caution, as the exact revenue-maximising rates are not empirically determined and vary by context. Over-reliance on these theoretical models could lead to tax cuts that reduce government revenue, with potential consequences for public services.

Fiscal Strategy

The Laffer Curve will likely serve as a reference point in Rachel Reeves’s Budget discussions, encouraging a careful balance between incentivising growth and ensuring robust public funding.

The ultimate predictions hinge on the empirical realities of the UK economy: policymakers must rely on evidence-based analysis rather than purely theoretical projections, ensuring that any changes are suited to the current social and economic climate. There does not seem to have been a critical analysis of Rachel’s logic so far.

When putting the Budget together, it’s important to remember that the Laffer Curve is just one way to look at tax policy.

In the real world, factors such as the cost of complying with the rules, how the UK stacks up against other countries, and broader economic conditions all have a significant impact on what happens when taxes change. That’s why decision-makers should mix in research, talk to people who know what’s going on, and look at past experiences to find a good balance that works for both the government’s goals and what society needs.

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Here is the summary of my new article being published by the Chartered Inst. of Management Services in December 2025. If you would like a copy of the article email contact me here [email protected]
 



​Unlock lasting change: discover how shifting just 5% of leadership behaviours can transform performance by 97%.

This document explores how personal change in behaviour and identity is fundamental to achieving lasting corporate and individual transformation. It emphasises that real change begins internally and reflects outwardly through new behaviours, self-disclosure, and commitment, rather than superficial or cosmetic adjustments.

• Behaviour drives lasting change: Change is effective only when individuals alter their behaviours and interactions, demonstrating commitment through new actions rather than mandates. 
• Personal change is core to corporate improvement: Sustainable organisational change depends on changes in the behaviour of leaders at the individual level, without which initiatives fail or become cosmetic. 
• Resistance to change is often passive: People tend to resist change due to discomfort with admitting flaws and fear of losing control, frequently manifesting as passive resistance rather than active opposition. 
• Inner dialogue shapes success or failure: Internal self-talk influences emotions and performance, with negative dialogue triggering fear and physiological stress responses, which impede achievement.
• Fear arises from anticipation: It is unique because it relates to future events that have not yet occurred, often fueled by negative inner dialogue that inhibits risk-taking and growth.
• Changing inner dialogue changes behaviour: Overriding negative automatic thoughts with positive conscious triggers can break harmful patterns and enable new empowering behaviours.
• Methodology for reframing fears: The document provides examples of replacing negative beliefs, such as fear of public speaking or resistance to change, with positive affirmations to enhance personal effectiveness.
• Personal success influences organisational change: Individual commitment and success in behaviour change inspire others, fostering a culture of genuine transformation rather than superficial compliance. 
• Small behavioural changes yield significant impacts: Altering a vital 5% of leadership behaviours can significantly improve organisational performance, highlighting the importance of starting change from within. 

 
 
To create a tipping point of impacting performance by 97%, we may only have to change the vital 5% of behaviours. This is a simple example of the techniques which can release the abilities and potential, not just of people, but also of organisations. Those in charge of change need to commit to real change, which begins from the inside out. Those who are committed to leading the process will create a legacy for themselves and their organisations.

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Last month, we discussed the importance of Team Bonding. This month, we outline practical Team-Bonding activities and how to overcome challenges that may get in your way.

1. Trust-Building Exercises
Exercises such as trust falls, blindfolded obstacle courses, or “two truths and a lie” help create a foundation of trust. Make sure these activities are accessible and comfortable for all team members.

2. Collaborative Challenges
Escape rooms, scavenger hunts, or problem-solving games require participants to work together towards a common goal, highlighting the strengths of each contributor.

3. Creative Projects
Art, music, or design challenges allow team members to engage their creativity and showcase hidden skills. Collaborative art projects, for example, can be displayed in the office as a reminder of collective effort.

4. Storytelling Circles
Invite each person to share a story from their life or career. This fosters empathy, reduces barriers, and reveals common ground.

5. Learning Lunches
Host sessions where team members teach each other about hobbies, skills, or areas of expertise. Not only do these lunches build knowledge, but they also celebrate the diversity within the group.

Overcoming Challenges in Team Bonding
While the benefits of team bonding are clear, challenges can arise, such as:

Remote or Hybrid Work
Distance can make spontaneous connection difficult. Utilize virtual team-building tools, schedule regular video calls, and create online spaces for informal chats.

Personality Clashes
Differences in communication or working styles can cause friction. Encourage self-awareness, empathy, and adaptability to bridge these divides.
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Time Constraints
Busy schedules can limit opportunities for bonding. Integrate bonding into existing routines—such as starting meetings with icebreakers or designating time for recognition.

Measuring the Impact of Team Bonding
To ensure your efforts are effective, establish metrics for success. These may include:

• Employee engagement scores
• Turnover rates
• Team productivity and goal attainment
• Feedback from team members about their sense of belonging and trust

Regularly review these metrics and adapt your strategies as needed.

Summary
​Effective team bonding doesn’t happen by chance. It is the result of thoughtful planning, inclusive leadership, and a genuine commitment to each team member’s well-being. By embracing principles of trust, respect, and shared purpose, and by utilising a variety of bonding strategies and activities, teams can forge connections that weather challenges and drive collective achievement. The investment in team bonding pays dividends in productivity, innovation, and overall satisfaction—transforming a group of individuals into a united, resilient, and high-performing team.

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