Ban: Health experts in US predict abortions will continue, but will be harder to obtain legally
In June, the US Supreme Court ruled that the constitution does not confer the right to an abortion. Now, 13 states have greatly restricted access to the procedure, and about a dozen more are expected to follow suit. For a high-income country to take such a giant leap towards prohibiting...
‘Changing people’s behaviour is like trying to change your socks while a whole football team holds you down’
As I survey the landscape of my past year’s collaboration experiment, I see that there actually are signs of hope among the smouldering remains. The benefits of a shared computer space, where groups of people can collectively create, access and edit information, are undeniable. There’s no better way to get...
Scrappy Project Management: Brace for huge adoption hurdle for new tools and behaviours
Each New Year’s Day, I choose a theme to guide and inspire me throughout the year, or at least distract me from whatever ills are plaguing the planet – most recently the “doom and gloom” economy. When January 1 rolled around last time, I was still swooning from the aftereffects...
Scientists successfully challenge belief that brain death is final after Yale researchers revived pigs’ hearts
The pigs had been dead for an hour. The cause: cardiac arrest. But six hours after researchers at Yale University connected their bodies to a machine pumping a nutrient-rich fluid, their organs began to show signs of life again. Although the organs didn’t suddenly start working normally, some of the...
Funding of Kenya’s standard gauge railway still shrouded in mystery as president Kenyatta exits power
When Kenya decided to build the standard gauge railway (SGR), it turned to China, which was then prompting its state-owned firms to find investment opportunities in Africa and other parts of the world. Even though it was financed by taxpayers, there was no competitive bidding for the project, a move...
Conflict and criminality: Illegal artisanal gold mining, worth $8m, becomes security threat to South Africa
Illegal and unregulated artisanal gold mining on the Witwatersrand Basin in Gauteng is an increasing threat to community, industrial and state security. Reports on turf wars between rival gangs, or shootouts between illegal miners and security officers are commonplace. But recent incidents point to a spike in the scale of...
After six months of Russian invasion, Polish hosts are exerting pressure on Ukrainian refugees to return home
Ukrainians who do not already have relatives or friends in Warsaw – or elsewhere in Poland – and who haven’t been able to secure their own housing, are still staying with Polish hosts. But that arrangement is becoming less and less sustainable as the war in Ukraine goes on. At...
Humanitarian agencies warn support for Ukrainian refugees in Poland is running out of steam
Poland’s right-wing government has garnered praise for the generous welcome it has extended to refugees from neighbouring Ukraine. But as Russia’s invasion enters its sixth month, aid workers and local civil society activists are warning that the relatively well-managed reception so far could soon start running into problems as volunteers...
Learn from mistakes, fail forward: Businesses were not created to exploit workers and make fortunes for owners
So, why aren’t effective managers, admired leaders, engaged employees and healthy organisational cultures as common as blades of grass? They could be! It’s been known for decades how to do better. There’s nothing standing between us and highly engaged, motivated and productive teams, except perhaps the discipline to spend time...
Manage cows, lead people: Global epidemic of disengaged employees and dysfunctional organisations
Early in my career I was a new product development programme manager at HP’s Scientific Instruments Division in the heart of Silicon Valley. The first project I led was a critical product redesign with a demanding schedule. So, I was dismayed to see this sign hanging at the desk of...
