Practice Notes

What’s new in the world?

A great book for the summer: The Idea Hunter

It’s that time again. We always recommend a good read for the summer. This
year we’re going for The Idea Hunter: How to Find the Best Ideas and Make
Them Happen, Andy Boynton and Bill Fischer, Jossey-Bass, 2011.

It’s an easy read, but gives you the theory and practice of looking for ideas and
being creative. One of their messages is a valuable one: innovation is fueled by
diversity. That means taking ideas from one setting and using them in others.

To do this successfully, you need to be regularly idea watching. They
recommend building a personal platform of observation to gain new ideas.
First of all, know what to observe, ie the issue you need ideas for. Then, train
yourself f to notice things. Pay attention to noticing things. Make notes in a
daily notebook. Then start prototyping.

It’s one thing to notice the world around you. Also, notice yourself – what you
like and dislike, how to react to certain experiences and products.

Read more in the Idea Hunter and enjoy.

The Chief Ombudsman’s refusal to release information about National’s asset
sales during the election campaign

Check out http://www.ombudsmen.parliament.nz/imagelibrary/100448.pdf
It’s the Chief Ombudsman’s eight–page reasoning for backing the Treasury and
the Minister of Finance in not releasing documents about the mixed ownership
model, ie asset sales.

The Labour Party; Guyon Espiner, TVNZ; and Russel Norman, Green Party all
asked for background documents. The Chief Ombudsman refused stating that
the withholding grounds outweighed the public interest. Specifically she argued
there was a “credible risk of harm by disclosure, heightened by the potential
economic implications of premature release. While there is an exceptionally
strong public interest in disclosure of information that may help voters to decide
how to exercise their vote, I am not persuaded that the specific information
concerned in this case would provide such assistance.”

In our view, the Ombudsman was wrong. As a major election issue, it
was clearly in the public interest to release these documents. The eight-
page opinion takes you through intellectual summersaults that are far from
convincing.

It also contradicts the view of a previous Ombudsman, who ruled during the
2005 general election that Michael Cullen should release Treasury figures about
the actual costs of interest free student loans.

This might seem an obscure issue. We’d argue it’s not. If you can’t get your
hands on this sort of information during an election campaign, when can you?

Government thinking behind closed doors 1 – Rights of the public to know
what’s going on – 0.

2012 Open-to-All Programmes

Here’s our open-to-all programme for 2012. Check out:

• Kick Start: Becoming a Manager
• How Government Works
• Leadership Café
• Tea and Toast dates

Call Pip on 04 472 6225 to book your place.