The BBC Wales Business Doctor,
Founder DNA Definitive Ltd, & Leadership Fellow
Email: drptthomas@gmail.com or paulthomas@dnadefinitive.com
Twitter: @businessdocme
Website: www.dnadefinitive.com
Tel: 07581 207058
SPEAKER Outline 2015
Talk Title – Simplexity™ Leadership: Making Success Simple
General Introduction: The field of Simplexity™ is still very new to most organisations. However, Simplexity™ is now adopted by a large number of organisations. Simplexity™ is a simple architecture for seeing and understanding how natural, human systems operate. This view of the Complex-made-Simple helps managers, CEO’s, Directors to understand that the behaviour of the people within impact the design and direction of the whole organisation not the procedures, policies or strategies. It is Paul’s belief that Simplexity™ will give us the best insight we currently have into the nature of organisational behaviour, making it more human, resilient and passion-driven.
Paul uses his academic and practical research to talk about
- Putting the Passion back into Leadership
- Leadership for the Top & Bottom-line
- Simplexity – Making the complicated, Simple
- Employee engagement
- Demonstrating Leadership over Management
Paul suggests from over 15 years of research, achieving award winning companies in 2014 for leadership, team work and change sometimes in the glare of the BBC cameras, that putting the ‘Human-Mess’ back into Leadership is vital for sustainable, robust organisation and more importantly the health of employees.
Paul is one of those rare speakers and academics who are placed not only at the cutting edge knowledge and company development but has spent many years managing companies in both private and public services. He has also spent many years overseas consulting, teaching and working in India, China, Malaysia, Pakistan and parts of Europe, gaining significant experience in development and implementation of leadership within varying cultural environments.
Paul is the leader and founder of the research and collaboration organisation, DNA Definitive. DNA involves Academics from Universities around the world, Special Forces, Elite Athletes and Business Executives seeking alternative ways for sustainable business and higher performance. He is also currently the Chair of the Chartered Management Institute, Wales. With a combination of research, seminars, conferences and education programme to senior managers aimed at thinking, and simply challenging the way things are done. From a perspective of Complexity or Simplexity™ as Paul states, his view on management, strategy and organisational theory is highly unconventional, yet proven, with amazing results in all types of context and companies that will amaze audiences.
Paul is also currently the subject of a BBC Radio Wales@Work Special called ‘The Business Doctor’ documentary series on changing the mindset of business and placing organisational sustainability through the empowerment of frontline staff.
He has recently completed a global action research project on leadership and Complexity thinking visiting 19 counties in the past 14 months.
All mixed within this are his personal research interest of Democracy, Power and Gender. The focus of his present in-company work and research is to develop theoretical knowledge into the skills needed for the dynamic, human world of business and leadership. He was also a visiting Professor for the Drucker Management Institute, Switzerland.
Paul has recently published his book
“Leadership from the Frontline: The Battle Against Management” 2014 Cambria Press. ASIN: B00JS2YRYQ
What Others Think…
He is unconventional, inspirational and real, in terms of what he talks about he’s done!
Pauls talks are, engaging, challenging and humorous, yet with a serious message of change for the whole organisation for the 21st century. No one who meets the ‘Business Doc’ forgets his message – “its always about people, fun and adaptability!”
This is just a sample of what people say….
Dan Moore, Director, International Air Defence USA, Raytheon Missile Systems: “I’ve known and admired Dr Paul Thomas and his work since we met at Northwestern University’s Kellogg School of Management in 2007. Since the 1990’s, I’ve worked with some of the best people and organizations — Santa Fe Institute, MIT, National Defense University, Alidade Institute — on translating the sciences of complexity into practical leadership for military and civilian organizations. Paul’s deep insights, boundless energy, warm sense of humor and organizational courage embodied in the collaborative group DNA Definitive make him among the top 3 breakthrough leaders I have met and worked with throughout my military and civilian career.” July 3, 2012
Gemma Collins, Producer, BBC News: “Paul Thomas’ ideas on management are inspirational and thought-provoking. They may appear radical and revolutionary but they’re not, simply because they are actually so intuitive and common-sensical. Paul is also quite possibly the most engaging speaker I’ve heard in a long time. Any manager – or leader – who wants to get the most out of their organisation really should consider talking to Paul.” September 6, 2013
Mick Rogers Operations Director Airbus UK: “When I first met Dr Paul Thomas at the DNA Wales lectures in Bridgend in 2007, I was immediately impressed by his enthusiasm and passion to do something about the management malaise apparent within business in the UK. His in depth understanding of traditional management practices is more than matched by his desire to do something about them and create a more human centred and effective approach to running our businesses. Paul brings expertise in the application of Complexity sciences to understanding how our organisations (don’t) work, and the often surprisingly simple solutions to our everyday problems that plague organisational life. I have engaged Paul to work with me on several occasions either consulting on specific issues or to give a talks to members of the management population on a Complex Adaptive Systems outlook on life in organisations. He has never failed to deliver real world solutions that actually work and I look forward to working with him again.” September 6, 2014
Deborah Perkin, Senior Producer, BBC: “I made an hour long BBC documentary following Paul’s work in the Environmental Services Department of Blaenau Gwent Council. This gave me a unique insight into his working methods and the results achieved. He led an impressive project over four months creating a framework in which front-line staff took on management responsibilities, with great success. It was extremely labour-intensive and Paul never failed to put in the grueling hours required. The results were outstanding – increased efficiency, savings, streamlined management, and a genuinely more empowered workforce. Impressive stuff.” September 8, 2012
Su Turney, Director, Su Turney Consulting: “One of my favourite and creative clients asked for a speaker to provoke thought and discussion around leadership at their Senior Team away-day. Having met Paul a couple of time, I thought he’d be perfect. He was! I enjoyed working with him to discuss my clients needs, their business and background and the kind of session they wanted. He was thought provoking, catalysed their discussions around leadership and was also entertaining in his delivery. My client was very happy which was also good for me. I will work with Paul again when I get the chance, his generosity and values, as well as his story-telling ability and engaging manner make him a great associate, speaker and agent for change.” July 3, 2014
Pam Voisey, Business Incubation Manager, University of Glamorgan: “Dr Paul Thomas is a force of nature! Some time ago, I ran a seminar on leadership and management for the incubating businesses, and invited them to bring their clients along. Paul’s ideas are, to put it mildly, revolutionary in a world which looks for certain well recognised pathways to success, and is constantly ‘tweaking’ them. This session was the liveliest we have ever run; interactive just about describes it! If you want to provoke thought, debate, action and reaction, Paul Thomas will lead you into new territory. Enjoy!” July 12, 2012
Video Links
University Master Class 2014
Interview with Dr Paul Thomas 2012
Sports Council Presentation with Lord Coe 2013
Talk theme/Content –“Insanity Incorporated: The Damage in not thinking human!”
We are at time when we need to consider the important advances in critical thinking and non-linear logic in management and leadership for organisational and industry sustainability in the UK. We need to consider new, emerging and differing perspectives on how we manage and organise human-systems within which we work and learn from the human-systems within which we live. This is important, not only for the private and commercial sectors, but increasingly for all organisations seeking high performance and an unbeatable competitive advantage.
Dr. Paul Thomas, founder and director of DNA, former chair of the Chartered Management Institute. Fellow of the Institute of Sports and Leisure Management, and Institute of Consultancy will provide a brief introduction about the debate between formal and informal democratic leadership and disseminate DNA insights into new and differing perspectives of thinking, understanding and working and the skills appropriate for senior leaders. Emerging from recent advances in Critical Thinking, Innovation and Trust and its application to organisational development, Dr Paul Thomas will focus on organisational problem solving and decision making for human-system empowerment and sustainability.
This thought provoking talk will engage the debate about innovation and strategic development that when empowered, can emerge from people, democracy and leadership within an organisation. The talk will further provide participants with a language to explain many of the skills developed and used in day-to-day organisational activities.
Dr. Paul Thomas will introduce participants to:
- The real context and structures of organisational life and human interaction
- An understanding of the limitations of the rational perspective to organisational innovation, development and decision making in light of developing perspectives
- A differing perspective to deal confidently and selectively with the most complex problems involving uncertainty and disagreement
- The messy but sustainable approach to reducing absenteeism, sickness, stress and disputes
- An understanding of the basic tenets and applications of innovation, creativity and trust in a public sector organisational context.
- The impact of trust, risk and creativity on sustainable transformation