Governance - Dr Robert N. Winter

The Creator vs. the Passenger: Rethinking Recruitment in Charities

Many charities hire from big-name firms expecting transformation, only to find prestige doesn’t equal performance. The real divide isn’t charity versus business—it’s creators versus passengers. Creators build momentum from scarcity; passengers coast on brand halo. Recruitment must look for scars, no

By Dr Robert N. Winter

/ 31 Aug 2025

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Baroque painting by Peter Paul Rubens, The Fall of Phaeton, depicting a chaotic mythological scene where Phaeton is cast from

Your Job Title Is the Ceiling They Hand You, Your Capability Is the Skylight You Cut

Titles often serve as tools of exclusion rather than accurate barometers of capability. Skills-based approaches expand opportunity and strengthen outcomes. By rethinking hiring signals, leadership speech, and development pathways, organisations can unlock talent, foster fairness, promote moral agenc

By Dr Robert N. Winter

/ 10 Aug 2025

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Three shirtless men scraping a wooden floor in a sunlit Parisian apartment, bent over their work in synchronized poses, surro

The Importance of Visibly Ethical Leadership in Organisations

By Dr Robert N. Winter

/ 27 Jul 2025

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A dramatic 19th-century painting depicting the violent destruction of a classical empire. A colossal headless statue looms in

Who Guards the Guardians?

When CEOs and Chief People Officers become the source of misconduct, who guards the guardians? The Astronomer scandal reveals how those entrusted with culture and ethics often shield power instead. HR curates the truth, boards hear only what’s filtered, and employees withdraw into defensive silence.

By Dr Robert N. Winter

/ 20 Jul 2025

Inner Circle Only

Rembrandt’s The Night Watch (1642), a large Baroque painting depicting a militia company in a theatrical, loosely ordered for

Shinise, as a Concept of Organisational Renewal

Japanese shinise firms reveal that lasting organisations don't preserve the past—they renew it. Leaders build endurance by developing talent, stewarding identity, and sustaining purpose across generations. Forget agility theatre and hype cycles. Longevity demands structure, not slogans. When leaders

By Dr Robert N. Winter

/ 13 Jul 2025

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Woodblock print by Katsushika Hokusai titled *The Fuji from Kanaya on the Tōkaidō*, depicting laborers and travelers crossing

How Corporate FOMO Replaced Strategy with Stagecraft

In their fear of missing the AI bandwagon, many boards are blindly investing in tech they barely understand—driven more by hype than strategy. Mimicry, not discernment, has become the default. The result? Strategic incoherence, wasted billions, and millions of people thrown unnecessarily out of work

By Dr Robert N. Winter

/ 6 Jul 2025

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Hogarth’s *A Rake’s Progress – The Orgy* shows a wild tavern scene: the rake with a courtesan amid drinking, flirting, music, and rich disorder, capturing moral excess and decline.

Strategic People Architecture

Most organisations obsess over 10-year business strategies but forget to plan for the people who'll deliver them. Strategic people architecture fixes that. It institutionalises structured chance-giving, succession scaffolding, and developmental stretch—ensuring talent is grown, not guessed at. Done

By Dr Robert N. Winter

/ 29 Jun 2025

A ruined classical gallery with broken columns and scattered statues. Visitors in 18th-century dress study fragments as light from a collapsed ceiling highlights the debris.

Governance in Name Only (GINO)

Governance in Name Only (GINO) describes how corporations adopt superficial governance practices to appear ethical without meaningful accountability. Using scandals like Star Casino, I unpack why organisations succumb to governance washing, highlighting coercive, mimetic, and normative pressures, an

By Dr Robert N. Winter

/ 6 Apr 2025

Inner Circle Only

A whimsical, satirical illustration showing a group of corporate executives theatrically posing on a stage. The backdrop subt

Some Challenges in Rebuilding Organisational Culture in NFPs

Rebuilding organisational culture in NFPs is challenging, with issues like weak leadership accountability, disengaged boards, and misaligned incentives. This article explores why culture fails, the pitfalls of passion-driven but ineffective management, and how strategic governance can drive meaningf

By Dr Robert N. Winter

/ 2 Mar 2025

A satirical illustration depicting a chaotic office undergoing a cultural transformation.

Beyond Consensus Decision Making

Consensus decision making may look inclusive but often suppresses dissent, breeds groupthink, and weakens outcomes. Structured debate and distributed authority improve decision quality, transparency, and accountability, yielding more resilient leadership.

By Dr Robert N. Winter

/ 23 Feb 2025

Boardroom meeting where identical participants nod in unison, while a lone dissenting figure raises a hand.

2024 in Review: Key Leadership Lessons

In 2024, leaders strengthened governance, culture, and decision-making through critical thinking and evidence-based practice. Lessons included avoiding sunk-cost traps, building cohesive cultures, and improving meetings.

By Dr Robert N. Winter

/ 31 Dec 2024

An artistic illustration showing a diverse group of leaders in a boardroom discussing key events from 2024.

Narrow Band Comprehension: Understanding Myopia in Performance and Governance

Narrow Band Comprehension limits individual and organisational performance through selective understanding. Organisations can counter it by promoting broad engagement, holistic metrics, and governance-based accountability.

By Dr Robert N. Winter

/ 3 Nov 2024

Narrow Band Comprehension: Understanding Myopia in Performance and Governance