Dominic Cummins – Hero or Villain?
21/08/2019
It is highly unlikely anyone has missed the media coverage of Boris Johnson’s advisory team, and Dominic Cummins’ role within it, in Number 10. Equally, there will be millions of people who saw The Uncivil War, starring Benedict Cumberbatch, about the 2016 BREXIT campaign broadcast earlier this year. For the benefit of doubt, Cummins is on the left above and Cumberbatch on the right – that’s no comment on their politics!
Cummins came to our attention long before – in 2013 to be precise – while working for Michael Gove at the Department for Education. He wrote a seriously pertinent article about the dire state of our education system in the UK, and the way it churns out clueless Oxbridge PPE educated politicians and leaders of our country. The article can be found here:
https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/from-quarks-to-odysseus-a-modern-education-zjndpsqzztx#
He also runs a blog (some of the articles are dated, but I suspect he’s a bit busy right now!) with a similar theme running through each article. At the heart of the theme is the lack of leaders’ abilities in data driven decision-making – in fact their lack of abilities in understanding data in the first place, preferring instead to rely on centralised authority and animal wiliness. He restricts his critique mainly to the political establishment, but, we have found, his comments are equally pertinent to Public and Private Sector organisations as well.
Here’s an example of one of his blogs:
In our travels, we’ve come across many organisations where good work is being done regarding, let’s call it, “Data-driven insights”. Only, in many cases, the leadership team seems to believe this is for the “operational” guys, while the leaders continue to make decisions based on experience and opinion!
How are significant decisions regarding spending, operating models, IT, recruitment, training, risk management etc. – how are they made at the senior levels in your organisation?
Would Dominic Cummins be a hero in the executive suite – or a villain?
Categories & Tags:
Leave a comment on this post:
Comments are closed.
You might also like…
Bank holiday hours for Library Services: Monday 31 August
Library Services staff will be taking a break on Monday 31 August for the bank holiday. You will still be able to access all the resources and help you need via our library website. The 24/7 ...
The real cost of studying in the UK – what international students need to budget for
Moving overseas to pursue a postgraduate degree is one of the most exciting investments you can make in your future. It's also one of the most significant financial commitments you and your family will ...
Seven things you should definitely prepare for before studying at Cranfield University
You're thinking about Cranfield. Maybe you've done the virtual tour, read through the course pages, spoken to the course director or attended a webinar. Now, you're trying to figure out what life here is actually ...
From insurance to aerospace: why I chose to study a PhD with Cranfield
My path to studying for a PhD wasn't exactly a straight line. I had just graduated with an MEng in Aerospace Engineering from the University of Surrey and, like a lot of people, wasn't ...
How to build a business that keeps growing
Ask any business owner about their ambitions and "growth" will almost certainly feature near the top of the list. More customers, higher revenues, larger teams and new markets are often seen as signs of ...
Three practical ways SMEs can build resilience in a challenging business environment
Economic uncertainty, shifting customer expectations and rapid technological change have become part of everyday business. While no organisation can predict every challenge, small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) can improve their resilience by focusing on ...
Love it, thanks David, a good read again
Chris