Conversations
Small Conversations on Big Topics
Listen in on a series of informal presentations, each 5-10 minutes, on the big issues in social impact. Speakers are leaders in their fields and we thank them for their contribution to our ongoing debate. For more information about upcoming events hosted by the Centre, visit our events calendar.
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Göran Roos: Measuring the return on social investment
Paul 't Hart: Exercising leadership in a shared power world
Woodrow McCutchen: The Edna McConnell Clarke Foundation's capacity building initiative;
Steven Rathgeb Smith: 'the contracting-out of Governance Services in the United States';
Geoff Mulgan: 'Government and the Third Sector';
Charles Leadbeater: 'A New Approach to Public Innovation'.
Göran Roos
24 November and 25 November
Göran Roos is Honorary Professor at Warwick Business School in the UK, Visiting Professor of Innovation Management and Business Model Innovation at VTT Technical Research Centre of Finland, Visiting Professor of Intangible Asset Management and Performance Measurement at the Centre for Business Performance at Cranfield University and Visiting Faculty at Helsinki School of Economics Executive Education at both Helsinki and Singapore.
Göran is one of the founders of modern intellectual capital science and a recognised world expert in this field and a major contributor to the thinking and practice in the areas of strategy and innovation management. He is the author and co-author of over one hundred books, book chapters, papers and articles many of which have been recognised with awards. Göran is the founder of over 18 companies. He has worked as a consultant in most OECD countries and has served in management positions in several European and US-based corporations.
Paul 't Hart
30-31 October and 13-14 November
Paul 't Hart (PhD Leiden, 1990) arrived at ANU in December 2005. Prior to that, he was research professor of Public Administration at the Utrecht School of Governance (where he maintains a part-time appointment), in addition to holding an adjunct professorial position at the Swedish Defence College in Stockholm (2001-2005) and serving as Dean of the Executive MPA Programme at the Netherlands School of Government in the Hague (2002-2005). He was at Leiden University's Department of Public Administration from 1987-2004, and has held visiting positions at the University of Canberra, Nuffield College Oxford, and the Stockholm Centre of Organizational Research (SCORE) of Stockholm University.
His research interests include: public leadership (political, bureaucratic, societal); elite behaviour and group dynamics in government; policy evaluation and policy change; political and bureaucratic responses to 'crises'; the organisation of public and organisational memory; relations between political and bureaucratic officials within government; and the design and practice of accountability in public organisations.
Woodrow McCutchen
23 September, 2008
Woodrow "Woody" McCutchen, Portfolio Manager, has more than 25 years of experience in small business management, technical assistance and youth development. Most recently, he served as President and CEO of the National Association of Small Business Development Centers in Arlington, Virginia.
Since joining the Edna McConnell Clark Foundation in 2001, he has written and secured approval for grants totalling more than $US100 million for an array of national, regional and local youth development organisations. He earned an MBA from Virginia Commonwealth University School of Business and a Bachelor's degree from Howard University.
Steven Rathgeb Smith: 'The Contracting-out of Governance Services in the United States'
18 September, 2008
Professor Steven Rathgeb-Smith talked of the challenges presented to governments, public services and not-for-profit organisations by the contracting out of public programs. His summary of American experience is highly relevant to Australia.
Professor Smith is Professor of Public Affairs at the University of Washington, Seattle and the faculty director of the Nancy Bell Evans Center on Nonprofits & Philanthropy.
Geoff Mulgan: 'Government and the Third Sector'
17 September, 2008
Geoff Mulgan mused on the complex relationship between governments and civil society. He considered how to open up public services and the potential danger of scale. He looked at more flexible and responsive approaches to working with local community organisations as a means of promoting social innovation.
Between 1997 and 2004 Geoff had various roles in the UK government including director of the Government's Strategy Unit and head of policy in the Prime Minister's office. Before that he was the founder and director of the think-tank Demos. He is a visiting professor at LSE, UCL and Melbourne University and a visiting fellow at the Australia and New Zealand School of Government. His recent publications include Good and Bad Power: the Ideals and Betrayals of Government (Penguin, 2006).
Charles Leadbeater: 'A New Approach to Public Innovation'
16 September, 2008
Charles Leadbeater reflected on radically new approaches to public innovation that move beyond the ‘industri
Charles Leadbeater is one of the top management thinkers of the world. He is a leading authority on innovation and collaborative creativity who has worked as a senior advisor to government and business. He has written a string of acclaimed books, the latest of which, We-Think, is a rallying call for the shared power of the web to make solutions more open and egalitarian.