Looking back through the history of innovation, the technologies that created the biggest impact are the ones that enabled further innovation. Whether it’s the water wheel, the steam engine, the electric motor or the microchip, each triggered a wave of ...
In an earlier blog, I warned about thoughtlessly following the practices of successful companies, hoping the magic would rub off on you. Buying in to the latest management fad. What I called “cargo cult management”. But human nature is human ... We have all heard variations of the joke “A consultant is someone who borrows your watch to tell you the time, and then keeps the watch”. They get a lot of flak; some of it richly deserved. Their methods and ...
Photo by Bethany Opler on Unsplash
The challenge of energy-efficient retrofit
In the UK, our homes account for about 30% of total energy consumption and about 20% of total carbon emissions. To have any hope of reaching the 2050 net-zero target, we must drastically cut ... When I first started working in industry, I was lucky to have a great manager. One aphorism he drummed into me was: “don’t let best be the enemy of better”. It is easy to keep looking for the optimum; to ...
In the current coronavirus epidemic, one recommendation from health authorities is for people to work from home. There are lots of jobs where this is impossible. It is hard to be a taxi driver, or a nurse, or a professional ... We need to create buildings that don’t contribute to increasing climate change and can adapt to the climate change that is happening. Buildings that are energy efficient and resilient. Many people point to ‘smart buildings’ as a solution; a technological ... Like many people I have watched the TV footage of the wildfires in Australia with shock. So much damage done so quickly, and over such a wide area. I also thought back to last year’s California wildfires and asked myself, ... We have all heard the famous Peter Drucker phrase from his 1954 book the Practice of Management – “what gets measured, gets managed”. It is a cliché of management practice, and like all clichés it contains a truth. If you ... Using the electricity stored in an Electric Vehicle battery to smooth and manage demand on the electricity grid was a big topic at this year’s Low Carbon Vehicles exhibition and conference in September at the Millbrook proving ground.
This Vehicle to ...
Precision Has Made Our World What It Is
What are the Characteristics of Innovative Companies?
The Joy of the 2×2 Matrix
Let’s Make our Homes More Energy-Efficient and Desirable
There’s More Than One Way to Solve the Climate Crisis
Coronavirus is Pushing Remote Working – Make It a Success
Smart Building Technology CAN Produce Great Buildings
It’s Not Just The Forests That Are Burning – It’s Our Cities
SMART Objectives Can Be So Dumb
Will Your Automobile be Part of the National Grid?
Miller Klein Associates Ltd
Innovation, sustainability and the future of cities