Peter Scott-Morgan

Peter Bowman Scott-Morgan
Born Peter Bowman Scott
April 19, 1958
London, England
Nationality UK
Citizenship US/UK
Education PhD DIC BSC(Eng)
Occupation Social Scientist, Strategic Thinker, Author
Known for Revealing the hidden reality of how organizations and society behave
Partner(s) Francis Scott-Morgan

Peter Bowman Scott-Morgan (born Peter Bowman Scott on April 19, 1958) is a British/American organizational theorist, management consultant, author, and expert on the hidden inner workings of organizations and society.

In the 1980s, he invented techniques that have since been widely applied to reveal how complex social systems behave and to highlight associated systemic risks. Since he pioneered their initial use in corporate change management, his approaches have been adopted by academics, consultants, and major organizations around the world.

Based on data collated from the application of his techniques, he has published increasingly comprehensive analyses of how the world economy and international community in reality operate and the best ways to deal with in-built problems. From 2007 he has focused exclusively on addressing global threats.

Career

Scott-Morgan (seated) as Chairman of BCS Robotics Committee in 1983

Scott-Morgan was born in London, UK and educated at King's College School and The Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine where he gained the first PhD granted by a robotics faculty in the UK.[1][2] He subsequently joined the international management consulting firm Arthur D. Little. Building on the approach he had used for his PhD research (explained as "applying the rigor of 'hard' sciences like cybernetics, systems thinking and complexity theory to 'soft' sciences like sociology, economics, and political science")[3] Scott-Morgan devised a methodology that his company later described as "turning conventional interviewing technique on its head" in order to uncover the logic behind the (often hidden) true behavior of organizations and society.[4] Lynda Gratton, a professor at London Business School, writes that in 1985 she became intrigued by these ideas when she first met Scott-Morgan "who at that time was beginning to develop a process which he called 'the unwritten rules of the game'."[5]

From the early 1990s, Arthur D. Little was publishing articles about the successful application of Scott-Morgan's techniques.[6][7] Former colleagues have named two of these early examples as Philips Consumer Electronics[8] and the Argentinian national oil company YPF.[9] The former-head of Process Review at British Petroleum has published that in 1992 his corporation's "search for best practice in the consulting world led to my meeting Peter Scott-Morgan and learning of his insights into understanding – and changing – the Unwritten Rules of the Game."[10] He then describes how BP tested, and became convinced of, the validity of Scott-Morgan's technique and went on to apply it in several major operating centers. There are specific accounts of its early use at BP's Wytch Farm oilfield.[10][11] Arthur D. Little has subsequently revealed that from the mid-1990s conducting an Unwritten Rules assignment became something of a rite of passage amongst its 3000 consultants – on the theory that "once you've fed [the sensitive results] back to a CEO … and survived … then you can do anything."[4]

In 1994, having by then moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts,[12] and having successfully applied his technique in a wide variety of companies throughout North America, Europe, the Asia Pacific region, and Latin America,[7] Scott-Morgan published a bestselling book on his concepts entitled The Unwritten Rules of the Game.[12][13] He has subsequently followed parallel paths in academia and business,[14][15] occupying a variety of senior-executive positions and continuing to develop and publish his ideas.[16][17]:7[18] Since 2007, independent of any organization, he has chosen to focus exclusively on global systemic threats.[3]

Impact and reputation

Scott-Morgan is reported as having authored over one hundred articles and refereed papers[18] and having given more than a thousand speeches, presentations and workshops in over thirty countries[1][19] including to the World Economic Forum, the United Nations Industrial Development Authority (UNIDO), and the US Congress.[3] His ideas have impacted academia, management consulting, and business, and he is widely recognized as a world expert.[1][17][20]

Academia, management consulting and business

His concepts have been used as the theoretical framework for a range of academic research across different countries,[12][21][22] and his work is cited in numerous academic papers,[23][24][25] scholarly books,[26][27] as well as specialist postings on the internet.[28][29] A top academic on organizational behavior has explained that "What attracts me [to Scott-Morgan's concepts] is the way in which rational and analytical rigor and systems thinking can bring such insight into the innermost workings of an organization."[17]:15 In the same interview she also gives examples of how since the early 1990s Scott-Morgan's emerging concepts "have featured strongly in my own thinking and writing". His ideas have been incorporated into a variety of management thinking[30][31][32] and are also highlighted in various business books[5][11][19][33] as well as business-related posts on the internet.[34][35] In addition, several management consultancies have adopted his concepts and also reference his reputation;[36][37][38][39] an expert in strategy implementation describes Scott-Morgan as "the most impressive facilitator I have ever come across".[40] There are numerous accounts of major corporations that have applied his concepts – such as BP,[10] Citibank,[41] Daimler-Benz,[42] Hewlett-Packard,[43] Lloyds TSB,[25] Philips,[8] the UK National Health Service,[44] and YPF.[9]

Undisclosed clients

Scott-Morgan has consistently tried to keep confidential the name of any organization that consults him.[45] Indeed, apart from a few corporations prior to 1993 (whose identities have been revealed by others),[8][9][10] there seems almost no disclosure of any of the organizations he has personally advised. Nevertheless, a widely reported incident in 2004 provides a rare insight into the nature of his direct clients and his reputation amongst them. In relation to the actions taken when a major ethics scandal broke at Allied Irish Banks plc., Dermot Gleeson, the chairman, testified in an appearance before the Irish national parliament that: "We commissioned a well-known international expert, Dr. Peter Scott-Morgan … who has done this type of work for a number of very large companies in the world. He is the world expert on corporate culture."[46] In profiles about him, Scott-Morgan is typically described in terms of his acknowledged authority on issues relating to how organizations and society really work.[14][19] Based on his having gained confidential insights into a wide-ranging sample of the world economy,[18][45][47] he is also considered a leading expert on how the future is developing and the hidden risks that industries, institutions and whole countries face as a result.[1][17]:7[16]

Personal life

Francis (left) and Peter Scott-Morgan at Oldway Mansion having become the very first civil partners in Devon, UK

Since 1979, Scott-Morgan has lived with his partner Francis. They joined their surnames in 1991.[48] In 1993, they formed the basis of a new US Immigration policy when they set legal precedent by getting official acknowledgment that as an unmarried couple they were entitled to unlimited independent travel to and from the US despite both being the same gender and Francis (unlike Peter) not being an executive on temporary transfer between offices.[15] Later, retaining their British citizenship, both became naturalized US citizens.[3]

In 2005, in parallel with other couples around the country, Francis and Peter Scott-Morgan became the very first civil partners in England, granting them the legal rights of a married couple.[15] Nearly one hundred international guests – including four generations of their family – gathered at Oldway Mansion in Devon.[48] Given the perceived historical significance of the event, the registration was officially witnessed by the Mayor of Torbay (Nicholas Bye) and his dignitaries.[15] Unusually, the whole one-hour ceremony as well as the reception that followed it was attended by TV, radio and press.[48][49] A newspaper journalist wrote that being present "was a privilege" and stated that although it was not the couple's original intention to take the "brave decision [to go public] with a sometimes suspicious and disapproving outside world, ... by welcoming the prying eyes of the press and TV cameras, they grasped homophobic prejudice by the throat and throttled it."[49] The BBC television coverage described it as a "wedding service … [that] was part of English legal history" and in an interview with Scott-Morgan reported him saying: "A decade before [we met] we could have been thrown in jail for just being a couple. Now the official position is that we're equal in law. We are a couple and we should be treated as a couple. People should not pay attention to race, religion or gender – they should be looking at the love."[48]

At 8.30am on 10 December 2014, chosen as the first in Devon to do so, Peter and Francis Scott-Morgan signed the legal document which retrospectively converted their civil partnership to a marriage. Since they had been the first civil partnership in England, they are now recorded as having the first same-sex marriage in England, even though other same-sex couples have been able to marry since 29 March 2014. The registrar told them that they are now, and legally have been since 21 December 2005, husband and husband.[50][51]

Publications

Scott-Morgan has authored or co-authored eight books.

References

  1. ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Dr. Peter Scott-Morgan. Speaker Profiles. Celebrity Speakers website.
  2. ↑ "A Technical and Managerial Methodology for Robotisation: An Approach to Cost-Effective Introduction of Robotics Technology into Industry with Particular Reference to Flexible Assembly Systems". The Library Catalogue, Imperial College & Science Museum Libraries.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 Dr Peter B Scott-Morgan, Scott-Morgan official website.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Eagar, Rick (2006). "A brief history of Arthur D Little" Prism / 120 years of Arthur D. Little p. 34. Arthur D. Little.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 Gratton, Lynda (2000). Living Strategy: Putting People at the Heart of Corporate Purpose, p. 48. Prentice Hall. ISBN 0 273 65015 7
  6. ↑ Scott-Morgan, Peter (1992). "Removing the Barriers to Becoming a High Performance Business", Prism, Issue 1, 1992. Arthur D. Little
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Scott-Morgan, Peter (1993). "Removing Barriers to Change: The Unwritten Rules of the Game", Prism, Issue 4, 1993. Arthur D. Little
  8. ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 Camrass, Roger "Big Change – Beware the Unwritten Rules!", Business Leaders CIO Blog, 4 August 2011
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 Ross, Christopher (1994). "Recreating the Argentine National Oil Company: A Paradigm for Privatisation". Prism, Issue 2, 1994. Arthur D. Little
  10. ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 Price, Ifryn (1993). "Aligning People and Processes During Business-Focused Change in BP Exploration", Prism, Issue 4, 1993. Arthur D. Little
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Price, If et al. (1998). Shifting the Patterns: Breaching the Memetic Codes of Corporate Performance, pp. 84-91. Management Books 2000. ISBN 1 85252 253 4
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 McGovern, Patrick (1995) "Learning from the Gurus: Managers' Responses to The Unwritten rules of the Game, Business Strategy Review, Volume 6, Issue 3, pp. 13-25. 23 September 1995.
  13. ↑ Trap, Roger. "Company Culture Key to Successful Change", The Independent newspaper, 8 May 1994.
  14. ↑ 14.0 14.1 Peter Scott-Morgan, Speaker Profiles, Group CSA Turkey.
  15. ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 Peter Scott-Morgan, Famous GLTB, Matt & Andrej Koymasky.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Dr. Peter B. Scott-Morgan, Celebrity Speakers Bulgaria, 5 August 2011
  17. ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 The Hidden Logic of Business Performance. Boardroom Imperative, The Concours Group, 2004.
  18. ↑ 18.0 18.1 18.2 Biography of Peter Scott-Morgan. Books Summarized by Soundview. Soundview Executive Book Summaries website.
  19. ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 De Flander, Jeroen (2010). "About the Experts", Strategy Execution Heroes: Business Strategy Implementation and Strategic Management Demystified, p. viii. The Performance Factory. ISBN 978 908148731 3
  20. ↑ Capek, Frank "Why Customer Experience Initiatives Fail?, Customer Innovations website, 31 October 2007.
  21. ↑ Background Boudewijns & Roemen Groep corporate website
  22. ↑ Sharpe, Jason et al. (2011) "Re-engineering Unwritten Rules: An Ethnographic Study of an Intra-Organizational Ecology", Centre for Facilities Management Development, Sheffield Hallam University.
  23. ↑ Springer, Jon (2003) "Shifting the Unwritten Rules of Organizational Behavior The Systems Thinker, Volume 14, Number 3, pp. 6-7. Pegasus Communications, April 2003.
  24. ↑ Price, Ilfryn (1995) "Organisational Memetics?: Organisational Learning as a Selection Process" Management Learning, Volume 26, Number 3, pp. 299-318.
  25. ↑ 25.0 25.1 Gratton, Lynda et al. "Linking Individual Performance to Business Strategy: The People Process Model" Human Resource Management, Volume 38, Number 1, pp. 17-31, Spring 1999.
  26. ↑ Cross, Robert et al. (2004). The Hidden Power of Social Networks: Understanding How Work Really Gets Done in Organizations. Harvard Business Review Press. ISBN 978 1591392705
  27. ↑ Flood, Patrick et al. (Eds.) (2000). Managing Strategy Implementation. Wiley-Blackwell. ISBN 978-0-631-21767-1
  28. ↑ Bellinger, Gene. "The Unwritten Rules: The Way Things Really Work" Systems Thinking website, posted 2004.
  29. ↑ Herold, Max. "Companies by Neurological Levels" Integrated SocioPsychology website, 28 September 2002.
  30. ↑ "Strategic Denial: Unwritten Rules and Wishful Thinking", Global Strategies Project Commentaries from Encyclopedia of World Problems and Human Potential, Union of International Associations.
  31. ↑ Labich, Kenneth. "Why Companies Fail: Every corporate disaster has its own awful story – yet most debacles are the result of managers making one (or more) of six big mistakes", Fortune, 14 November 1994.
  32. ↑ "What Makes an Organization Effective?", p. 3, Points of View, Avocet Organizational Performance Inc.
  33. ↑ Erickson, Tamara (2008). Plugged In: The Generation Y Guide to Thriving at Work, pp. 240-3. Harvard Business School Press. ISBN 978 1422120606
  34. ↑ Boulton, Charles. "Knowing the Unwritten Rules Can Improve Service Delivery and Cut Costs", PublicNet website about management and the public sector, 26 March 2010.
  35. ↑ "Cryptonomics" Experience Mind website, 31 October 2007.
  36. ↑ "Driving Safety Culture: Identification of Leadership Qualities for Effective Safety Management", Final Report to Maritime and Coastguard Agency, Arthur D. Little, October 2004.
  37. ↑ "Understanding the unwritten rules of the game" The People Side of Risk Intelligence: Aligning Talent and Risk Management, p.17, Risk Intelligence Series, Issue 18. Deloitte, 2010.
  38. ↑ Haserot, Phyllis Weiss. "How to Change Unwritten Rules", Practice Development Counsel website, from original article in The New York Law Journal, 25 May 1999.
  39. ↑ "About delta 5", delta 5 Dutch consulting services website.
  40. ↑ De Flander, Jeroen "Strategy communication: 8 tips to inspire an audience" Item 6: Listen to yourself. Strategy Execution website.
  41. ↑ Gratton, Lynda et al. (1999). Strategic Human Resource Management: Corporate Rhetoric and Human Reality, Acknowledgements section. Oxford University Press. ISBN 978 0198782032
  42. ↑ Bergmann, Karin (1998). "Knowledge Management at Daimler-Benz's Passenger-Car Division, Prism, Issue 2, 1998. Arthur D. Little.
  43. ↑ McGovern, Patrick et al. (1997) "Human Resource Management On the Line? Human Resource Management Journal, Volume 7, Issue 4, pp. 12-29, July 1997.
  44. ↑ Clark, Liz (1999). "Multi-Skilling for Success", Facilities, Volume 17, Issue 7/8, pp. 272-9.
  45. ↑ 45.0 45.1 Scott-Morgan, Peter (2012). "A Note on Confidentiality", The Reality of Global Crises: Why Good Beginnings Are Ending Badly and Leaving World-Leaders Increasingly Powerless, p. 9. CreateSpace. ISBN 978-1470115425
  46. ↑ "AIB Group: Presentation", Joint Committee on Finance and the Public Service Debate, Houses of the Oireachtas, testimony of Mr Dermot Gleeson, 19 October 2004.
  47. ↑ "Cryptonomics: The Hidden Logic of Performance", CSA World: The Journal for Business Leaders, Volume 11, Issue 1, p. 5., CSA.
  48. ↑ 48.0 48.1 48.2 48.3 "Gay couples among first to 'wed'", BBC News. 21 December 2005.
  49. ↑ 49.0 49.1 "Gay marriage: Major shift in social mores", Ginny Ware, Herald Express. 2 January 2006. Archive copy, retrieved 14 February 2006.
  50. ↑ Certified copy of marriage certificate, Torbay Register Office, 10 December 2014
  51. ↑ "Conversion of civil partnerships into marriage". UK Government News. UK Government Equalities Office. 15 October 2014. Retrieved 10 December 2014.

External links