Patrick Harris

thoughtengine / London, England / UK
patrick@thoughtengine.co.uk

Patrick Harris is a world-class strategist based in London. His work for Orange (now France Telecom–Orange) was a cornerstone of that brand’s activities in the market-place.

Patrick is the definitive blue-sky thinker, driven by an ultimate desire to reach practical, workable solutions. He is appreciated for his ability to inspire creativity in individuals, distil strategies into actionable plans and generate powerful momentum inside organizations. As Director of Creaticity for the Orange Group, Patrick managed the corporate strategic think tank that underpinned the company’s strategy during the octane-fuelled period of 1998–2003. For a portion of this period, Patrick also served as a non-executive Director of France Telecom UK R&D.

Prior to Orange, Patrick has enjoyed working in sales and service of manufactured goods, building design, project management, infrastructure rollout and power plant maintenance. Patrick augmented his early career with a 10-year span as a competitive water skier.

In January 2003, he founded thoughtengine, a consultancy focusing on creativity, strategy, brand and futures.

Patrick’s book, The Truth About Creativity, published by Pearson, was released in 2009.

Patrick was born in the USA, has a degree in management and an MBA (Hons.). He is married with two children and lives in London.

Speaking

Patrick is a popular speaker on the topics of strategy, creativity, leadership, the future and organisational momentum.

Here is an audio file of Patrick discussing his mind-map presentation technique (The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 3, no. 1, August 2009).

Workshops

Creative Strategy
‘If the aim of strategy is to get a herd of people moving in the same direction, then an earthquake is more strategic than the business planning processes of many companies.’—Patrick Harris

Thinking creatively is not a special skill set aside for a lucky few, it is a talent in each of us to be nurtured and celebrated. Yet many of the processes and activities around us, stifle, rather than encourage creative thinking. This is often true for strategy development, which is where creative thinking could be used to challenge assumptions, set clear direction and build momentum. Creative strategy making could ultimately make the difference between success and failure.

This workshop focuses on creative approaches to thinking differently about issues facing your business. Patrick’s background ensures that experienced-based concepts are the basis of the workshop. Participants apply these concepts to specific issues they face, in a real time, hands-on environment. The workshop can be tailored for use in teams, projects, departments, or whole organizations.

Creativity in the Talent Age

‘If knowledge is the mind of the Talent Age, creativity is its heartbeat.’—Patrick Harris

Realizing and releasing talent effectively has become a bastion of competitiveness for organizations. In fact, it always has been critical, but organizations do not always know quite how to tackle the subject. Welcome to the Talent Age! In the Talent Age, organizations still say that people are their greatest asset; only now they really mean it. It is after all, individuals who stay abreast of lightning quick market shifts and who invent new ways of remaining competitive.

This workshop focuses on the practical application of creativity in your organization.

Writing

The Truth about Creativity (July 2009)
Through a powerful set of home-truths, you’ll discover how creativity is the key to finding new solutions and developing dynamic cultures. You’ll find out not only how to harness your own creativity, but how creativity can be used to unlock the talent in others, benefiting teams, organizations and individuals alike. Straightforward, honest and concise, you’ll find the truth, plain and simple. Find out more here.

We the People
This paper considers the importance of employees in the process of building customer experience. It states that internal investment is rewarded with consistent, quality customer exchanges. Brand values are presented as the currency to measure the worth of exchanges between organizations and their customers. The paper concludes by presenting a case study of the mobile operator, Orange, during the period 1994–2003.
The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 2, no. 1, August 2008

Giving Strategy Some Momentum
Many strategies built by organizations are ineffective. Organizations tend to build snapshots instead of harnessing momentum.
The Journal of the Medinge Group, vol. 1, no. 1, August 2007