Arkaro Insights

Mark Blackwell
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Arkaro Insights provides B2B executives with tools and techniques to thrive in an adaptive world and navigate successfully in a VUCA world.  About Arkaro Arkaro is a B2B consultancy specialising in Strategy, Innovation Process, Product Management, Commercial Excellence & Business Development, and Integrated Business Management. With industry expertise across Agriculture, Food, and Chemicals, Arkaro's team combines practical business experience with formal consultancy training to deliver impactful solutions. You may have the ability to lead these transformations with your team, but time constraints can often be a challenge. Arkaro takes a collaborative 'do it with you' approach, working closely with clients to leave behind sustainable, value-generating solutions—not just a slide deck. "We don't just coach - we get on the pitch with you" Connect With Us 💬 We'd love to hear from you! What topics would you like us to explore in future podcast episodes? Drop us a message or connect with us to learn more about Arkaro's approach. 🔗 Visit us at www.arkaro.com 👥 Follow our updates: Arkaro on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/arkaro/ 📧 Email us at: mark@arkaro.com

  1. DEC 19

    How to Use AI Without It Going Wrong | Ray Eitel-Porter, Author of Governing the Machine

    How can your organisation use AI without it going wrong? With 95% of organisations failing to see a return on their AI investments, this question has never been more pressing for business leaders. In this episode of Arkaro Insights, I'm joined by Ray Eitel-Porter, co-author of "Governing the Machine: How to Navigate the Risks of AI and Unlock Its True Potential". Ray has spent over eight years helping companies implement AI responsibly. He previously led Accenture's global responsible AI practice and currently advises multinational companies and the public sector. He is also a Senior Research Associate at the Intellectual Forum, Jesus College, Cambridge. There's a common misconception that AI governance blocks innovation. Ray challenges this view head-on. For him, AI governance is precisely what allows organisations to innovate confidently – the framework that helps you scale AI whilst knowing the right questions have been asked and the right safeguards are in place. We explore the striking gap between executive ambition and workforce reality: 80% of executives believe AI is core to their strategy, yet only 15% of employees share that belief. Ray shares practical examples of how organisations have closed this gap, including a UK public sector body that transformed workforce trust in AI from 25% to over 90% through effective training. Ray brings the discussion to life with case studies from PepsiCo, Nestlé, and Shell, showing how AI governance can reinforce brand values and enable responsible scaling across global operations. We also tackle the shadow AI challenge – up to 90% of employees using personal ChatGPT, Claude, or Gemini accounts for work – and why technical controls alone cannot solve this problem. Looking ahead, Ray explains why AI agents represent the next frontier of governance risk, and why automation bias – our tendency to over-trust accurate AI – may be the most counterintuitive danger of all. A key message: AI governance isn't just for large corporates. The principles scale down to SMEs. Where a multinational needs sophisticated platforms, a smaller business might achieve the same ends with clear ownership and an Excel spreadsheet. About the guest Ray Eitel-Porter is co-author of "Governing the Machine: How to Navigate the Risks of AI and Unlock Its True Potential", available from Amazon. Connect with Ray on LinkedIn.  https://www.linkedin.com/in/rayeitelporter/ About Arkaro Insights Arkaro Insights is the podcast for B2B executives seeking tools and techniques to thrive in a complex world. We cover change management, innovation, and commercial excellence – with particular expertise in the agriculture, food, and chemicals industries. Visit www.arkaro.com or connect with us on LinkedIn. Send your thoughts to Arkaro Connect with Arkaro: 🔗 Follow us on LinkedIn: Arkaro Company Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arkaro Mark Blackwell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrblackwell/ Newsletter - Arkaro Insights: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/arkaro-insights-6924308904973631488/ 🌐 Visit our website: www.arkaro.com 📺 Subscribe to our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@arkaro Audio Podcast: https://arkaroinsights.buzzsprout.com 📧 For business enquiries: mark@arkaro.com

    45 min

  2. DEC 10

    70% of People Are Wrong About Creativity | Yale Researcher Dr Zorana Ivcevic Pringle Explains

    Do you believe creativity requires complete freedom? You're not alone — 70% of people think the same. But Yale research reveals the opposite: constraints actually enhance creative output. Dr Zorana Ivcevic Pringle, Senior Research Scientist at the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence and author of The Creativity Choice, joins Mark Blackwell to explore why creativity is a learnable process of decision-making, not a gift reserved for geniuses. In this episode, you'll discover: Why the most creative teams spend 53% of their time on problem framing, not idea generationHow to match your mood to different creative tasks — use grumpy mornings for critical evaluation, upbeat afternoons for brainstormingWhen to tap weak network ties versus strong ones in the creative processWhat AI can and cannot do creatively — and why top human performance still outpaces machinesThree practical actions leaders can take to unlock team creativityLinks & Resources: The Creativity Choice by Dr Zorana Ivcevic Pringle: https://www.amazon.com/Creativity-Choice-Science-Making-Decisions/dp/1541704320Dr Pringle on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/zorana-ivcevic-pringle/Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence: https://www.ycei.org/Read the full article: https://arkaro.com/creativity-choice-decision-making/Subscribe to Arkaro Insights: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/arkaro-insights-6924308904973631488/Send your thoughts to Arkaro Connect with Arkaro: 🔗 Follow us on LinkedIn: Arkaro Company Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arkaro Mark Blackwell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrblackwell/ Newsletter - Arkaro Insights: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/arkaro-insights-6924308904973631488/ 🌐 Visit our website: www.arkaro.com 📺 Subscribe to our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@arkaro Audio Podcast: https://arkaroinsights.buzzsprout.com 📧 For business enquiries: mark@arkaro.com

    37 min

  3. DEC 6

    Constraints, Playfulness & Ethics: 3 Lessons for Leading in the AI Age | Dr Vlad Glaveanu

    Dr Vlad Glaveanu shares three essential lessons for executives navigating AI: embrace constraints, foster playfulness, and keep ethics at the centre. Read more on: https://arkaro.com/ai-leadership-creativity-constraints/ _________________________ How should leaders think about AI and creativity? In this episode, Mark Blackwell speaks with Dr Vlad Glaveanu, Professor of Psychology at Dublin City University, founder of the Possibility Studies Network, and editor of the Palgrave Encyclopedia of the Possible. Vlad introduces Possibility Studies — a new field exploring how individuals and societies engage with what could be — and explains why constraints are essential to creativity rather than obstacles to it. He makes the case for "slow AI", arguing that the waiting and incubation that drive real innovation are at risk in our rush for instant answers. The conversation covers: • Why there is no creativity without constraints  • The ethics of possibility — just because something could be, should it be?  • How AI is reshaping our conception of creativity  • The "bad idea brainstorm" technique for building psychological safety  • What managers should prioritise when entering new markets or launching products Vlad closes with three takeaways for any executive managing a team in the age of AI: welcome constraints and resistance, foster playfulness and trust, and never delegate to AI the business of humans. Guest: Dr Vlad Glaveanu Professor of Psychology, Dublin City UniversityAdjunct Professor, University of BergenFounder & President, Possibility Studies NetworkAuthor of Wonder and Creativity: A Very Short IntroductionResources mentioned: Possibility Studies Network: possibilitystudies.netPossibility Bots (Ron Beghetto)Send your thoughts to Arkaro Connect with Arkaro: 🔗 Follow us on LinkedIn: Arkaro Company Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arkaro Mark Blackwell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrblackwell/ Newsletter - Arkaro Insights: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/arkaro-insights-6924308904973631488/ 🌐 Visit our website: www.arkaro.com 📺 Subscribe to our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@arkaro Audio Podcast: https://arkaroinsights.buzzsprout.com 📧 For business enquiries: mark@arkaro.com

    40 min

  4. NOV 28

    From Inside Out to Outside In: Aligning Teams Around User Needs with Rich Allen

    Most organisations plan strategy with the outside world in mind, then implement it using unchanged internal structures. The result? Good teams with clear intentions still end up working at cross purposes. In this episode, Rich Allen, author of User Needs Mapping, shows us how to shift from "inside out" to "outside in" thinking—anchoring change on what users actually need, then designing teams to deliver value with less friction and greater flow. We explore why strategy so often stays trapped in slide decks, never translating into sustainable change. Rich introduces User Needs Mapping as a practical, visual technique that helps organisations identify users, define their needs, map capabilities, and align team boundaries accordingly. Drawing on principles from Wardley Mapping and Team Topologies, the approach makes visible what's usually hidden: unclear ownership, excessive handovers, duplicated effort, and cognitive overload. Rich shares a compelling case study from Blue Lagoon, where co-created maps revealed that what seemed like a single "booking" need actually concealed multiple distinct user journeys. By refactoring team boundaries around actual value streams, they improved both clarity and trust whilst reducing dependencies. We also examine AI through a sobering lens: AI amplifies whatever organisational design you currently have. Clear team boundaries and value flows mean AI can reduce toil and boost outcomes. Confusion and misalignment? AI magnifies that too. User Needs Mapping provides a grounded way to decide where AI belongs and how to govern it properly. Key takeaways: Why most teams don't suffer from lack of effort—they suffer from lack of alignmentThe critical difference between wants, needs, and jobs to be doneHow to use visual mapping to surface gaps and create shared understandingPractical first steps: start with users and needs, not systems and structureWhy getting alignment right matters more than ever in the age of AIIf your organisation struggles with handovers, unclear ownership, or "agile" that moves tickets but not outcomes, this conversation offers practical tools you can use. Read more on: https://arkaro.com/user-needs-mapping-team-alignment/ Subscribe to Arkaro Insights and share with colleagues navigating change in uncertain times. Send your thoughts to Arkaro Connect with Arkaro: 🔗 Follow us on LinkedIn: Arkaro Company Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arkaro Mark Blackwell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrblackwell/ Newsletter - Arkaro Insights: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/arkaro-insights-6924308904973631488/ 🌐 Visit our website: www.arkaro.com 📺 Subscribe to our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@arkaro Audio Podcast: https://arkaroinsights.buzzsprout.com 📧 For business enquiries: mark@arkaro.com

    45 min

  5. NOV 23

    Why Smart Companies Miss Disruption: The 3 Ghosts Blocking Innovation | Scott Anthony

    What if the best map for tomorrow’s chaos comes from a chef, a nappy, and a medieval wine press? We dive into epic disruptions—the kind that turn what’s complex and costly into something simple and affordable—and trace the repeatable patterns behind them. Scott Anthony, clinical professor at Tuck and longtime collaborator of Clayton Christensen, joins us to unpack the behaviours, structures and stories that help leaders steer into uncertainty instead of spinning out. We start with an unexpected icon: Julia Child. Long before streaming tutorials, she translated elite French technique into home‑kitchen clarity through curiosity, collaboration and relentless experiments. That same pattern powers P&G’s Pampers, which only succeeded after multiple failed tests in technology, price and marketing. The takeaway is practical: speed to learning beats speed to launch, and patience, persistence and playful testing turn false starts into insight. Then we connect dots across centuries. The printing press wasn’t a single eureka moment but a recombination of existing parts—presses from a wine region, metalworking, ink and paper—showing how exaptation and intersections fuel breakthroughs. We bring that lens to AI, arguing that wisdom is the real unlock: asking sharper questions, judging outputs and choosing the hard way when it matters. Along the way, we meet the “ghosts” that haunt organisations—past traumas, present patterns and future fears—that quietly block rational change, as seen in the classic mini mill versus integrated steel story. If you lead in a shifting market, you’ll leave with a compact playbook: define clear hypotheses, set learning objectives, make predictions, execute tightly and reflect with discipline. Create spaces for play to surface anomalies. Name your ghosts so they don’t run the room. If this resonated, follow the show, share it with a colleague who wrestles with change and leave a quick review—what ghost is strongest in your world? Read more on: https://arkaro.com/why-companies-miss-disruption/ Send your thoughts to Arkaro Connect with Arkaro: 🔗 Follow us on LinkedIn: Arkaro Company Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arkaro Mark Blackwell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrblackwell/ Newsletter - Arkaro Insights: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/arkaro-insights-6924308904973631488/ 🌐 Visit our website: www.arkaro.com 📺 Subscribe to our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@arkaro Audio Podcast: https://arkaroinsights.buzzsprout.com 📧 For business enquiries: mark@arkaro.com

    32 min

  6. NOV 17

    What can starlings teach us about business strategy? (AI voices Arkaro content)

    Welcome to the Arkaro Insights podcast. This episode is based on original content developed by Arkaro. At Arkaro, we're committed to innovation in everything we do—including how we share our insights. We've utilised advanced AI technology to transform our written expertise into this conversational format, making our content more accessible and convenient for our busy B2B audience. What you'll hear is a two-person discussion generated through AI voice technology, designed to deliver our insights in a more engaging way than traditional reading. As we continue to evolve this approach, we genuinely value your feedback. Thank you for listening to Arkaro Insights, where professional expertise meets innovative delivery.  Read the original article: What can starlings teach us about business strategy? The mesmerizing dance of starling murmurations offers a powerful lens for rethinking business strategy. As thousands of birds create complex, fluid patterns without any central coordination, we discover a revolutionary approach to organizational leadership hiding in plain sight. Every starling follows just three remarkably simple rules while watching only seven neighbors: maintain separation, match direction and speed, and stay with the group. There's no leader, no hierarchy, and no bird understands the breathtaking patterns they collectively create. Yet this approach delivers extraordinary results – helping starlings find food and confuse predators through constant, unpredictable movement. Translating this natural phenomenon to business strategy reveals why top-down planning often fails. Intel's transformation from memory chip manufacturer to microprocessor giant wasn't driven by visionary leadership predicting the future. Instead, their breakthrough emerged from consistently following a simple profitability rule that kept highlighting where real value existed, eventually forcing a complete strategic pivot. This challenges our assumptions about innovation and strategic planning, suggesting revolutionary change often emerges from disciplined execution of smart operational policies rather than detailed master plans. The most powerful question for organizations today isn't about five-year visions. Instead, ask: what three simple, profitability-driven rules could your teams execute consistently right now? Effective strategy requires fewer detailed predictions and more smart, executable principles that respond to current market signals. By embracing this emergent approach, organizations can achieve the same fluid adaptability and coordination that makes starling murmurations so captivating and effective. What simple rules might transform your organization if everyone followed them with discipline? Send your thoughts to Arkaro Connect with Arkaro: 🔗 Follow us on LinkedIn: Arkaro Company Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arkaro Mark Blackwell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrblackwell/ Newsletter - Arkaro Insights: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/arkaro-insights-6924308904973631488/ 🌐 Visit our website: www.arkaro.com 📺 Subscribe to our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@arkaro Audio Podcast: https://arkaroinsights.buzzsprout.com 📧 For business enquiries: mark@arkaro.com

    14 min

  7. NOV 10

    Why AI Implementations Fail – and How PEOPLE Can Fix It | Barry Eustance & Mark Blackwell

    Most AI projects don’t stumble on models or math—they stumble on people. We unpack the research behind those eye‑watering failure rates and show how human needs predict whether AI turns into momentum or frustration. With Mark Blackwell of Arkaro back on the mic, we trace the biggest missteps to six essentials from Hilary Scarlett’s SPACES model: self‑esteem, purpose, autonomy, certainty, equity, and social connection. From job threat and thin training to “shadow AI” at the desk, pilot hell in the corner, and a tidal wave of change that erodes predictability, we connect the dots between psychology and adoption. Then we rebuild the playbook with the PEOPLE framework. People‑centric leadership treats objections as design inputs. Empowerment brings process owners into problem selection, tool choice, and rollout. Optimisation focuses on clean data, the right use cases, and a dual structure where the steady hierarchy is paired with a volunteer innovation network and an energetic executive sponsor. Purpose‑driven vision ties local wins to a story that unifies a decentralising organisation. Learning closes the loop with short cycles, clear measures, and public celebration so progress compounds and sticks. You’ll hear why ROI often appears first in reducing admin load, how to turn shadow usage into safe standards, and how to move from hype to habit by solving real bottlenecks. If you want AI that your team trusts, uses, and improves, start where the work lives and build with people, not around them. Enjoyed the conversation? Subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with someone wrestling with pilot fatigue. Your feedback helps more leaders find a practical path to AI that actually works. Read more on: https://arkaro.com/ai-implementation-failure/ Send your thoughts to Arkaro Connect with Arkaro: 🔗 Follow us on LinkedIn: Arkaro Company Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arkaro Mark Blackwell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrblackwell/ Newsletter - Arkaro Insights: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/arkaro-insights-6924308904973631488/ 🌐 Visit our website: www.arkaro.com 📺 Subscribe to our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@arkaro Audio Podcast: https://arkaroinsights.buzzsprout.com 📧 For business enquiries: mark@arkaro.com

    40 min

  8. OCT 31

    Why Traditional Management Fails & How Adaptive Organisations Succeed with Erica Engelen

    Volatility is rising, complexity is everywhere, and the old playbook of adding people, tools, and process is slowing teams down. We sit down with Erica Engelen to unpack what an adaptive organisation really looks like and how leaders can move from control to flow without losing quality or momentum. The beehive is our metaphor: self-managing, high trust, clear signals, and decisions made close to the work. We trace the journey from purpose to practice. Starting with a meaningful purpose gives teams direction when markets shift. From there, we use systems mapping to bring diverse voices together and make hidden dynamics visible: feedback loops, delays, and unintended effects that basic dashboards miss. Erica shows how a startup with a strong AI vision discovered that customers needed governance and data maturity first, reshaping their priorities, partnerships, and messaging. We also dig into the scaling trap: silos, handoffs, and mounting cognitive load that create drag just when growth demands speed. The Blue Lagoon case study highlights what changes when you map flow end-to-end and then map user needs outside-in. By creating bounded contexts and aligning teams to value streams instead of projects, they cut onboarding from months to days and shipped five new products within half a year. We talk about why technology is never neutral, how cloud and AI can either accelerate excellence or amplify bottlenecks, and what to fix before you deploy more tools. The practical takeaway: run Trojan mice, not a Trojan horse. Start small, invite a critical mass of people, and learn your way into autonomy, clarity, and sustainable speed. If this resonates, follow the show, share it with a colleague who’s wrestling with silos, and leave a quick review so others can find us. Ready to try your first Trojan mouse? Tell us which small experiment you’ll run next. Read more on: https://arkaro.com/why-traditional-management-fails-and-how-adaptive-organizations-succeed/ 🔗 Connect with Erica: https://www.theflowhive.com 🔗 LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/ericaengelen/ Send your thoughts to Arkaro Connect with Arkaro: 🔗 Follow us on LinkedIn: Arkaro Company Page: https://www.linkedin.com/company/arkaro Mark Blackwell: https://www.linkedin.com/in/markrblackwell/ Newsletter - Arkaro Insights: https://www.linkedin.com/newsletters/arkaro-insights-6924308904973631488/ 🌐 Visit our website: www.arkaro.com 📺 Subscribe to our YouTube channel: www.youtube.com/@arkaro Audio Podcast: https://arkaroinsights.buzzsprout.com 📧 For business enquiries: mark@arkaro.com

    45 min
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About

Arkaro Insights provides B2B executives with tools and techniques to thrive in an adaptive world and navigate successfully in a VUCA world.  About Arkaro Arkaro is a B2B consultancy specialising in Strategy, Innovation Process, Product Management, Commercial Excellence & Business Development, and Integrated Business Management. With industry expertise across Agriculture, Food, and Chemicals, Arkaro's team combines practical business experience with formal consultancy training to deliver impactful solutions. You may have the ability to lead these transformations with your team, but time constraints can often be a challenge. Arkaro takes a collaborative 'do it with you' approach, working closely with clients to leave behind sustainable, value-generating solutions—not just a slide deck. "We don't just coach - we get on the pitch with you" Connect With Us 💬 We'd love to hear from you! What topics would you like us to explore in future podcast episodes? Drop us a message or connect with us to learn more about Arkaro's approach. 🔗 Visit us at www.arkaro.com 👥 Follow our updates: Arkaro on LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/company/arkaro/ 📧 Email us at: mark@arkaro.com

Information

  • Creator
    Mark Blackwell
  • Years Active
    2022 - 2025
  • Episodes
    45
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © 2025 Arkaro
  • Show Website
    Arkaro Insights