David Schmidtchen

Canberra

Contributor at The Mandarin

Thinking about people, work, organisation & performance. Thoughts here are my own. RT not endorsement.

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Articles

The illusion of precision: How election polls shape (and mislead) voters

1 week ago | themandarin.com.au | David Schmidtchen

Election polls are a staple of modern political campaigns. We are assaulted by competing polls offering a glimpse into the future fortunes of political parties and candidates. The effects of politicians’ campaign successes and gaffes are presented in mystifying charts, and commentary focused on shifts into positive and negative ‘territory’. To the untrained eye, the percentage point variance often seems marginal and not deserving of the accompanying feverish commentary.
The democracy sausage and the complex psychology of voting

1 week ago | themandarin.com.au | David Schmidtchen

In 2016, the Australian Word of the Year was ‘democracy sausage’, beating out other contenders such as ‘census fail’ and ‘smashed avo’. Defined, with the detachment of lexicographers, a democracy sausage is a ‘barbecued sausage served on a slice of bread, bought at a polling booth sausage sizzle on election day’.
The illusion of efficiency: Why downsizing the public service won’t fix bureaucracy

2 weeks ago | themandarin.com.au | David Schmidtchen

A curtain of pessimistic fatalism descends on the Australian public as it enters the febrile atmosphere of a federal election. The community braces itself for five weeks of performative politics, perfectly summed up by The Shovel: “I’m not sure I’ve got it in me to give a shit. Just fast-forward to the bit where I can get a sausage in bread.”The public service was once again central to the guerrilla encounters between politicians leading up to the election announcement.
The illusion of authority: Why return-to-office mandates fail

3 weeks ago | themandarin.com.au | David Schmidtchen

The NSW government’s service-wide ‘workplace presence’ policy may have seemed like a good idea at the time. It wasn’t. The premier might have believed he was in good company when the idea was presented. Globally, notable leaders in the tech and finance sectors were contemplating and behaving similarly. What could go wrong if Elon Musk believed getting people back to the office was a brilliant idea?
The fragile power of charisma

1 month ago | themandarin.com.au | David Schmidtchen

Gartner Inc. predicts that by 2026, 30% of workers will use ‘digital charisma filters’ to achieve previously unattainable career advancements. Before interacting with someone, consult AI for suggestions to improve your phrasing, tone, and body language. During the meeting, AI provides nudges to help you maintain eye contact and regulate your speech pace. Afterwards, AI offers feedback on effectiveness, including sentiment analysis and recommendations for improvement.
The power of emotion in leadership: Why authenticity matters in public service

1 month ago | themandarin.com.au | David Schmidtchen

We are in a time when leadership arrogance has become more prevalent. Political and business leaders frequently assert that they know what’s best for others and act as if they are free from legal constraints or social norms in chasing their objectives. The portrayal of leadership is warped by misinformation, rendering the truth hard to discern and authenticity tough to assess. Public service leaders are uncomfortably positioned at the heart of this leadership crisis.
Embrace your inner imposter

2 months ago | themandarin.com.au | David Schmidtchen

Have you ever felt like a fraud, thinking your success is a fluke or a ticking time bomb before you’re discovered? In the 1970s, Pauline Clance and Suzanne Imes introduced the concept of impostor syndrome, which describes that uneasy feeling of not measuring up. It can lead to self-doubt about your skills and accomplishments, making you worry that you’ll be exposed as a fraud.
Does AI promote human creativity or encourage social loafing?

2 months ago | themandarin.com.au | David Schmidtchen

In 1995, Jeremy Rifkin published The End of Work. In it, he argued that as computing power became cheaper and more powerful, designing and building new types of machines controlled by miniature electronic ‘brains’ became possible. Rifkin drew international attention to technology automation, human displacement, and the widening gap between the ‘haves’ and ‘have-nots’.
Vengeance Most Fowl: An AI warning

Jan 22, 2025 | themandarin.com.au | David Schmidtchen

As we transitioned from 2024 to 2025, Feathers McGraw, an unsettling villain and master of disguise, returned. In Wallace and Gromit: Vengeance Most Fowl, he proves that his desire for revenge for the events of The Wrong Trousers is strong. Feathers’ tool for this mission is Norbot, an AI-powered garden gnome created by Wallace to free Gromit from the supposed tedium of gardening.
Leaders, leadership and time are entangled

Jan 20, 2025 | themandarin.com.au | David Schmidtchen

Time is an assumed and, consequently, unexplored dimension of leadership. Time is present in our leadership discussions but is discussed through proxies. The epidemic of busyness plaguing organisations is a proxy discussion about time. It is implicit in our action-orientated leadership narratives that shape the future and the tools we use to plan, manage, and decide in the present. Our assumptions draw on an implicit, hidden, human-centred view of time.