‘Change is the process by which the future invades our lives’
Alvin Toffler
Only Dead Fish is a blog and digital consultancy run by Neil Perkin. Neil is the author of three best-selling books on the intersection of business transformation and organisational agility: Building the Agile Business, Agile Transformation, and Agile Marketing (all through Kogan Page). He is also the curator of Google Firestarters. Find out more about my workshops, speaking and strategic consultancy.
Latest Posts
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Why systems beat goals
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When I wrote my first book about agility and business transformation I wrote about the idea that in leading change, systems beat goals. It’s a principle that I keep coming back to, both in my transformation work with businesses and in a personal context
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AI Transformation and ROI: Bottom-up trap, top-down fantasy
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Last week I was asked to take part in a Cambridge Judge Business School panel on AI transformation. It was a pretty wide ranging discussion but there was a useful lens on this given by the latest McKinsey State of AI 2025 report which
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How to be interested (Part Two)
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In Part One of How to be Interested I wrote about the value of intellectual curiosity and humility in an increasingly algorithmically curated and AI-mediated world. It was a call to be more deliberate about optimising our signal to noise ratio in a world
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In praise of working at the edge
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Over a decade ago Oliver Burkeman wrote what I think is one of my favourite short op ed pieces of all time on the topic of how ‘everyone is totally just winging it, all the time’. The piece was well-shared at the
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The Future of Agencies in the Age of AI
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Last week I spoke at the Google Partner Summit in Dublin about managing agency change in the era of AI, and then moderated a panel of exceptional agency leaders including Pats McDonald, Christina Lemieux, and Liam Wade. In my talk I spoke about the need to combine
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Systems and Empathy
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Way back in 2017 (crikey) I wrote a report for the IPA on the Future of Agencies. One of the key frameworks that I used described how agencies could succeed in the future by focusing on combining systems (which I defined as data,
My books
Agile Transformation
Now on its second edition, Agile Transformation sets out a blueprint for a different type of organisation which is characterised by continuous change and adaptability. Covering approaches to organisational design, operations and culture, this book reveals how leaders can catalyse far greater responsiveness and apply agile principles at scale.
Agile Marketing
Published in 2022, Agile Marketing is the definitive guide to redesigning marketing structures, processes and culture for the digital age. It covers how to put data at the heart of agility and performance, how to empower fast-moving teams and decisions, and how to catalyse a culture of collaboration and learning in marketing strategy and execution.
Building the Agile Business through Digital Transformation
Also on its second edition, Building the Agile Business is designed to be a comprehensive guide to transforming organisations to be fit-for-purpose for the digital-enabled world. This book defines a roadmap for digital transformation setting out the key principles, strategies and tools that leaders can use to create lasting change.