Businesses face two related but distinct problems: groupthink and discomfort arising from disagreement.We all have a deep-seated desire to fit in – even those, and sometimes especially those, who profess how much they seek to stand out. We care about what other group members think about us. A lot.This makes groupthink a natural consequence of group decision-making. The quest for harmony in a group impedes its cognitive processes and culminates in suboptimal decision-making. Better choices are ruled out too quickly because of the urge to reach agreement.Groupthink stands in the way of innovation and productivity gains. Innovation requires change, and that means provocation. What will you do to keep everyone on track and focussed on your productivity, growth and profit?

Unique insights into business, politics, public policy, prosperity and society derived from 30 years of leadership experience in the armed forces, business, parliament and government. I create and inspire high-performing teams – I can help you do so too.

This position is in addition to my role as Minister of State for Northern Ireland, established to enable the smooth further implementation of the Windsor Framework.

We ensure the smooth working of the devolution settlement in Northern Ireland.NIO is a ministerial department, supported by 3 agencies and public bodies.

Elected to Parliament for Wycombe two and a half years after joining the Conservative Party, selected at his first attempt. A ConservativeHome “Newcomer of 2010”. Elected by colleagues to the Treasury Select Committee and the Executive of the Conservative 1922 Committee, which represents back-bench MPs to the leadership. Developing a successful print, radio and TV presence. Co-Chairman of Conservatives for Britain.

The Treasury Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of HM Treasury, HM Revenue & Customs, and associated public bodies, including the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority.

• Policy and Delivery Coordination across Whitehall to prepare the UK for exit• Parliamentary Strategy for Exiting the European Union, including the Repeal Bill• Contingency Planning• Engagement with the English Regions

Established a lightweight and dynamic international presence in the sphere of ideas within six months. Demonstrably shifted the terrain of debate about the financial crisis amongst London think tanks within one year. The Cobden Centre is now an unrivalled international network of academics, financial sector practitioners and politicians with a developing commercial spin-out, Cobden Partners.

Co-Founder of the Cobden Centre with Toby Baxendale

The Treasury Committee is appointed by the House of Commons to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of HM Treasury, HM Revenue & Customs, and associated public bodies, including the Bank of England and the Financial Conduct Authority.

The leading network of job and work clubs, now merged into Christians Against Poverty.

Thermal Engineering is a leading aerospace components manufacturer supplying aero engine and airframe OEMs and their Tier 1 suppliers globally. Revenue in 2012 was £16m and growth in 2013 was approximately 10%. The Company was sold for £28.3 million at the end of 2013.

The Transport Committee is charged by the House of Commons with scrutiny of the Department for Transport. Its formal remit is to examine the expenditure, administration and policy of the Department for Transport and its associated public bodies. The Committee's inquiries during my membership included HS2, Heathrow and UK ports, amongst other things.

Ambriel Consulting Ltd offers technical consulting and services for modern enterprise systems. This includes platform selection plus architecture, design and implementation of systems using XML, Java, Perl and Python on the Windows and Linux platforms.

A contract position as Chief Architect of the Firm's Global Asset Servicing Strategy and Prime Services Strategic Platform for Securities Finance. Responsible for technical leadership of a senior and accomplished team, including technical analysis, requirements capture, enterprise-level application architecture and design, engineering best practice, hiring recommendations, planning, communication and coaching.

The Business Application Software Developers' Association represents the industry and sets international standards for its members' products. As CTO, I took responsibility for the maintenance, development and promotion of the eBIS-XML standard for e-business, implementing new infrastructure and procedures to support community development. In addition to software development and project management, I represent Members' interests to Government and other bodies and deliver a series of successful XML training courses. Although now operating independently, I continue to work closely with BASDA.

Creating world-class products and services in electronic financial reporting. Envisioning, specifying and directing the creation of products and services in conjunction with and complementary to our investor, Business Wire.CoreFiling is venture owned by DecisionSoft and Business Wire.

As Head of Client Services, I took prime responsibility for client contact for pre-sales consulting and post-sales technical services. I managed a team of software consultants delivering XML-based solutions to the largest government and corporate clients. The role required me to develop software in Java, Perl, XSLT and XML Script in addition to my project and line management responsibilites.

Policy, management and operations.Three fast-track tours of duty, giving unparalleled management and technical experience including a comprehensive range of non-military transferable skills. Responsible for the management, career development and welfare of up to 110 people at all stages of their careers, from new recruits to warrant officers approaching retirement.