Author name: Professor Canute Thompson

December 22, 2022 The Government of Jamaica commenced a public sector compensation review process in about 2019.  The new system was to be implemented in April 2021 but was pushed back due to the dislocations to government activity caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.  The implementation was thus slated for April 2022.  That deadline was missed […]

In January 2021, the United States of America experienced the consequences of the chaos and misery that can flow when leaders invest in lying as a means of gaining or maintaining power.  Donald Trump, despite knowing (as testimony of the 1/6 Commission has shown) that he had been beaten by Joe Biden in the 2020

Steven Covey in his 1990 classic, The 7 Habits of Highly Effective People, makes the distinction between what he calls character ethics and marketing ethics. Character ethics are governed by a commitment to transparency and grounded in the belief that one should be authentic and be committed to truthful speaking. Marketing ethics, on the other

October 19, 2022 In Martin Luther King’s speech to sanitation workers in Memphis on April 3, 1968, he told the workers that they had some difficult days ahead, but the challenges and possible costs of what his and their actions may bring him, did not matter to him anymore for “he had been to the

October 6, 2022 There has been extensive public discourse concerning the future of Jamaica’s relationship with the British Monarch.  It appears to be the case that most Jamaicans want to sever relations with the monarch.  To be brutally honest, it is largely an inconsequential issue for me, for the simple reason that the idea of

September 24, 2022 The Caribbean Centre for Educational Planning (CCEP), located at The University of the West Indies is conducting a series of research studies on the issue of Jamaica’s recent experience with teacher migration.  Some early findings from an online survey, which was based on an instrument developed by the CCEP show: Of a

September 13, 2022 The haemorrhage of teachers, nurses, doctors and any other group of professionals reminds us of how connected Jamaica is to the United States of America (USA).  That country has been losing its teachers and nurses, largely because of low salaries, very poor working conditions, and an atmosphere of disrespect.  In addition, the

Deatricia Ming and Celia Christian August 30, 2022 Every sector requires a healthy attrition rate to carry out its regular and vital processes; this in turn allows optimal performance. The concern arises when attrition rates are accelerated to the point where short notices are given for resignations, as this prevents proper planning and hampers the

August 24, 2022 One of the qualities which distinguishes great leaders from mediocre ones, is the capacity to develop and communicate a clear and compelling vision and to build support among would-be followers and even opponents of that vision.  A vision is, simply, the power of seeing beyond the immediate and obvious and beholding a

August 15, 2022 In Part 1, published on July 25, 2022, I summarized some of the issues which were discussed at  a forum which was held on July 21, 2022. This initiative was a collaborative effort between the Office of the Vice Chancellor of The University of the West Indies and the Caribbean Centre for