Driving a Culture of Agility and Curiosity: Strategic Approaches From McLaren F1’s COO

By Shaun Cooney

Conversations about technology and its implementation matter. However, you won’t be able to harness its full potential without also investing in the efficiency, curiosity, and culture of your team.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Piers Thynne, COO of McLaren F1, about some of the strategies its teams employ to stay as agile as the sports cars they create. We discussed all aspects of operations at McLaren, including the more than 17,000 parts that go into each car, the data that supports manufacturing, the data used for planning to ensure on-time delivery, and the potential risk to health working in such a high-pressure environment.

Some of the insights shared include rejecting blame culture and embracing failures as learning opportunities so your team has the freedom they need to be curious and innovate. As a leader, it is critical for your teams to keep their eye on the prize and remember it’s all about delivering a high-performing product and that every day is a day to learn. This one isn’t to be missed!

Watch, download, or listen to the full episode below. Thanks for tuning in.

Shaun Cooney

Shaun is a business technologist who’s spent much of his career in intelligence, defence & telecommunications where he has experience in Cyber Security, resilience, data and product development leadership roles. Most recently Shaun held a senior leadership role as head of Engineering for the UK’s National Cyber Security Center (NCSC), leading the development of digital services and guidance across the UK Government and beyond.

Shaun's role, Strategic Advisor, Technology & Innovation for EMEA sees him spending most of his time helping organisations through their transformations and large change programmes, helping them to think more strategically or differently about their use of data and technology to validate and implement their business strategies.

As a child, Shaun told his parents that he wanted to be a giraffe when he grew up. Standing at 6 foot 8 inches (203cm) Shaun is proud to have achieved his childhood dream.

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