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"Sundays in the Park"The world is shaped and changed by the small efforts of lots of people. November 21 Noise is killing Twitter.. Noise kills
conversations. Twitter works best when it is conversational.
Conversations expand your virtual network. Bots generate noise. Twitter was growing based on its conversational content. It is still growing but now the content is primarily noise generated by bots or their human equivalents.... November 15 Too big to fail....The global networked economy is just beginning. A year ago it took a hit. The cry at that time was that some organisations are simply too big to fail. So the government stepped in to under-write these entities. The term 'too big to fail' is now part of the language of C21st economics. The strange thing about this term for me is it makes no sense in a networked digital global organisation. The bigger you are the more certain you are to succeed. What is actually likely to fail are Nation-State governments. Times of transitions throw-up terms like 'too big to fail'. They become accepted wisdom. But they never bridge the gap between 'what was' and ' what is' and 'what will be'. October 31 Seven things I learnt at NASA.I have been re-reading "First Man- the life of Neil Armstrong" by James R Hansen. The book is a gem - it so well researched and so well written. It reminds me of my time at NASA and the key things I learnt there. 1) too long spent on design leads one to implement a dud and too little time spent on design leads one to implement a white elephant. 2) single points of failure are everywhere in large projects. 3) risk is ever present but usually hits you where you are not. 4) simulation is preparation if and only if you use it to go beyond the limits of your known systems. 5) there is no substitute for experience but experience without imagination is useless in a crisis. 6) fear of failure can not be tolerated. 7) success is filled up with good luck. October 24 Semi-autonomous work groups thrive as digitalcore....Once upon a time I was into "semi-autonomous" work groups. At my paid work I engineered them and at night (paid work too as it turned out) I lectured to undergraduate and graduate students about them. These entities fascinated me then and they still do. In one sense these are the amoeba of organisations - they are single cells that split to form a new whole entity. So they are the simplest form of human organisation and because they are self-directed they need little management. Therein lies the paradox of these entities. They are simple to set up. They are simple to describe. They are simple to be a part of. They are highly productive. They are purpose built. They are low maintenance. They are heuristic and innovative. So what are they? Where would I see them working well? What they are is groups of five or more but not more than eight or nine people. They have a single purpose which they actively pursue together. Their process is transparent - everyone knows everything that is going on within the group. Their process is open to inspection at any time - there is usually a process of show-and-tell which presents progress of individuals and the group as a whole. Their process is innovative - there is an process of prototyping, testing, breaking, and reframing the prototype until a robust (and scalable) outcome is arrived at. If you want to read about groups like this that work well - go to the Saddleback Church site. Pastor Rick Warren has built and organisation that thrives on semi-autonomous work groups. Learn about them and learn to love them - they are the future of work! September 26 Your data trail exposes you.....Jet planes leave
a vapour trail. You leave a data trail. Your data trail linked to Web
3.0 technology shows, everyone whose interested, your behavioural patterns. September 24 Consumers rule again.....Tupperware Parties are social networking royalty so it is no surprise to me that Microsoft 7 soft launches around the globe have come to the party. See http://www.theage.com.au/digital-life/pcs/tupperware-tactics-to-push-new-windows-7-20090923-g1gv.html September 23 You pay for brands....You and I pay for brands. Example, my son's volleyball teams , coaching, etc. make ME pay to re-brand him every few months. It's a stupid waste. September 21 Recession economy strategies....Are you sloughing off the bubble economy? Have you embraced the recession economy? Do you have a new strategy for life, business, and community activities? Do you understand how and why these new recession revenue models can and will distort your current capacities and capabilities? Are you prepared to continue what you have been doing within the confines of recession economy silos? September 16 DigitalCoreDigitalCore is my term for the heartbeat of social networks/media business models. At the core of any digital business model is a pro-active feedback desk. The feedback desk is at the core of any digital business. It is where action is taken. It is where consumers interact with providers. It is where the next iteration of the network is shaped. It is where success or failure is decided. September 15 Organising social networks....Organising social networks is a practical challenge. Most people who attempt it do so with the tools they have on their workplace bench. Thus they try to create organisations where none can flourish - the best example is the fashion of creating 'online communities'. Communities flourish because the members have a shared purpose, set of values, or experiences. Appointing a Director/Manager of Communities to better organise these members is now a common practice. However the role of these managers of communities is never entirely clear. They are suppose to control these entities but how they intend to do that and why they would want to do that is not apparent, at least to me. I tried to perform this function in the early 1990s and I found that my efforts were totally counter-productive. Sure the technologies have moved a long way since BUT importantly the wants and needs of people have not. I have concluded that social networks are best left to their own devices because they are indeed self-organising entities. If these entities impact on you, your business, or your communal activities then you should seek constant feedback from them. Tap into both the negative and positive feedback you can access about you and your concerns from them. Change your behaviour. Monitor the feedback. Change your behaviour. Monitor the feedback. After a few iterations of this simple feedback loop, you will realise that the patterns of feedback you are getting is changing and it may well be changing in ways that flatter you. You will also recognise that you are not in control of these social networks at this point and neither are you organising them but you are organising your activities to better fit the communities you are monitoring. In turn, the patterns of behaviours from those communities are now changing to better fit your wants and needs. September 12 Wireless 4GSpeed. Wireless 4G is all about speed. Speed of data transmission. Speed of mobile processors. Speed of machine to machine transfers. Speed of diagnosis in health care. Speed of global connections between individual users. What you get with 4G is 5 times the speed of 3G (current smart phones). Speed. The biggest change in your world over the next 5 years will be the speed data is processed, transfered, and packaged for you. You might have an all-in-one wireless mobile device. You might have a series of specialist mobile devices - camera, phone, navigator, computer, etc. Either way you will become the target of the C21st digital revolution. September 11 Wants and needs....Economic bubbles are fueled by consumers' wants. Wants are unlimited. Wants get inflated quickly in bubble economies because people like to mimic others. Wants are unaccountable. Wants are never satiated. Economic recessions are grounded by consumers' needs. Needs are limited. Needs get deflated quickly when easy money disappears. Needs are fully accountable. Needs are often satiated. September 07 Analogue people..The digital revolution is with us but it is not going very well. The problem is the people (you and me) who have to embrace it do not really understand it. Sure we (you and me again) all understand our digital gadgets but we do not comprehend the digital frontier before us for one simple reason - we are analogue people. Analogue people are prone to serial thinking and sequential actions. Translate that into mundane life in a digital network and you discover you are too slow with your thinking and too procedural with your actions. September 03 Reset.....This is the perfect time to hit the "reset button" on life. Baseline everything. What you think about your life should be set to ground zero. Take no prisoners. Shed the ideological views that cocoon you. Be a risk taker in areas of life you were risk averse and vice versa. Challenge what you thought you knew for "sure" yesterday. Take comfort in the fact that you know a lot but you still don't know what you don't know. Reset your life today and find the "teachable moments" for yourself to learn new ways of being in the world. OR continue what you were doing and good luck with that...... August 30 A passion for organisation....If you are like me, and have a passion for organisation, then this is an exciting time. The future of organisation is being developed now. What the C21st organisation will turn out to be is not clear. I suspect it will end up being more a collaborative network than the type of organisation we are use to dealing with today but I do not know what will evolve. The C21st challenge comes from digital technologies and the resultant new economy. So I have been thinking about the core elements that could really change today's organisations. I came up with four things we can all do. 1) Be frugal. Remove waste. Focus on cost reductions. 2) Be simple. Find simple new ways to do what you do. Focus on cost avoidance measures. 3) Be reliable. Eliminate rework and improve productivity. Focus on detail. 4) Become durable. Improve on your successes. Focus on your strengths. August 24 Frugal organisations....The digital revolution offers much to organisation design, performance, and reach. Unfortunately the revolution I speak of is not the one most people are experiencing in their lives. Most consumers are buying into their impression of the digital revolution with low-cost high performance TV's, radios, hand-held devices (music players, phones, mini-computers, etc) but that is not where the real action is for me. The real action is taking place at the macro not the micro level of our economy. The real action is yet to really impact on us as individuals but it will over the next five years. The real action is about to kick into effect in our workplaces or more precisely the organisations that recruit us for paid work. The changes that are coming to your workplace, company, government enterprise, or not-for-profit organisation are subtle but powerful. The digital revolution is about to descend on you and your colleagues and it will change your life and perhaps the way you garner a livelihood. There is a key driver of the digital revolution at the organisational level. In digital organisations the emphasis is on being frugal. Being frugal with the use of energy, time, capital, labour, and technology is the digital mantra. Being frugal in our emerging digital world means finding new and less complicated ways to deliver high performance outcomes across a networked organisation. August 11 The wisdom of crowds....I am reading 'The wisdom of crowds' - why the many are smarter than the few, by James Surowiecki. Malcolm Gadwell author of 'The tipping point', Outliers, etc says of this book "Dazzling.... the most brilliant book on business, society, and everyday life that I've read in years. Is there really wisdom in the crowd? My sixteen year old son has been debating this point with me since I began telling him about the contents of this book. He claims I am captivated by it because it supports what I say about Tribes, Clans, and Clusters on the web. He is probably right. But he, like me before I began reading this book, thinks of the mob - the dumb mob - not the crowd. In the mob there is very little or no wisdom. The mob is a construct of conformity and herd behaviours. So I have to agree that the mob is not the font of much wisdom. So where do you find the wisdom of the crowd? Well as I say I am still reading this book so I still have a way to go before I glean a sensible answer to that question. But I can tell you something about where and why the wisdom of the crowd goes missing within online communities. Online communities surely do contain the wisdom of the crowd. But is it accessible? In most cases it is not..... Well it is not anymore accessible than in society in general. It is less accessible within those communities that demand conformity, share clearly defined ideologies, are shaped by conventions, etc. Therein the wisdom of the crowds is being squashed, it is being overlooked, it is being ignored, and it is being foregone. Interestingly, most online communities do not contain the transparency, equity, or accountability that is needed for the wisdom of the crowds to flourish. Online communities will only see the "wisdom of the crowds" flourish if there is diversity, discussion, debate, cooperation, and collaboration. Then the wisdom of the online community kicks in and provides a collective wisdom that is so much deeper, richer, and meaningful than that which the smartest in that community can bring to the gathering. Inside any online community it is the ability, capacity, wilingness, and eagerness of everyone to join into a collective sharing of the pieces of the puzzle that will ultimately reveal the big picture wisdom. If all this is true, then my simple insight into online communities is that they are better able to access the inherent wisdom of the crowd if they are not directed, managed, structured, or formalised to any great degree. Of course there are other reasons for doing all of those things but if you are seeking the "wisdom of the crowd" and thus all the invention, innovation, and remarkable insights into our world that this can bring then you will let your online community run free. You will encourage debate, be accepting of diversity, and enjoy a healthy level of deviant behaviours. August 07 Big red boat organisation - open systems....This is a repeat of one of my big red boat series of posts. THE BIG RED BOAT of course was Liberty. Liberty lost the America's Cup to Australia II off Newport Rhode Island in a seven boat race series that went right down to the last two legs of racing. The victor was Australia II and so much was made of her radical keel. But there was so much more to admire about the Big Red Boat, Liberty. Liberty was three boats in one. She could be configured to race in light, medium, and heavy mode to best suit the changeable conditions on Rhode Island Sound. She was a brilliant boat but more than that she was a breakthrough in organisational thinking. Anyway here is my earlier post by popular request, repeated here just for you..... “Paradigm shifts” are the big challenge for organisations in the early part of C21st. Because most C20th design is not adept at change management the workers in such entities are in for a bumpy ride. Their fortunes will rise and fall with a tidal wave of new demand from China, India, Korea, and Africa. Demand for resources. Demand for jobs. Demand for technologies. Demand for higher and higher living standards. Demand for increased life expectancy. Demand for a better share of economic good fortune. Those who are destined to suffer most will be locked into the moribund world of C20th organisations. They will work longer and longer hours but achieve less and less. They will become super competitive and thus super suspicious towards all outsiders. They will engage in bloody purges of peers, rivals, and colleagues. They will become over zealous guardians of existing legends, myths, brands, leadership roles, revenue models, strategic thinking modes, etc. They will become obessed with security concerns. They will become control bullies. They will become creatures of “management by committee”. They will become “meeting junkies”. They will become captives of a “closed system”. Those who cope best with the “knock on effects” of C21st “paradigm shifts” will work in and for organisations that are open, transparent, and proactive. They will become vocal advocates of Big Red Boat organisation. Big Red Boat organisation is an open system. It has built-in feedback loops. It has built-in capabilities to configure to best suit the prevailing conditions. It has built-in ability to “disrupt with purpose”. It has built-in focus on new ways of thinking and executing. It has built-in frameworks for handling “paradigm shifts”. August 06 Do you want to change other people's behaviours?If you want to change other people's behaviours then you will find no end of advice on the web, in books, in degree courses, and in wise quotes you stumble on from time to time. But you know all that.... Still want to try to change other people's behaviours? Well first you might want to consider whether you want or need to change group behaviours or that of a single individual. If it is a group then you might want to consider what the key drivers are for their current behaviours. To do that you might want to start by posing some simple questions. What is the purpose of this group? What ensures it hangs together? What has made it successful in the past? What is it exactly that you want to change about this group? In answering those simple questions you might like to consider the following: Groups are purpose driven. That is their strength. Groups hang together because their membership conforms. That is their strength. Groups make up success stories - they create their own history. That is their strength. Groups are exclusive not inclusive - they do not welcome diversity. That is their strength. Do you want to change other people's behaviours? Then you might want to play to their strengths. August 05 How do you fit Zappos into Amazon?Zappos is unstructured, free flowing, bound together by core values, outward looking, innovative, a little weird, and yet robust and reliable. I see Zappos as a growing Clan (my term) as opposed to Amazon which is a growing Tribe (my term and not to be confused with my friend Seth Godin's version of Tribes). Clans are inclusive, they are porous, they attract early adopters & innovators, they have themes, they prototype, they explore, they learn and develop, etc. Tribes are exclusive, they are purpose driven, they have shared values and beliefs, they actually turn "group think" into a positive asset, they have conventions, rules, regulations, they have rigid structures, etc. Clans and Tribes coexist easily within every aspect of modern business both on and off the web. On the web most people see Clans and Tribes as alternative social networks or channels for social media. Combining Clans and Tribes is feasible but fraught with difficulty if you want to maintain what is best in both cultures. Combining the Clans of Zappos with the Tribes of Amazon will be a hugely challenging yet fun project. August 02 Zappos culture is worth about $US1 Billion...My Facebook, virtual, friend Seth Godin is good at posing questions that resonate with normal folk. I am not surprised therefore that Seth has done it again with his perceptive query about the buy-out of Zappos. I wanted to share it with you..... "When you buy Zappos, what do you buy? Amazon just announced that they're spending $800,000,000.00 (looks better that way) to buy Zappos.com. But wait. Amazon already has plenty of shoes. Amazon already has great technology. Amazon already has relationships with Fedex and UPS. What you buy when you spend that kind of money is what matters now. And what matters is:
These things are available to organizations of every size. If you want them and choose to work for them." July 30 Twitter communities.provide you scale and reach....Do you "belong" to a Twitter community? How many followers do you have? How many of them do you actively follow? How many of them are "real world" friends? What is the real benefit to you of belonging to a Twitter community? In answer to the last question I maintain that it is the scale and the global reach of my Twitter community that is the real benefit to me. I have around 400 hundred followers. Of course this does not impress anyone but me. Why? Well in the time it has taken me to amass 400 followers - one of my followers has gone from 4,000 to 50,000 followers. In this time she has delivered 11.000 odd Tweets. She is a real estate marketer and so Twitter helps her build her client base. Nevertheless, it is the scale and the global reach of her Twitter community that is the real benefit of her Twitter community. She has relationships with people around the world and thus she has a potentially lucrative referral marketing system going. BUT if you are not in real estate marketing then more and more followers might not be an advantage. Rather the scale and reach of your community might be more valuable if it is tailored more predictably to your current and future interests. Under this scenario I prune my followers daily. I want less not more. I want those that fit with my current interests - all those who use key word sorting to find me and then attach to me in the hope that I will follow them back are noise in my Twitter community. Rather I am looking to find people who are weird like me, who are doing right now what I am doing or want/need to be doing soon, who are open and available online to share their experiences. When I look at the 400 followers I have now in this light then there are a few who are invaluable. These people are providing me with information about organisations, ideas, theories, practices, business change, etc. that is not available in libraries. They are at the cutting edge of what you and I are going to be reading about in newspapers, magazines, and books in the future. Scale and reach is a key asset within your Twitter community but it is up to you to decide what it means for you and then how you can best use it. July 29 DigitalCore - what does the term mean?DigitalCore is my term for a new business model - here are some key components. Free content. Referral marketing. Engaging consumers via feedback. Web-based chatter. July 26 What are the issues keeping you up at night?What keeps you up at night? What is most frustrating about what is bugging you? Most of what keeps us up at night is seemingly beyond our immediate control. But is it really? Focus hard on what you "need" to make this issue, concern, problem, irritant, etc go away. Got it? Focus hard on what you know others "want". Got it? Trade what they "want" for what you "need". Got it? Still not sleeping? Refine what you "need". Ask them again to clearly enunciate what it is they truly "want". Trade what they "want" for what you "need". Got it? Still not sleeping? Then get a professional negotiator onto your team. July 24 Negotiation skills.....In a digital economy your ability to negotiate with others is a core skill. The heartbeat of that skill lies in your ability to clearly enunciate your needs. Once you have a crystal clear understanding of your needs you are well placed to identify the needs of others. Your negotiations with any significant other is then merely a process of engaging the best fit between your and their needs. If you want some free advice on how to establish your needs then email me - lipscombe.richard@gmail.com - If I can help you I will. |
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