This Focused Performance Weblog is a "business management blog" containing links and commentary related primarily to organizational effectiveness with a "Theory of Constraints" perspective. TOC is noted for its applications in Project Management and Multi-Project Management (Critical Chain) and Operations Management (Drum-Buffer-Rope), as well as in Marketing, Strategic Planning and Change Management (TOC Thinking Processes). If you are on an archive page, current postings are found here.
Friday, April 29, 2005
Culture and Technology, Continued -- Yesterday, over at the Fast Company Weblog, Heath pointed to "a conversation" between yours truly and Hugh at gapingvoid on the subject of changes cultural and technological. I appreciate Heath's linkage, but he exagerated about my part in it. Sure, I commented and expanded with a blog entry, but I am compelled to point out that the real conversation is happening over in the comments attached to Hugh's original post. Be sure to check them out.
In addition to this little bit of unearned attention, this topic also introduced me to a new (to me) blogger who I'm sure will be promoted from my "checking out" list to a more permanant position in my feed reader. Sigurd Rinde commented in the conversation, which led me (and Hugh) to his Forthcoming journal, especially this entry. I won't quote it here, but instead encourage you to check out it and the rest of his stuff for yourself.
Returning to the subject of the relative impact of cultural and technological changes, back in the day when I was doing BPR work (business process reengineering -- remember that one?) at what was then AT&T's Bell Labs, we used a three-part approach to the efforts, encompassing Process Management, Change Management, and Enabling Technology. The characterization of technology as the enabler of new processes certainly put it in its place. Whether a triggering enabler (a new technology that lets you start thinking about new processes) or as a supportive enabler (allowing the desired proposed processes to be implemented), it is clear (to me) that the value of the innovation comes from how you use it -- from the new processes that address problems faced by the organization. Technological change merely enables the process change that creates the value.
Technology allows you to change how you do something. Cultural change allows you to consider doing new things. Doing the same stuff faster, cheaper, or better is cool and often worthwhile, but doing new stuff that others can't do because they're stuck in the same culture you were previously stuck in is where real competitive advantage and value come from.
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