Class #4

Most of this class was spent on what the future looked like...what does the enterprise of the future have in store for us?

It was funny watching each group come up with their thoughts. With 50 students in the class, we probably had 50 different ideas on what the future enterprise would look like. If I had to pick a common thread among them, it was the concept of speed AND information.

Information and learning is a hot topic these days -- and rightfully so. Doug has stressed day in and day out that the world has essentially become one big blur. Books are outdated the moment they hit the shelf, data/information management has become it's own industry...and somewhere in between the deafening sound of everything becoming obsolete in record time, humans sit at their desks and try to deal with the breakneck speed at which life comes at them.

I had a get away this past weekend with my old high school buddies and (as usual) the group had different thoughts and opinions on the speed of life. Some of the guys refused to wake up everyday wondering how they would lead the pack...they were happy just being in the middle. Some of the guys insisted they had to be on top or at least well on their way. And a couple others were indifferent. We all agreed on one thing though: information and what you do with it (how you use it) is the new game changer in this world. Resisting the cell phone/internet age is useless...you're powerless against it. I hate to say the world is flatter (a cliche waaaay overused now), but it's just so true. Can't deny it.

It's funny, but the MBA experience has almost tended to confuse my world more than organize it. I now see (or am at least aware) of the "real world" of business...as much as an MBA student can be aware anyway. In business, if you're not leading the pack, you're probably bringing up the rear. Ironically, they two HS buddies that couldn't understand why people woke up everyday to compete were teachers. Different dynamics between public education and private sector business, that's for sure.