Class #6 -- Efficient or Intimate?

I would be remiss if I didn't blog about business models and the optimal balance between efficiency and intimacy. I was surprised at how passionate some people got when Doug posed this classic question about conducting business.

I didn't chime in at the time (b/c I was trying to figure out how I really felt), but now I have my head around the concept...and even though Doug hates this answer, it really DEPENDS on what product or service you're talking about. And I really believe this is where most people sit on the subject. Doug won't let us answer with "depends" so you don't hear that in class too much.

So let's talk examples. The guy who picks up my trash -- I really want a high level of efficiency with that service. I don't care about intimacy at all. In fact, given a choice, I don't want any intimacy with my trash hauler. He/she is there to do a job (remove my trash) and that's what I pay for. I have zero expectations that my trash hauler will come to my front door with a cup of coffee to chat by the fireside.

Now let's talk about something like a medical provider. Clearly, intimacy is much more desirable when you're talking about health. I want some level of efficiency (i.e. don't take 3 months to cure my common cold), but intimacy is probably just as important. Medical care is inherently intimate (in more ways than one) and you can't simply remove the human element from medicine like you can with hauling trash.

In the end, these are obvious answers. The truth is that I think people want to know and understand the people behind the Blackberrys. I think there will be a backlash against the "gotta have it now" concept that seems to dismiss the intimacy/human element that technology has provided to us. We are all human and intimacy will always be important...more important to some than others, but relationships will continue to be paramount even as IT expands beyond our own visions.