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.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Class #5 -- Mortenson
So Class #5 was a welcome change of pace...we had a presentation by the CIO of Mortenson (major player in construction industry in MN and across the nation).
He was an entertaining guy and (I think) had a good story to tell. I like the fact Doug brought in a "real life" person in an under-represented industry to the Carlson School to talk to us. Being the CIO of a major corporation, this guy carries like 3 laptops and 2 PDAs at all times. He detailed how technology can help (or hurt) Mortenson in huge projects like the new Twins stadium.
What I found most fascinating was Mortenson's dedication to cutting edge technology...it seems that the CIO is an integral part of daily operations instead of a consulting position when it comes to decisions within Mortenson.
I think Doug's purpose in bringing in Mortenson's CIO was to drive home the idea that technology is more than just lip service...the bottom line is impacted by technology...and it's so easy to forget that. Most rank-and-file employees are happy as long as their email works and they can access the internet. Cole's speech revealed that information (and the appropriate use of it) is so much more than just email and internet.
He was an entertaining guy and (I think) had a good story to tell. I like the fact Doug brought in a "real life" person in an under-represented industry to the Carlson School to talk to us. Being the CIO of a major corporation, this guy carries like 3 laptops and 2 PDAs at all times. He detailed how technology can help (or hurt) Mortenson in huge projects like the new Twins stadium.
What I found most fascinating was Mortenson's dedication to cutting edge technology...it seems that the CIO is an integral part of daily operations instead of a consulting position when it comes to decisions within Mortenson.
I think Doug's purpose in bringing in Mortenson's CIO was to drive home the idea that technology is more than just lip service...the bottom line is impacted by technology...and it's so easy to forget that. Most rank-and-file employees are happy as long as their email works and they can access the internet. Cole's speech revealed that information (and the appropriate use of it) is so much more than just email and internet.
Monday, February 2, 2009
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.
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.
Wednesday, January 28, 2009
Class #3 -- Global vs Local
I am starting to think the globalization phenomenon has reached "crazed fad" status. We are discussing the "flat world" concept in one of my other classes and, as you can imagine, another brilliant mind has formally challenged Tom Friedman's assertion that our planet is now flat.
Go take a look at Pankaj Ghemawat's website (www.ghemawat.org) and you will find his calculated response to Freidman's ideas. The problem I have with these big global/non-global ideas is that the concept (to me) is difficult to quantify and measure. At what point does semiglobalization (Ghemawat) become a truly flat world (Friedman) and vice versa? Our world flattening out shouldn't surprise anybody...the natural progression (intersection) of technology and innovative humans was going to happen. The fact that the flattening happened as fast as it did may be a surprise to some. But again, are we overreacting to all this? Are we giving too much credit to Friedman for articulating (in a book) what we already knew was taking place?
The bottom line -- nobody can deny that technology has changed the world and the way you and I (as small fish in a very large pond) can impact lives. Like Doug said, we are in an unprecedented period that will continue to expand and progress. Amazing capabilities (in tech) now exist and will continue to evolve. I think the real question for our generation is whether we are truly prepared to harness these capabilities into a worthwhile cause...
Go take a look at Pankaj Ghemawat's website (www.ghemawat.org) and you will find his calculated response to Freidman's ideas. The problem I have with these big global/non-global ideas is that the concept (to me) is difficult to quantify and measure. At what point does semiglobalization (Ghemawat) become a truly flat world (Friedman) and vice versa? Our world flattening out shouldn't surprise anybody...the natural progression (intersection) of technology and innovative humans was going to happen. The fact that the flattening happened as fast as it did may be a surprise to some. But again, are we overreacting to all this? Are we giving too much credit to Friedman for articulating (in a book) what we already knew was taking place?
The bottom line -- nobody can deny that technology has changed the world and the way you and I (as small fish in a very large pond) can impact lives. Like Doug said, we are in an unprecedented period that will continue to expand and progress. Amazing capabilities (in tech) now exist and will continue to evolve. I think the real question for our generation is whether we are truly prepared to harness these capabilities into a worthwhile cause...
Sunday, January 25, 2009
2nd Class -- Value
The 2nd class...lots of thought-provoking stuff. I have to be honest, I was stoked to see what Doug had in store for his encore (2nd) appearance. He clearly built up some expectations, at least on my end. No textbooks and a spattering of "current" articles was his mantra. Would it work?
At this point, I think it has. The biggest take away (for me) from Thursday's class was the laundry list of foundational and leadership competencies discussed. This class is clearly designed for us to step back and learn more about ourselves instead of facts and figures out of a book. And I like that. As the saying goes...don't let school get in the way of your education. I don't think the class was ready to be called on individually, but stage fright is common for everyone. Doug is very unassuming and low threat for sure -- a definite requirement as the instructor in this course.
Back to the competencies. More than anything, I was surprised how my answers/beliefs did not jive with the "approved" answers Doug revealed in his presentation. Like he said, there isn't necessarily a right or wrong with those characteristics, but it definitely made me think. Everyone is in this MBA to improve themselves in one way or another. Part of that process is being honest with your strengths and weaknesses. Strengths tend to be easier for people to identify, but most people hate to discuss weaknesses in our society. I like to think I'm honest about my downfalls...and Doug's list kind of kick started my motivation to keep working on those traits. He suggested printing off the lists and keeping them visible to stay committed to the effort, and I think I will do that. We'll see what happens.
Again, the organization of the class and the fast/quick pace from subject to subject is working well for me...looking forward to Tues.
At this point, I think it has. The biggest take away (for me) from Thursday's class was the laundry list of foundational and leadership competencies discussed. This class is clearly designed for us to step back and learn more about ourselves instead of facts and figures out of a book. And I like that. As the saying goes...don't let school get in the way of your education. I don't think the class was ready to be called on individually, but stage fright is common for everyone. Doug is very unassuming and low threat for sure -- a definite requirement as the instructor in this course.
Back to the competencies. More than anything, I was surprised how my answers/beliefs did not jive with the "approved" answers Doug revealed in his presentation. Like he said, there isn't necessarily a right or wrong with those characteristics, but it definitely made me think. Everyone is in this MBA to improve themselves in one way or another. Part of that process is being honest with your strengths and weaknesses. Strengths tend to be easier for people to identify, but most people hate to discuss weaknesses in our society. I like to think I'm honest about my downfalls...and Doug's list kind of kick started my motivation to keep working on those traits. He suggested printing off the lists and keeping them visible to stay committed to the effort, and I think I will do that. We'll see what happens.
Again, the organization of the class and the fast/quick pace from subject to subject is working well for me...looking forward to Tues.
Wednesday, January 21, 2009
It was inevitable...
Try as I might, the idea of setting up a blog can no longer be avoided.
One of my instructors at the University of Minnesota (http://www.carlsonschool.umn.edu/) has tasked me with posting my thoughts and rants/raves on a blog site. Truth be told, I actually look forward to maintaining a site like this...and always have, but I simply never got around to it.
In my view, there are two big risks in blogging:
1) Taking the time to maintain the site while keeping entries pertinent and up to date. Nobody wants to log onto a site and see the most recent post was written 6 months ago. Let's face it...your blog site's organization and accuracy is ultimately a reflection of the organization and accuracy of your real life. I guess that can be good or bad.
2) I think there's an inherent arrogance in setting up your own blogsite. I'm not sure why (since the internet explosion) millions of people feel the need to spew their thoughts onto a webpage...the fact that most people think the rest of the world cares about their random thoughts really seems comical to me. The additional fact that most of these bloggers have zero credentials/authority to speak about anything beyond the day-to-day weather is also entertaining. But that's the trend in our information-saturated society I guess...idols/heroes change as often as the weather in this country. Who knows, maybe my blog will get its 15 minutes of fame sometime during this semester.
Maybe I'm wrong on all this -- the blogging trend has apparently caught on and so I will try to join the bandwagon for the time being. It was either this or Facebook. Either way I will probably spend a disproportionate amount of time updating this site over the next couple months. It will be interesting to see how many hits I get.
As long as I have the forum, I will try to chronicle my MBA experience as close to real time as I can get. I'm sure I will be borderline paranoid with making sure my postings don't get too dated. Even though I have small expectations on how many people will actually tune in, I look forward to going off on tangents to see where my mind takes me.
One of my instructors at the University of Minnesota (http://www.carlsonschool.umn.edu/) has tasked me with posting my thoughts and rants/raves on a blog site. Truth be told, I actually look forward to maintaining a site like this...and always have, but I simply never got around to it.
In my view, there are two big risks in blogging:
1) Taking the time to maintain the site while keeping entries pertinent and up to date. Nobody wants to log onto a site and see the most recent post was written 6 months ago. Let's face it...your blog site's organization and accuracy is ultimately a reflection of the organization and accuracy of your real life. I guess that can be good or bad.
2) I think there's an inherent arrogance in setting up your own blogsite. I'm not sure why (since the internet explosion) millions of people feel the need to spew their thoughts onto a webpage...the fact that most people think the rest of the world cares about their random thoughts really seems comical to me. The additional fact that most of these bloggers have zero credentials/authority to speak about anything beyond the day-to-day weather is also entertaining. But that's the trend in our information-saturated society I guess...idols/heroes change as often as the weather in this country. Who knows, maybe my blog will get its 15 minutes of fame sometime during this semester.
Maybe I'm wrong on all this -- the blogging trend has apparently caught on and so I will try to join the bandwagon for the time being. It was either this or Facebook. Either way I will probably spend a disproportionate amount of time updating this site over the next couple months. It will be interesting to see how many hits I get.
As long as I have the forum, I will try to chronicle my MBA experience as close to real time as I can get. I'm sure I will be borderline paranoid with making sure my postings don't get too dated. Even though I have small expectations on how many people will actually tune in, I look forward to going off on tangents to see where my mind takes me.
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