the factor of ten

A brief history of economic progress in two acts.

Act I - industrialisation

First part:

New technology replacing old tools.

Traits: Power delivered by machines.

Results: A few seconds saved for each operation, increased productivity.

Second part:

 

New ways of doing things, technology enabled but not driven. Ford Highland Park; first assembly line in 1913.

Traits: Work order, information and tools delivered simultaneously - sequence optimised - "ah, another car coming, let's screw that screw now".

Results: Within six months Ford produced ten times more cars per hour. A factor of ten.
Ten years later they had a 65% market share.

Act II - informationalisation

First part:

New technology replacing old tools.

Traits: Easier reuse of content, copies galore, spell-checking.

Results: A few seconds saved for writing / typing part, mass mailings easy, lower need for excellence in grammar.

Second part:

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Traits sought: Work order, information and tools delivered simultaneously - sequence optimised, no gaps.

Results sought: A factor of ten. Ability to beat the heck out of all competitors, 65% market share.

Epilogue: Now, why do you think we're tinkering with the Thingamy? Rock on as Hugh would have said...

Comments

[Ric]

I think you're being a bit self-effacing when you talk about a factor of ten, Sig. Ford still had to deal with some serious physical constraints - in your more virtual world a lot of those constraints don't exist in any significant way. I suspect that "ten" is a lowball figure given the possibilities ...