business stuck in first gear

Create value by best possible use of resources.

Basically what business (and public service) is all about.

Which obviously requires:

Choose the right resources and use them in the best possible sequence.

Choice is dependent on tree structures: Lists of suppliers, hierarchies of co-workers, data repositories of parts, etc.

Tree structures requires standards, common cultures, precise navigation, extensive training and are almost always restrictive.

Sequence is delivered by command and control hierarchies: Boss instructs underling, sequence follows two dimensional chart, processes separated from main flow (see: marketing), etc.

Flow by command and control is mostly loose, person dependent, full of bugs (see: organisational behaviour) and really not very structured (unless we talk about a pure production line).

All in all, not the best methods to choose nor use resources.

Business, a great engine stuck in first gear.

Let's try some imaginary tree-less organising (and finding) and hierarchy-free work flows:

Say you work for IBM and need a person for a task, then you're free to choose from all of your 234.000 co-workers, not restricted to your department or a certain set of titles. In fact you know a lot about each of them - far beyond what is delivered by a mere title - what they're good at, what their talents are, languages, attitudes, whatnot - and you have a simple interface which makes it easy to find and choose the perfect one from the whole bunch.

Imagine that your company has condensed the whole natural flow from customer calling to happy customer into a system that delivers all tasks, events, instructions, work orders and the pertinent task-fulfilling tool to the right person in the best possible sequence. Add that there is leeway to loop, fork and pause whenever.

Add that both the resource organising (and finding) as well a the sequence can be tweaked and altered on the fly to become even better by the day.

Would that not kick the "best possible use of resources" a quantum leap forward?

Would that not translate engine revs into real speed and leave your competitors in the gutter?

Comments

[olivier blanchard]

Absolutely.

Now... how do we make it happen?

(Nice Briko specs, by the way.)

[sig]

Olivier, precisely the request I want ;)

Actually, that is what we're up to with the thingamy stuff (http://thingamy.com/ - not much tangible info there though, yet) - in essence this post is like a mini-white-paper for that run-your-business system!

Ah, yes, the Briko's, they've gone to pieces now, do miss'em - some Lance Armstrong type specs have taken their place... cool looking too, but the Briko cross-country skiing specs were better in bad weather!