BEING A STRATEGIC MANAGER, PEOPLE, USING INFORMATION AND "FAST FOOD" TECHNOLOGY

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BEING A STRATEGIC MANAGER, PEOPLE, USING INFORMATION AND “FAST FOOD” TECHNOLOGY

Geoffrey Moore, in his book, Crossing the Chasm, suggests that during the life cycle of technology solutions, software inevitably moves from “cutting edge” to “appliance-like.”

Here’s the interesting thing about strategic management, including the software to strategically and collaboratively use information. It requires thinking, always has, always will.

More specifically it requires the kind of thinking or cognitive processes that are described as: engaged, questioning, sorting, defining, analyzing, comparing, testing, and synthesizing. Notice that these words or observations all describe the opposite of what you think of when you imagine the cognitive processes involved in operating your refrigerator or toaster appliance.

So will the technology to assist people in managing and working strategically ever become like an appliance – in effect, easy to operate without having to think about it? I don’t think so, and yet we see many people in management hoping to extend technology that enables people to work more strategically down through the organization… and often surprised that people consider it too difficult to use, too much not like a toaster.

Furthermore we see many new users surprised that they have to put information into the technology to be able to get value out. Another unmistakeable indication of a drift towards a “fast food”, drive-up expectation and approach to technology.

Strategic managers can also buy into the easy, simple, “fast food” myth. Just buy it, install it, get it configured, people trained, and you’ve got a complete solution. What follows in the aftermath, in our experience, is that the majority of people in management don’t push their people to make the regular needed investment in managing information necessary to function strategically… because it involves a discomforting push, and it doesn’t fit with the easy, appliance-like mentality. People don’t have to get pushed to use a toaster!

The whole technology market is screaming adds that say “it’s easy to use” – and presumably that’s because it’s what the consumer market keeps saying they want. Not that it will help you the most, or let you do more. It’s as if the business culture is shifting to center around what’s easiest, not best, solutions. In short, is our business community in effect saying, “We want the best product for the lowest price – that involves minimal or no effort on our part to use”?

Have we already passed into Moore’s final technology life cycle phase?
Does the current market demand that every tool should function like a
refrigerator; buy it, plug it in and just use it. Who needs the instructions –
you don’t need to think about it?

When it comes to processing information, does your operate and have the
expectations of a fast food center? Before I wrap up this blog let me
leave you with a question and an answer.

Questions:
1. If you wanted your organization to use technology and manage information more strategically, how would you define managing strategically and having a strategic operation in terms of technology and information sharing, collaborative tools?
2. What are the simple, daily steps that need to occur to function (with or without technology) in this manner?

Answer: I think of it in terms of the old “Ready, Aim, Fire” phrase +1. I’ll write more about this in the next blog, but the Ready has a lot to do with understanding the external world and demands well enough that one is reasonably sure where one can afford to Aim.

The +1 is the trailing book-end for the Ready concept. In a word it is Verify or Follow-Up. Without verifying or following-up, how do you know if you reached your aim? The Verify or Follow-Up is critical to utilizing and keeping up-to-date strategic management software. This is definitely not appliance-like or “fast food” in nature.

In part we see this as a cultural shift. The American culture, in particular, seems to be overwhelmed with information at work, and when confronted with the choice or raising their game on how information is managed, or staying within their comfort zone, choose the latter. The most common choice is to minimize any energy expended to learn new tools and adopt new behaviors. Maybe that says we’re all more tired that we know. Maybe it says that more than ever, we expect software to be like “fast food”.

It’s as if it is too much energy or too much risk for management. The temptation is to be strategic personally, but not push the majority of users in an organization to get beyond appliance mentality. Oh there’s plenty of push to control costs, get a lot done, get it done on time, stay late, etc… just not to make the regular investment in the thinking, documenting and monitoring required to be more strategic.

In part we see this as a cultural shift. The American culture, in particular, seems to be overwhelmed with information at work, and when confronted with the choice or raising their game on how information is managed, or staying within their comfort zone, choose the latter. The most common choice is to minimize any energy expended to learn new tools and adopt new behaviors. Maybe that says we’re all more tired that we know. Maybe it says that more than ever, we expect software to be like “fast food”.

In short, is our business community in effect saying, “We want the best product for the lowest price – that involves minimal or no effort on our part to use”? Have we already passed into Moore’s final technology iife cycle phase with the demand that every tool should function like a refrigerator; buy it, plug it in and file the instructions, who needs them – you don’t need to think about it? Does your organization operate strategically or more like a fast food center when it comes to processing information? Before I wrap up this blog let me leave you with a question and an answer.

Questions: If you wanted your organization to use technology and manage information more strategically, how would you define managing strategically and having a strategic operation in terms of technology and information sharing, collaborative tools? What are the simple, daily steps that need to occur to function (with or without technology) in this manner?

Answer: I think of it in terms of the old “Ready, Aim, Fire” phrase +1.

I’ll write more about this in the next blog, but the Ready has a lot to do with understanding the external world and demands well enough that one is reasonably sure where one can afford to Aim.

Links:

Be a Strategic Manager by Leveraging Your Time
Strategic Time

Strategic Manager Software

Why is Executing a Strategic Plan so Hard for Management

Project Management + Task Mangement + Performance Management = Strategic Management

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3 Responses to “BEING A STRATEGIC MANAGER, PEOPLE, USING INFORMATION AND “FAST FOOD” TECHNOLOGY”

Working and Managing Strategially - Clean-Up, the Missing 4th Step Says:
August 18th, 2008 at 4:08 pm
[...] Being a Strategic Manager, People, using Information and “Fast Food” Technology [...]
steve Says:
September 19th, 2009 at 11:45 am
I think it has alot to with evaluating the objective vs the out come at every step of management. Objectives must be short to medium term and tourching on the short term desired deliverables set by the management and other stake holders.
Being Successful with Efforts to Improve – Using Chunks Says:
November 16th, 2009 at 3:58 pm
[...] Being Strategic about People, Information and Technology Share and [...]