Business change and innovation
In a recent blog post, John Hagel III and John Seely Brown argue that today’s open innovation approaches still are very "transactional" and therefore, do not allow delivering the real potential of open innovation. We agree, but the problem is not open innovation. The problem is the enterprise.
The Xpragmatic View #138 - February 14, 2010
Design thinking is the new mantra. Redesigning the enterprise and our society. But will it succeed where so many other approaches have failed?
The Xpragmatic View #137 - February 6, 2010
To manage a system effectively, you might focus on the interactions of the parts rather than on their behaviour taken separately - Russell Ackoff
The Xpragmatic View #133 - December 6, 2009
Real solutions and progress emerge when we are able to unify apparently conflicting views on the same reality. Do emergent social software platforms (ESSPs) provide a context for this to happen?
The Xpragmatic View #129 - October 25, 2009
The future of work will determine the success of social tools
Change does not come because there is the option to change. Change comes when there is a need for doing things differently.
The Xpragmatic View #128 - October 11, 2009
Change cannot be planned. It cannot be controlled. There is no right direction. It happens. You can only create conditions that will maximize your chances to benefit from change when it happens.
The Xpragmatic View #126 - September 22, 2009
We simply need new enterprises
July 2007, we wrote our The case for Business Interaction Management (BIM) white paper. At that moment, the need for such approach was clear. However, it was less clear how companies would (or would not) adjust to this new paradigm. Where do we stand today?
The Xpragmatic View #124 - September 1, 2009
In management, failure seems to be the only way to get to insight. Whatever the level of experience we have built up in the past, as soon as we have to make decisions in a new context, we tend to forget most of the basic rules. Perhaps, this simply is the way we move forward.
The Xpragmatic View #123 - August 27, 2009
Direction is a consequence, not a choice
While discussing the pros and the cons of different methodologies, we often tend to forget that the methodology will only be a minor part of the whole solution. Therefore, in most cases, the choice of a certain methodology will not be a real choice but merely the logical consequence of an existing context.
The Xpragmatic View #122 - August 25, 2009
Today, we stand at a time point where companies must choose a new direction. The convergence of a number of conflicting influences makes that keeping the current status quo is no longer an option. But do we choose the right direction?
The Xpragmatic View #121 - August 19, 2009
Enterprise 2.0 - Enter the dark force
More than ever, Enterprise 2.0 is the talk of the town. However, the discussion remains difficult due to a continuing bias towards tools and technology. Therefore, an attempt for a real look at the internals of Enterprise 2.0, the dark forces of collaboration.
The Xpragmatic View #119 - July 11, 2009
Enterprise 2.0 usage is on the rise. Recent publications indicate that a growing number of companies have implemented so-called ' social tools' and that the effective use of such tools increases. Is this the year of the final breakthrough?
The Xpragmatic View #117 - May 19, 2009
Effective change requires fast and ruthless execution. These are the words of professor Behnam Tabrizi. However, is this speed of execution intentional or is it merely the result of an existing organisation that is change-able?
The Xpragmatic View #116 - May 5, 2009
If the human race wants to survive on this planet, it will have to change its behaviour, its institutions, its government structures and its way of doing business. The chaordic theory carries the promise of the better organisational approach that will support this. Can it really work that way?
The Xpragmatic View #115 - April 29, 2009
If there is one lesson that we must learn from the current crisis, it is that management will have to be different in the future. The greed culture that we have known over the past decades must be replaced by something else. What are the options?
The Xpragmatic View #113 - Marc 30, 2009
Facing today's difficult economic conditions, companies are considering any solution that will allow reducing costs or that will strengthen their operational effectiveness. However, before moving further, they better know why they didn't use such solution before.
The Xpragmatic View #112 - February 24, 2009
Every organisation is continuously confronted with the dilemma of conflicting interests. Some initiative might help us progress in a given direction, yet it complicates things for other plans that we have. As in life, it is a matter of finding a balance. However, sometimes, we have to accept that certain things simply cannot go together.
The Xpragmatic View #111 - January 25, 2009
Given the current economic slowdown, most organisations have an increased focus on cost reduction. Layoffs, ending temporary contracts and postponing projects are the traditional remedies. While some of these might be unavoidable, companies must not forget that they have to prepare now for what will come after the recession.
The Xpragmatic View #110 - December 12, 2008
Our body, nature, the universe, they are all examples of so-called holarchies, hierarchies of parts that are grouped to form wholes that are greater than the sum of the composing parts and whereby each part in itself is also a whole. Just like a company with its divisions, departments, etc. Or not?
The Xpragmatic View #109 - November 11, 2008
The wave-particle duality, kind of
In quantum mechanics, there is a well-known concept, called the wave-particle duality, which essentially means that all matter exhibits both wave-like and particle-like properties. In modern business, we have a similar duality with management and creativity. Well, almost.
The Xpragmatic View #107 - October 5, 2008
Increasingly, Web 2.0 solutions are making inroads into the enterprise. However, both employers and employees still have to discover what are the mutual rights, obligations and associated risks.
The Xpragmatic View #105 - August 23, 2008
We barely manage the basic innovation process, but competitive pressure is already pushing us towards the next level. However, are we aiming at the right target?
The Xpragmatic View #102 - May 26, 2008
Every behavioural change is difficult, especially when we have the luxury of choice. As a result, self-controlled behavioural change is one of the main reasons for the failure of business initiatives. Is there anything we can do about it?
The Xpragmatic View #96 - February 17, 2008
In a competitive business environment, safeguarding the continuity of the company often requires starting initiatives that will result in a fundamental discontinuity for the social structure of the organisation. Do we have a choice?
The Xpragmatic View #89 - July 29, 2007
Developing an innovative business strategy is difficult. Very difficult. However, the most difficult part awaits you at execution time. Often, you will find that your fantastic idea fails. Not because this idea was unrealistic, but because it was unrealistic for your company.
The Xpragmatic View #87 - June 9, 2007
Open Space - Room for thoughts
As we discussed in the Xpragmatic View #79, deploying Web 2.0 practices and tools in a business context is tempting, yet not straightforward. The organisational context is often the strongest inhibitor. However, some of the cultural changes in our society that are driving Web 2.0 (or are driven by Web 2.0) will not go away. Therefore, enterprises will become increasingly disconnected from social reality, unless they change. They better do.
The Xpragmatic View #81 - January 25, 2007
In the current economic reality of margin erosion and rapid commoditisation of products and services, innovation is often seen as the last competitive differentiator. As a result, organisations are desperately looking for ways to improve their "ability to innovate". Over the past years, some common thinking and sound practices have emerged that focus on a number of key requirements to enable the innovative enterprise. One of these requirements is the development of a working environment that facilitates and stimulates innovation. However, is this thinking radical enough or do we have to go one step further and question the very nature of the organisation itself?
The Xpragmatic View #72 - April 10, 2006
Recent evolutions in our understanding of physics and biology indicate that our environment, including ourselves, is the result of a far-reaching process of interaction and complementarity. Apparently, something makes that matter and organisms "automatically" collaborate growing to larger and more complex entities. Is there a place for business in the universe?
The Xpragmatic View #69 - October 2005
Empowering the knowledge worker
More innovation is the remedy of the last resort that will save Europe’s economic position and welfare. At least, that’s what they say. As a result, European corporations are frantically looking for ways to improve the productivity of their knowledge workers, assuming this will increase their innovation ability. Are they looking in the right direction?
The Xpragmatic View #68 - July 2005
In the previous Xpragmatic View we briefly discussed how our improved communication capabilities are the enablers for new business practices and new organisational approaches. However, is this only a matter of eliminating or rearranging some part of your business activity or are there side effects that require some special attention?
The Xpragmatic View #65 - March 2005
Over the past years, better and more cost effective communication capabilities have been the main drivers for evolutions such as internationalisation, globalisation and outsourcing. Indeed, this improved communication capability has been an enabler for various new and more complex forms of collaboration. At the same time, organisational structures are growing thinner. Is there still room for the traditional company?
The Xpragmatic View #64 - January 2005
In the present Xpragmatic View, we further explore the concept of organisational change as a management instrument triggering innovation and process improvement. Assuming the basic promise of this concept is correct, what type of organisational change do we have to look for?
The Xpragmatic View #61 - July 2004
The quest for the agile enterprise - 2
We live in a networked economy. The Internet, e-mail, mobile telephony, they all make our way of communication easier, faster and independent of time and location. But is it also getting any better?
The Xpragmatic View #60 - April 2004
There are numerous examples of organisations that succeeded transforming their business model to a new or higher level of success after being forced by external conditions to adjust their existing organisational structure. Knowing this, is there a viable approach that allows us to uncover this hidden potential?
The Xpragmatic View #59 - February 2004
How important is IT? - The sequel
The May edition of the influential Harvard Business Review magazine gave us an interesting article written by Nicholas G. Carr, entitled "IT Doesn't Matter". In this article, Carr argues that information technology has largely become a commodity resource and therefore, no longer yields real competitive differentiation. Do we agree?
The Xpragmatic View #55 - July 2003
The quest for the agile enterprise
Over the past couple of years, business agility has become one of the more interesting new paradigms of the Internet economy. Unfortunately, it remains a very hyped subject with very little practical applications. The IT vendors are claiming to bring us the solutions that will enable the agile enterprise, but is business agility really something you can buy and install?
The Xpragmatic View #51 - November 2002
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