Cisco Network Building Mediator Demo

More interesting technology from Cisco.

John Clees on Creativity

Getting into a creative state, avoid interruptions…

We don’t know where we get our creative ideas from… what we do know is that we do not get them from our laptops.

Network Neutrality – where do you stand?

I have been struggling with my position on Network Neutrality lately,  primarily because I have not been well versed on the arguments.

As with all political issues, there is no shortage of viewpoint on the Internet and I have read as much as  I can stand at the moment.  As a result, I believe I have  formulated a reasonable perspective and  my current view is that there is nothing good about additional government regulations on a system that is operating just fine now.

The turning point for me was the following paper (attached here) by a most brilliant attorney Robert (Bob) Corn-Revere entitled the “The First Amendment, the Internet & Net Neutrality: Be Careful What You Wish For“  – published by the Progress and Freedom Foundation, a think tank operation focusing on government regulation.

He states, “Given the stakes involved, some who favor network neutrality rules should be careful what they wish for. It is exceedingly unlikely that the more zealous proponents of neutrality requirements will be satisfied just with regulation of broadband networks.”

Said another way, (government) regulation always spreads.  Give them an inch and they will help themselves to a mile.

Book:The Starfish and the Spider

The Starfish and the Spider

By Ori Brafman and Rod Beckstrom

This book is filled with valuable insights contrasting the more traditional “command and control” organization  (the spider) to the flatter “Community of Interest” driven organization (the starfish) observed as a trend in many successful businesses today.  Much of this is driven by, and modeled after the global Internet taking advantage of the “Network Effect” which increases the value of the network with the addition of every new member.

I was able to draw a number of parallels between this body of work and the thinking presented by Clay Shirkey on the power of de-centralization on TED.  He does a very nice job or presenting issues with the traditional Organizational Hierarchy, which is exclusionary in nature, and leaves a lot of productivity on the table when compared with Communities of Interest (COI’s) as he observed in recent Social Networking.

In my current organization we are struggling with many of these concepts as we evolve from being “directory” driven  to multiple intersecting COI’s with “Catalysts” instead of commanders. These COI’s are driven by Vision, Strategy, and Funding via various Boards and Councils at the Executive level of the Company.  It’s a wild ride and I’m really glad to be here.  Traditional management is being redefined to provide infrastructure and empower the COI’s while delivering on organizational imperatives, increasing productivity, and creating a sense of community for the individual contributor.

As with any shift in culture for a large organization, the real success will be measured in years not quarters.  In my observation, the most difficult thing for the more traditional manager to learn is how to let go and trust the community (with some measure of chaos inherent) while acting as a “Catalyst” where appropriate.  There will always be the case for a more heavy handed approach from management but we know very well how to do that already.  What we are learning now is collaboration.

Though we are at the infancy of this process and blazing new trails, I have high hopes. We are clearly evolving toward a “hybrid organization” as outlined in the book, continually searching for that sweet spot that lies somewhere between “command and control” and complete decentralization.

After reading this one, I have a much better understanding of where we need to go as an organization and what my role will be in helping us get there.  I now consider myself a member of the “Starfish Revolution” armed with a new vocabulary to talk “starfish” as we embrace a new style of management to lead successful hybrid organizations in the rapidly changing business world we are facing today.