Change Is the Only Constant

Everybody talks about "Change" and importance of "Change management" as the only "constant" with dynamics in the global economy changing rapidly. Global competition necessitates that traditional organizations service or product line models incorporate innovation for on-going differentiation.  However little is said about the Change Agent leaders who lead this change. One of our clients (I will not mention the name) is going through a change management process. My observations on this are little effort has been made by the leadership in understanding the business model of how and why the change needs to be done along the lines how to lead by participative trust. Instead the model of "divide and conquer" is assumed making the change management process a painful, chaotic and chasing after the wind affair.

I think the fair questions that a change management leader needs to ask before he embarks on one are:

1. What are the main dimensions of innovation that can be brought before disrupting a business model holistically?
2. How do I enable my organization to pursue business model innovation?
3. How does the role of technology, software and people integrate in supporting my business transformation?

I feel answering those three questions goes in parallel with self introspection within the change leaders and may translate to something like:

1. How am I contributing to build this organization and how can I involve the existing people so that growth takes place in them as well?
2. How can I be innovative myself ...what the changes that I personally need to make before I dictate?
3. How am I using technology, software and people skills to support my transformation in alignment with the business transformation?

 Circling back then on the innovation organization go through different models of business innovation to facilitate change this can be customer-centric, process innovation centric, or supply chain centric. In the past lot of emphasis has been given to customer centric innovation but management specialists have realized the internal stakeholders are also a type of customer who make up the organization and provide the services. If change is not accepted by the them, change management and change initiatives will fail, even if you alienate them or throw them out of the organization.

My suggestions are simple here:

1. Understand why the change and outlay the metrics for transparent discussion
2. Be the change first before you dictate change.  
3. Involve everybody in the road map. This takes time but is very essential. There are proponents who may say we don't have that kind of time...but believe me if this is not done well ...we will be spending lot more time and resources fixing stuff. 
4. Improve responsiveness and service with love and trust. (Boy this is a hard one!!) 
5. Optimize pricing, think or creative sources of funding.
6. Research, monitor and gather feedback, incorporate back the good and refine the process. 

Change is the only constant but how we manage this change will enable our constancy in the marketplace.


Thoughts,

Sam Kurien

A Day Made of Glass

DA send me this video link, I think though still in concept its is so cool and is not far in our future as we have seen bits and pieces of all this cool research from different quarters of surface computing.

Enjoy The future is round the corner!!!

Cheers,

Sam Kurien

InOne Concept Design

The InOne concept computer is really a cool looking design and as the name suggest its a All in one Desktop (not a laptop as it may look like one) with a 22 inch screen, keyboard, enormous touch pad. My design/engineering thought on this one is as I wonder is it would be a cool idea to take the touch-pad and use gestures to light up and bring up a keyboard, or turn into a second dual screen for display, for comparing of data  images, pull and pinch and throw stuff (minority style) from the top screen to the touch-pad screen. 

Thoughts,

Sam Kurien

Anti-Pirate Laser Developed, Captain Jack is now alerted!

I am really pissed at this news, alas my hearties your favorite pirate's pillaging days are over. At least that's what I want you to think mates! BAE systems is the responsible company with this new laser targeting systems that will blind attackers and intends to make the Somalians miss when they take aim with their weapons. The technology is said to be low-cost but when it comes to deployment the cost is expected to escalate. The laser low cost distraction system as the folks at BAE call it can send the signals up to 1.5kms to let the pirates know they have been spotted. A beam will be send if the pirates comes closer that will dazzle or shock them. I wonder why wouldn't they come up with a zero point energy phaser. Then I can carry one too and quote from one of my favorite Star Trek quotes: "Phasers: Because sometimes Diplomacy fails"

Cheers,

Sam Kurien

Extension of An Innovation!

I recently was made aware that immediacy of objects, values and street innovation extend the product ideas that will be instrumental in making them universal. The lessons to be learnt are how do you design a product or a system that can be extended or be universally accepted. The proposed idea is to watch for ideas that come from the streets, reverse engineering, social re-engineering and innovative social uses of products or ideas.

For example to expand on this a cell phone owner in Uganda becomes an instant ATM. Strange Isn't it? People in Uganda use cell phones to transfer money and exchange minutes for cash. How does it work you may ask? So if you live in Kampala and have a cell phone and you want to send money to your parents in a small village a few hundred miles away you would buy a pre-paid phone card with minutes on it and transfer it to a person in the village where your parents live who has a cell phone. So from Kampala you would call this person and give him the card number transferring the minutes on your card. The cell phone operator on the other end who receives your call charges a 2-10% commission, collects the minutes and dispenses the remaining cash to the caller's parents.

Street innovation and extension of a  innovation or idea gives insights how the Ugandans use an everyday object like the cellphone in the absence of a sophisticated banking system. 

Thoughts?

Sam Kurien