Yes, it’s been a two month hiatus, wiped out by the holidays and start of the new year, but we’re back in force.
Every so often, an article comes along that everyone should read. Whether you’re in business, a blogger, twitterer or just find yourself hanging out on the Internet, some authors writing for The McKinsey Quarterly have come up with one you shouldn’t pass up. I hesitate to tell you the title because I’m afraid it might it scare some of you off. But let’s plunge in and I’ll explain why it’s important. The article, “Clouds, big data, and smart assets: Ten tech-enabled business trends to watch” sounds both techie and ominous but it’s really neither.
You can download it here and to make things simpler, I’ve highlighted the important parts, at least as I see them. It’s written in McKinsey business speak but don’t let that intimidate you. Of course, if your idea of fun is to skip the latest episode of 30 Rock or pass up The Daily Show and settle down with the Harvard Business Review, you’ll feel right at home (I speak with experience in this.)
The article is particularly important if you’re in the information technology business, but the trends that the authors cite are effecting all of us in both the way we go to work and the way we live. It’s time to rethink your priorities, how you’re marketing, selling, or using technology to walk, run or keyboard your way through life.
It speaks to the importance of web-based communities and their pervasiveness in our work and home lives. Yes, web-based communities can be about marketing to corporations and the latest episode of your favorite TV show to consumers, or the latest revolution abroad, but it also highlights the growth in co-creation and collaborative work and ideation that’s taking place. Organizations, corporations and countries are expanding in their depth and breadth through cross-boundary networked organizations.
Small countries and corporations can rapidly become bigger than large ones by managing global knowledge and using communities to create, test and provide feedback. Scaling up is no longer limited by your own resources. Simply use those that belong to others but are waiting for you to stop by. Innovation and creativity now and increasingly in the future are coming from the bottom of the pyramid, not the top.
This is a very thought provoking article that will get you asking whether you’re taking advantage of these trends or spending too much time watching “Jersey Shore.”
Tags: Change, Communities, Creativity, Customers, Governments, Information Technology, Innovation, Leadership, Marketing, McKinsey, Outcomes, Positioning, Social Media, Strategy, Trends, U.S. Marketplace
