On May 19th I will join approximately 100 other folks at NASA's Johnson Space Center for an educational day and behind the scenes view of Mission Control during the STS-132 mission. Since it's inception the Space Program has set the example of innovation, decision making, teamwork and leadership. One of my focuses (but not the only) during this day of opportunity will be to explore how NASA achieves such selfless teamwork where leaders and team members are so interchangeable.
Understanding and having these skills in the workforce will help companies become agile and able to respond to such issues as the economic crisis.
Follow this blog, http://www.twitter.com/rcopelan or links at http://www.copelan.com as I prepare and participate in the STS-132 JSC TweetUp
Monday, May 10, 2010
Saturday, April 17, 2010
Alternative Planning
The events of the past days in Iceland shows us how fragile our infrastructure really is and how powerful "Mother Nature" can be. We grow to depend on our technology but few ever think about a disaster from the point of view that the technology no longer works. Sure we have disaster plans for:
- IT systems failing: we get new hardware and restore the backup
- fire or natural disaster: move to a new building/location, get new equipment.
But what happens when the technology can no longer be used:
- a nuclear blast generates EMP and fries the electronics in our computers, cars, radios, hospital equipment, electrical grid
- the atmosphere is filled with particles and planes can no longer fly through it
- a LARGE asteroid impacts the Earth changes the dynamics of rotation.
Yes, at least some of these are improbably scenarios but at the beginning of last week the 10 Europeans sitting in meetings with me in Chicago weren't the least bit worried about going home on Thursday and coming back in 2 weeks for a SAP GoLive. As of Saturday only one that I know of got a flight to Rome, many hours by train from his original destination. The rest were wondering if they would be at their meetings on Monday or still here in the USA. Some of us are starting to think about an alternative GoLive support plan.
I am sure that companies that depend on air freight for keeping their production lines running are now scrambling to find alternative shipping methods to get material to open airports. This impacts costs in a very real way and may even push some companies into situations from which they can not recover.
How long will it last. We all hope that flights resume on Sunday/Monday but this is not something we can control, not something that Congress can pass laws to fix or have hearings to "Punish the guilty" (though I am sure that they will). Nature has reminded us that we need to be flexible and to never depend on anything so much that we can't do without it.
Robert Paterson has a good article on this topic at: http://smartpei.typepad.com/robert_patersons_weblog/2010/04/volcano-air-travel-a-black-swan-what-might-happen.html
- IT systems failing: we get new hardware and restore the backup
- fire or natural disaster: move to a new building/location, get new equipment.
But what happens when the technology can no longer be used:
- a nuclear blast generates EMP and fries the electronics in our computers, cars, radios, hospital equipment, electrical grid
- the atmosphere is filled with particles and planes can no longer fly through it
- a LARGE asteroid impacts the Earth changes the dynamics of rotation.
Yes, at least some of these are improbably scenarios but at the beginning of last week the 10 Europeans sitting in meetings with me in Chicago weren't the least bit worried about going home on Thursday and coming back in 2 weeks for a SAP GoLive. As of Saturday only one that I know of got a flight to Rome, many hours by train from his original destination. The rest were wondering if they would be at their meetings on Monday or still here in the USA. Some of us are starting to think about an alternative GoLive support plan.
I am sure that companies that depend on air freight for keeping their production lines running are now scrambling to find alternative shipping methods to get material to open airports. This impacts costs in a very real way and may even push some companies into situations from which they can not recover.
How long will it last. We all hope that flights resume on Sunday/Monday but this is not something we can control, not something that Congress can pass laws to fix or have hearings to "Punish the guilty" (though I am sure that they will). Nature has reminded us that we need to be flexible and to never depend on anything so much that we can't do without it.
Robert Paterson has a good article on this topic at: http://smartpei.typepad.com/robert_patersons_weblog/2010/04/volcano-air-travel-a-black-swan-what-might-happen.html
Saturday, April 3, 2010
Thoughts on iPad Day One
Much has been said in various blogs about why to get an iPad or why to wait. There is no need to rehash that. There are good points for either decision. As a geek, today was tough to watch the unboxing of 2 iPads on the TWiT Network and not have one myself. I will wait a while. Clearly Apple has hit another "long drive" and scored multiple runs with the iPad just as they did with the iPod and iPhone.
These are paradigm changing devices and move us toward a future that we saw only in Star Trek and other SciFi movies not so many years ago. Some look at these devices and wonder "why do I need it". The real benefits become apparent only after obtaining one and discovering new ways of doing things. Books don't go away, they just become more accessible. Radio and TV becomes audio/video podcasts or streaming networks such as TWiT. Real time interactivity between show hosts and the audience, only a dream for the big networks, is already a reality for shows that are "connected". This is enhanced by these devices for those who embrace them.
There is a healthy competition between between the iDevices and Android devices. Apple has again set a high bar for tablets in both hardware and software. I expect that in the coming months we'll see other hardware for Android. There is room for both and having both will ensure that companies as well as developers continue to innovate and improve.
Thank you Apple and Steve Jobs for moving the bar up a notch or 2. The challenge will be met.
These are paradigm changing devices and move us toward a future that we saw only in Star Trek and other SciFi movies not so many years ago. Some look at these devices and wonder "why do I need it". The real benefits become apparent only after obtaining one and discovering new ways of doing things. Books don't go away, they just become more accessible. Radio and TV becomes audio/video podcasts or streaming networks such as TWiT. Real time interactivity between show hosts and the audience, only a dream for the big networks, is already a reality for shows that are "connected". This is enhanced by these devices for those who embrace them.
There is a healthy competition between between the iDevices and Android devices. Apple has again set a high bar for tablets in both hardware and software. I expect that in the coming months we'll see other hardware for Android. There is room for both and having both will ensure that companies as well as developers continue to innovate and improve.
Thank you Apple and Steve Jobs for moving the bar up a notch or 2. The challenge will be met.
Monday, November 2, 2009
Google Wave Book - A new openness in publishing
Gina Trapini announced yesterday on This Week in Google that she is working on a new book destined to be the definitive source of information on Google Wave. I find her total desire to put her knowledge into the public domain really refreshing. The book is being developed online using MediaWiki and is licensed under the Creative Commons License. While she does plan on publishing PDF and traditional paper versions, it is clear that Gina intends for this to be a dynamic reference guide that will be updated as Wave matures. Visit The Complete Wave Guide to experience this openness in information sharing.
What does all of this have to do with 21st Century Business? Several lessons can be learned from Gina by businesses who want to move forward.
Too often businesses create new processes but then fail to stay in a mode of continuous improvement. Some companies implement the tools of the Internet like blogs, wikis, intranets but fail to realize the dynamic change that is the culture of the Internet. They ask "why aren't our tools successful". The answer is: "free them, free the knowledge and let your employees' creativity and innovation come to the surface."
What does all of this have to do with 21st Century Business? Several lessons can be learned from Gina by businesses who want to move forward.
- Knowlege is meant to be shared, not hidden in some file share directory structure or locked behind passwords
- Knowledge is ever changing. Just because the project is over or the documentation published the changes shouldn't stop. Documentation of a process or method that is not ever changing is outdated.
Too often businesses create new processes but then fail to stay in a mode of continuous improvement. Some companies implement the tools of the Internet like blogs, wikis, intranets but fail to realize the dynamic change that is the culture of the Internet. They ask "why aren't our tools successful". The answer is: "free them, free the knowledge and let your employees' creativity and innovation come to the surface."
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Google Wave
Google Wave is breaking new ground in the collaborative environment. I know that people are not happy about having to wait for invitations or the system isn't running perfectly. It is PREVIEW or pre-beta. Google has broken new ground by opening up development projects that would normally have never been used or even known for months later. They use the feedback from these experiences to further improve the software for the public release. By involving ourselves in this endeavor we, the community, have certain responsibilities:
Other software providers who have been traditionally closed are slowly moving in this direction. We, the preview testers, can make this the way of the future by working with the providers and not against them.
For a good introduction to how to use Wave visit Gina Trapani's Wave 101 at: http://lifehacker.com/5376138/google-wave-101
- Be patient and realize that Google has their schedule and that schedule may change at any time. We don't influence the schedule
- Realize that any part of the system may or may not work at any time. By agreeing to participate we were not guaranteed a working system
- Provide honest feedback about the functionality and suggest improvements
Other software providers who have been traditionally closed are slowly moving in this direction. We, the preview testers, can make this the way of the future by working with the providers and not against them.
For a good introduction to how to use Wave visit Gina Trapani's Wave 101 at: http://lifehacker.com/5376138/google-wave-101
Saturday, March 14, 2009
TED Talk on Wisdom
I just finished listening to Barry Schwartz's talk on the "Loss of Wisdom" given at TED in February 2009. This is an outstanding talk and really gets to the root of some of the issues that caused this current economic crisis and are also causing companies to be stuck in a crisis circle.
Barry makes very clear points with examples that rules and incentives are NOT the solution to our problems. The issues we face are, in his words, "often ambigous and ill defined". It isn't possible to write rules to solve these issues. Each situation is different. We must apply morals, wisdom (maybe collectively known as common sense) to each situation in order to solve it. Responding by developing guidelines or rules that "must be followed" are not the solution and in fact more often than not will cause even more problems in the long run.
Everyone should listen to this talk (see the link). There is something in it for everyone regardless of your position in a company or society.
The talk is available at http://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_on_our_loss_of_wisdom.html and also on iTunes.
Barry makes very clear points with examples that rules and incentives are NOT the solution to our problems. The issues we face are, in his words, "often ambigous and ill defined". It isn't possible to write rules to solve these issues. Each situation is different. We must apply morals, wisdom (maybe collectively known as common sense) to each situation in order to solve it. Responding by developing guidelines or rules that "must be followed" are not the solution and in fact more often than not will cause even more problems in the long run.
Everyone should listen to this talk (see the link). There is something in it for everyone regardless of your position in a company or society.
The talk is available at http://www.ted.com/talks/barry_schwartz_on_our_loss_of_wisdom.html and also on iTunes.
Sunday, March 1, 2009
Your Digital Reputation
http://thefuturebuzz.com/2009/02/28/digital-reputation/
I thought this was a good article. Sometimes we don't realize that sites such
as Facebook, Linkedin, mySpace, Twitter, mailing lists and so on are cataloged
and available for searching. Even if we have turned up maximum privacy, our
comments or pictures may be found on other people's sites that have less privacy.
These days employers DO search these sites for information about prospective
employees. Speaking from my own experience, I google EVERYONE that is a business
partner. That "funny" picture at a party, slouching in a chair or comment that
might seem inappropriate when the background isn't known would be the one thing
that causes someone else to be chosen for a job.
That certainly doesn't mean that we shouldn't use these new social media tools
but only that we should keep in mind how others would use them and how we want
others to view us. Yes, some things will get posted by others that we can't
control but we can control what we post and how we want the world to see us.
Properly used, these social media sites can be a very powerful force that will
open doors to opportunity that a simple old-fashioned resume never would.
I thought this was a good article. Sometimes we don't realize that sites such
as Facebook, Linkedin, mySpace, Twitter, mailing lists and so on are cataloged
and available for searching. Even if we have turned up maximum privacy, our
comments or pictures may be found on other people's sites that have less privacy.
These days employers DO search these sites for information about prospective
employees. Speaking from my own experience, I google EVERYONE that is a business
partner. That "funny" picture at a party, slouching in a chair or comment that
might seem inappropriate when the background isn't known would be the one thing
that causes someone else to be chosen for a job.
That certainly doesn't mean that we shouldn't use these new social media tools
but only that we should keep in mind how others would use them and how we want
others to view us. Yes, some things will get posted by others that we can't
control but we can control what we post and how we want the world to see us.
Properly used, these social media sites can be a very powerful force that will
open doors to opportunity that a simple old-fashioned resume never would.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
