One of my favorite books of the last 12 months is Bangalore Tiger by Steve Hamm. I bought it when it first came out and couldn't put it down. Well written, it describes Indian Outsourcing firm Wipro (specifically) and gives a detailed review of what's behind Outsourcing / Globalization (in general). I definitely recommend reading it. I'd consider it required reading for anyone providing Outsourcing services to customers, and am disappointed when I see that it's lessons aren't applied.
One of the best takeaways I enjoyed is how Wipro pragmatically applied disciplined approaches to production and quality, and saw great results. Were there failures & setbacks in their approach? I'm sure - but they learned from them and re-adjusted their approach. The examples they highlighted really aligned with what I have seen first-hand from Wipro consultants CMM, Six Sigma and Lean Sigma provide a good framework and set of tools (much like ITIL does), but it takes some skill to understand when and how to apply what tools for what effect.
There are other great points conveyed throughout various chapters in the book - "Growth: Keep a Thousand Fires Burning", "Adopt Ultrastrict Ethics to Build a Sterling Brand", "Reward Employees with Recognition and Respect", "Measure Everything Constantly", "Plan Three Years Ahead to Prepare for Rapid Growth", "Adopt the Best Ideas, Then Make Them Your Own Way", "Be Obsessive About Customers"...and there are others...
It's not so much that there were a lot of new or novel insights in the book - and that's the point! Much of what I read I have read before elsewhere - and so has Wipro. Wipro has tried, applied and "refried" these ideas to affect a positive force for consistent growth at their company, growing from $500 Million USD in 2000, to realizing a market capitalization of more than $20 Billion USD 6 years later - surpassing EDS' market capitalization of $13 Billion at that time (now at $10.91 Billion USD, as of this writing).
"We have a feeling that the platform we're on, offshoring, with price arbitrage, is a burning platform. It's only good for a few more years," says Chief Strategy Officer Sudip Nandy. "We need to do things differently to compete against international competition." (p. 69)
Well said, and a point that is easily lost on American Nationalists worried about "offshoring of work" - which (I believe) is itself a myopic, misanthropic term that prejudices the speaker into an inaccurate way of thinking about how the nature of work is changing.
Friday, October 26, 2007
Saturday, October 13, 2007
N'est-ce pas, "NES Paul"? Oui, oui...
As much as I enjoy both guitars and games, I think this is going a little too far! :)
I gotta hand it to his creativity, though...wonder how it sounds? Still, it's his original machine...that just seems wrong on so many levels...maybe he fried the motherboard from too much playing!? Still, it is a creative way to join the genres...
I wonder how this would work w/Guitar Hero or Rock Band??? Or even a blind-folded piano player played it(...BTW, I saw him live as part of Video Games Live (...very worth while show; gives you a different perspective on the industry, and a deeper appreciation for the art in the entertainment...) and he was awesome!).
Also, check out Tommy's house here...he's composed music for over 200 video games, so odds are you've probably heard one or two of his tracks...Enjoy!
I gotta hand it to his creativity, though...wonder how it sounds? Still, it's his original machine...that just seems wrong on so many levels...maybe he fried the motherboard from too much playing!? Still, it is a creative way to join the genres...
I wonder how this would work w/Guitar Hero or Rock Band??? Or even a blind-folded piano player played it(...BTW, I saw him live as part of Video Games Live (...very worth while show; gives you a different perspective on the industry, and a deeper appreciation for the art in the entertainment...) and he was awesome!).
Also, check out Tommy's house here...he's composed music for over 200 video games, so odds are you've probably heard one or two of his tracks...Enjoy!
Saturday, July 21, 2007
Vacation
I'm wrapping up "a week of vacation" w/my wife and two youngest children, out in North Carolina (technically, I did do some work this week, so it wasn't a "real" vacation...). We stayed in Charlotte for a little bit, and then went down to Oak Island to check out the Atlantic for a few days. It's still there. And I forget how warm it was (I'm used to the colder Pacific)...
The more connected we become, as individuals and as a society, the harder it seems to be to have true down time. I make it worse b/c I travel a lot for my job, so it's very easy to let work bleed into any down time I would otherwise have if I were at home and spending it with my wife and children.
So, what to do about this?
I'm picking up my guitar again. Literally.
About 7 years ago I bought a Martin Backpacker Travel Guitar. It sounds great and after about 5 minutes of playing you get used to the size and feel of the guitar. It's a great way to decompress and get out of the left-side of my head, and back over to the right. I also found this page, which is a nice little homage' to this fine instrument.
Which means I'm also always looking for great tab sites. If you know of any, please share.
And also pass along your thoughts on what you do to decompress and get away from the things that stress you out. These are always great to share!
The more connected we become, as individuals and as a society, the harder it seems to be to have true down time. I make it worse b/c I travel a lot for my job, so it's very easy to let work bleed into any down time I would otherwise have if I were at home and spending it with my wife and children.
So, what to do about this?
I'm picking up my guitar again. Literally.
About 7 years ago I bought a Martin Backpacker Travel Guitar. It sounds great and after about 5 minutes of playing you get used to the size and feel of the guitar. It's a great way to decompress and get out of the left-side of my head, and back over to the right. I also found this page, which is a nice little homage' to this fine instrument.
Which means I'm also always looking for great tab sites. If you know of any, please share.
And also pass along your thoughts on what you do to decompress and get away from the things that stress you out. These are always great to share!
Monday, July 02, 2007
Are VCs LinkedIn?
Why not?
I haven't used my network for this, and others I've spoken to in this regard told me that they primarily use the tool to "just network" w/other potential interested parties (either as capital sources or as potential employees / free-lance resources). Presumably, any requests for capital still take place of line...
Let's explore this idea, for a moment...I have a number of smaller companies and some VC / private equity firms in my network...Why not host a virtual “capital review meeting / auction”, whereby capital providers and requesters could come together to review plans, make a case for capital infusions, etc. The best opportunities could (theoretically) go to the capital source that values it the most.
Someone is already doing this - at least on the consumer-side. This is a place where individuals (and even some small companies) post requests for funding, and it seems that just about anything can qualify. Most people seem to use it for personal financing of small business ventures or debt consolidation. There is obviously a need that is being filled here...what about for business?
As more technical capability continues to reach larger numbers of people, at an ever-increasing pace, we will continue to see innovative and creative combinations (who would have predicted that the Government of China (Communist) would have given the Blackstone Group (Capitalist) $3 Billion USD to invest???).
Bottom-line: this will be another barrier that will erode and break down...but not tomorrow.
I haven't used my network for this, and others I've spoken to in this regard told me that they primarily use the tool to "just network" w/other potential interested parties (either as capital sources or as potential employees / free-lance resources). Presumably, any requests for capital still take place of line...
Let's explore this idea, for a moment...I have a number of smaller companies and some VC / private equity firms in my network...Why not host a virtual “capital review meeting / auction”, whereby capital providers and requesters could come together to review plans, make a case for capital infusions, etc. The best opportunities could (theoretically) go to the capital source that values it the most.
Someone is already doing this - at least on the consumer-side. This is a place where individuals (and even some small companies) post requests for funding, and it seems that just about anything can qualify. Most people seem to use it for personal financing of small business ventures or debt consolidation. There is obviously a need that is being filled here...what about for business?
As more technical capability continues to reach larger numbers of people, at an ever-increasing pace, we will continue to see innovative and creative combinations (who would have predicted that the Government of China (Communist) would have given the Blackstone Group (Capitalist) $3 Billion USD to invest???).
Bottom-line: this will be another barrier that will erode and break down...but not tomorrow.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Technology's Unintended Consequences
I recently had a conversation with a consultant the other day, who (about 6 weeks ago) had to immediately drop everything he was working on and temporarily relocate from New York to San Diego. to take care of his sick mother. Her condition required her to have constant care and family attention. Because of how he used technology, not only was he able to do this, but he began to look at his current approach to work in a different light.
The technologies he took advantage of were:
* laptop computer
* wireless Internet connection
* cell phone
* Skype
* office productivity suite
When I spoke w/him, he was sitting on the deck of his mother's house, over looking the pacific ocean. And he sounded pretty happy.
Other than Skype, everything I listed above has been available and people have been using them for a number of years. Technology becomes interesting to me when I look at how people and process interact w/technology. You start to see new possibilities that didn't exist before. Take my friend from above, for example, and let's go back 10 - 20 years:
20 years ago:
* laptop computers were concepts and the 386 desktop was leading edge
* wireless Internet connections did not exist for the mass market; Internet connectivity was still largely limited to academics, Geeks posting on a cryptic BBS somewhere...and then there was DARPA and the Department of Defense...
* cell phone technology existed, but only for a limited market and it was very expensive to use
* IP telephony was not available for the mass market
* office productivity suites largely didn't exist. Apple had some word processing and graphics capabilities available; Lotus Notes was the standard spreadsheet program for PCs, and Word Perfect (remember that one???) was one of the larger players int eh word processing space
Bottom line: he would not have been able to support his mother and maintain / increase his business; one or both would have had to materially suffer
10 years ago:
* laptop computers were becoming more widely available, but they were pretty homogeneous offerings, with a small set of features relative to desktop PCs; most laptops did not have the same "horsepower" (in terms of graphics acceleration, chip speeds, hard drive capacity, monitor visual acuity, etc.). Laptops were for "road warriors" who couldn't afford to be away from their computers
* the Internet was starting to move into the mainstream. America Online (now known a "AOL"
* see Trout & Ries' work on Positioning for some thoughts on that name change...). Netscape was a fledgling browser and not an Alliance w/anyone. America Online was going to bring the Internet to the masses
* cell phone technology became more wide spread; car phones (phones actually built into the arm rests or dashboards of cars) were a status symbol available only in high-end vehicles,m and as an expensive option. In my view, pagers were still more ubiquitous & cheaper than cell phones. So, your boss could push a button on your "electronic leash" but you still had to find a phone to respond back
* IP telephony was experimental technology, and only among the Geek inner-sanctum. Most of the people I knew who were using it were Chinese and Indian ex-pats who wanted to call their loved ones back in their home country
* office productivity suites were really starting to come into their own, as was the notion of bundling different software packages together in general. Microsoft Office had really established itself at this point, and along with some of their other products (do you remember Microsoft Works?), started defining the space and what the market would eventually demand / accept as "the Standard".
Bottom line: he probably could have made it work, it would have been very expensive, and he would have increased mobility relative to his predecessor of 10 years earlier.
Today, all of these technologies are taken for granted. Here's an interesting thought:
One of the next 5 presidents of the United States will most likely have played a Nintendo or Atari game system.
But that's for another blog...
The technologies he took advantage of were:
* laptop computer
* wireless Internet connection
* cell phone
* Skype
* office productivity suite
When I spoke w/him, he was sitting on the deck of his mother's house, over looking the pacific ocean. And he sounded pretty happy.
Other than Skype, everything I listed above has been available and people have been using them for a number of years. Technology becomes interesting to me when I look at how people and process interact w/technology. You start to see new possibilities that didn't exist before. Take my friend from above, for example, and let's go back 10 - 20 years:
20 years ago:
* laptop computers were concepts and the 386 desktop was leading edge
* wireless Internet connections did not exist for the mass market; Internet connectivity was still largely limited to academics, Geeks posting on a cryptic BBS somewhere...and then there was DARPA and the Department of Defense...
* cell phone technology existed, but only for a limited market and it was very expensive to use
* IP telephony was not available for the mass market
* office productivity suites largely didn't exist. Apple had some word processing and graphics capabilities available; Lotus Notes was the standard spreadsheet program for PCs, and Word Perfect (remember that one???) was one of the larger players int eh word processing space
Bottom line: he would not have been able to support his mother and maintain / increase his business; one or both would have had to materially suffer
10 years ago:
* laptop computers were becoming more widely available, but they were pretty homogeneous offerings, with a small set of features relative to desktop PCs; most laptops did not have the same "horsepower" (in terms of graphics acceleration, chip speeds, hard drive capacity, monitor visual acuity, etc.). Laptops were for "road warriors" who couldn't afford to be away from their computers
* the Internet was starting to move into the mainstream. America Online (now known a "AOL"
* see Trout & Ries' work on Positioning for some thoughts on that name change...). Netscape was a fledgling browser and not an Alliance w/anyone. America Online was going to bring the Internet to the masses
* cell phone technology became more wide spread; car phones (phones actually built into the arm rests or dashboards of cars) were a status symbol available only in high-end vehicles,m and as an expensive option. In my view, pagers were still more ubiquitous & cheaper than cell phones. So, your boss could push a button on your "electronic leash" but you still had to find a phone to respond back
* IP telephony was experimental technology, and only among the Geek inner-sanctum. Most of the people I knew who were using it were Chinese and Indian ex-pats who wanted to call their loved ones back in their home country
* office productivity suites were really starting to come into their own, as was the notion of bundling different software packages together in general. Microsoft Office had really established itself at this point, and along with some of their other products (do you remember Microsoft Works?), started defining the space and what the market would eventually demand / accept as "the Standard".
Bottom line: he probably could have made it work, it would have been very expensive, and he would have increased mobility relative to his predecessor of 10 years earlier.
Today, all of these technologies are taken for granted. Here's an interesting thought:
One of the next 5 presidents of the United States will most likely have played a Nintendo or Atari game system.
But that's for another blog...
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