The problem is that most orgs seem to do the wrong thing, because the incentives of the higher ups don't align with ehat is good for the org.
E.g. if you are a bank ideally you'd like all your processes automated and streamlined with extremly transparent data flows etc — and you want as many of the banks employees to be proficient in these systems and constantly work on improving the systems within an controlled environment.
In practise this is not the kind of thing that allows single managers to come across like heroes — so it doesn't happen that way and you get island solutions with duct-taped connections between.
I also get to spend a lot of time with executives thanks to the blog's success, and part of it isn't just incentives, it's pure confusion. People have no idea what they're buying.
I also get invitations to "sponsor events" now, since people see "director" on LinkedIn and think I have way more money than I do. Their business model seems to be flattering executives by inviting them to events where they can network with other rich people, then ask me for "sponsorship" money so that I can go into the room and brainwash them with my marketing material. I might even try it at some point to see if that's an accurate read.
>I also get to spend a lot of time with executives thanks to the blog's success, and part of it isn't just incentives, it's pure confusion. People have no idea what they're buying.
So, 43 years later and Putt's law is alive and well.
Putt's Law: "Technology is dominated by two types of people, those who understand what they do not manage and those who manage what they do not understand."
From the book Putt's Law and the Successful Technocrat,
published in 1981.
An updated edition, subtitled How to Win in the Information Age, was published by Wiley-IEEE Press in 2006
We're bootstrapped so we unfortunately can't fling money at sponsorships. Or rather, we can, but it would cut into our runway quite a bit, and we have more promising avenues to pursue. If we acquire bad clients, the type that would let themselves be brainwashed and who status-seek by attending these events, that's just going to be as dumb as a regular job but without the luxuries afforded to employees.
E.g. if you are a bank ideally you'd like all your processes automated and streamlined with extremly transparent data flows etc — and you want as many of the banks employees to be proficient in these systems and constantly work on improving the systems within an controlled environment.
In practise this is not the kind of thing that allows single managers to come across like heroes — so it doesn't happen that way and you get island solutions with duct-taped connections between.