Scott Klososky keynote: Do You Have Velocity Leadership?
Scott Klososky, technology trends and innovation expert
Scott starts with a brief explanation of what he does for a living: help companies work out how technology is going to influence different technologies. In keeping with all great motivational speakers, he explains what he does for a living is something he loves! By his own admission, he is part geek, part business guy.
Scott posits the following quote:
“A rock pile ceases to be a rock pile the moment a single man contemplates it, bearing within him the image of a cathedral.”
(Antoine de Saint-Exupery)
Why is this so important in this context? You can create things (applications) that have never existed before.
Moving on to the heart of the matter: where does the problem with initiating technology projects in big companies generally lie? Not with the technology - it’s normally an IT departmental problem. As business processes can change with increasing frequency, how do enterprises keep up?
We have to learn to better predict the future
As business processes speed up, there is a need for ‘velocity leadership’. The metaphor of driving a car works well: you need to use the high beams to see corners when you drive faster. In the business world, we need to use ‘high beam’ analysis make sure we take the time to look into the middle-distance.
What will we see there? One thing are virtual worlds. The example of a church in Second Life shows how everything we have in the ‘real’ world, is appearing on new virtual worlds. Furthering the concept, Scott explains how in future he can simulcast speeches presentations on Second Life.
Why do we need a virtual environment? Because the web will move in a 3-D direction. Including visualization of data - Webtrends has already started this by using the ‘city’ concept to display web analytics in Second Life.
Where is the value in this? Where is this going to go? This is not easy to predict.
We need to build better digital plumbing
There’s a disconnect between IT staff and the C* Suite. This disconnect needs to be addressed otherwise technology cannot be properly implemented across all technology layers:
- Business intelligence (BI)
- Application layer
- Database layer
- Hardware layer
- Communication layer
This is where ILOG comes in - it has helped pioneer the BI layer.
Scott throws up a banking example: if you open an account, want to buy a car, or any other service, each time you have to fill out a different form, each with the same info. Why? Because banks have different databases for each service. If banks can unite these, they can offer more pinpoint marketing.
We need to move from data to wisdom.
Organizational culture needs to change
The way a 20 year-old performs is characteristically different from a 60 year-old. The ‘Generation Why?’ are the ones that will communicate with all the latest tools (including Twitter), fix their computers, etc…
What needs to change?
- Create round organizational charts, rather than hierarchical ones. The CEO, although at the hub, is often the least important
- Run mixed-rank meetings to bring in knowledge from across the enterprise
- Geek seating - pair technology people with business people to help mix these skill sets
Who are the best new employees? IT grads that have some business skills.
Closing note: culture and people are as important as the technology you implement.
