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Peter de Jager is a provocative Speaker,
Writer and Consultant. His primary focus in on how we manage change,
technology and the future.
In addition to speaking at conferences
worldwide, he also writes monthly columns for CIO Magazine and
Computerworld Canada.
His goal is always to question what we
think is so, and in so doing perhaps open up new opportunities.
If you'd like permission to reprint any
of Peter's articles, please contact him directly.
You can contact him at
pdejager@technobility.com
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Let's face the truth. We're in this thing called IT because we get to play
with new technology, the gorgeous gizmos, and glitzy gadgets. Even better?
Someone pays us big bucks to do this, and they buy the toys!
Kewl!
When we're opening those boxes filled with plastic that goes p!o!p we're
like kids at Christmas. The same smiles, and the same childlike glee. Even
the same gloating, if we're the first on our block with the latest and
greatest.
All this childlike behavior is not necessarily a bad thing, even in a
professional. Years ago when I was an Information Centre Manager I had an
unusual 'filter' when hiring staff. I'd ask applicants if they owned a PC.
If the answer was no, they'd have a tough time convincing me they were
right for the job.
Accusations of 'economic discrimination' aside, this question was an
extremely good measure of someone's interest in the type of position I was
attempting to fill. First, anyone with any work experience in IT could
afford some type of personal computer. Secondly, if your computer interest
wasn't strong enough to compel you to spend your own money on your toys,
sorry, technology, then I didn't believe you were interested enough in
technology to succeed.
Playing with something, is how we learn how it works and doesn't work,
what it can do and might do. It's how children explore the world, and our
potential is diminished when we put toys aside.
Think back to the first time you attempted to use a particular technology.
You start out by touching this, and twirling that. What does this do? How
do I? What if I? Oops! I shouldn't have done that! That didn't work, I'll
try this! Why did that happen? Oh, a manual? I'll get to that later.
Sound familiar? Now you could, if your ego and pride have become calcified
over the years, refer to this as 'research', but what you're doing by any
reasonable definition, is still called 'playing'.
The next step in this process, even in childhood, is a 'pilot' project.
Something small enough to be thrown away, yet large enough to explore most
of the functionality of the new technology. This doesn't have to look
pretty, it need only explore functionality. Children do this with great
glee. A child with Lego™ blocks builds 'pilot' projects. Then
breaks them apart and builds another one, and another one, until all
functionality is explored and boredom sets in.
This isn't the last stage, especially if we're adults being paid to play.
Building a 'pilot' is fun, but the real fun is building something bigger,
something that'll push the boundaries of functionality. It might even, if
we're not careful, produce something useful.
That's ultimately the goal of all our playing with the gizmos and gadgets.
How can we get this new opportunity to work to the benefit of our
organization? Once you've played with the Internet for a while, or WAP, or
Peer-to-peer technologies, then hopefully you can answer the question 'How
can I use this?' If you can't think of a good application, then toss it
aside and open up another shrink wrapped box and start playing again.
Sooner or later, you're going to hit pay dirt and find the thing that
turns your industry on its ear.
It's important to remember though... that the people paying the bills are
watching carefully. They'll put up with the 'playing' provided we keep
them informed of our progress. They'd also like to have some confidence
that the areas we're playing in, really could deliver a significant
business improvement sooner or later. It's not really an unreasonable
position for them to take, after all that's why they hired us.
© 2005,
Peter de Jager – Peter is passionate about change, how it affects both
individuals and organizations and allows them to grow and prosper. To contact him, and
host internal seminars on Change visit www.technobility.com
For
reprint permissions click here.
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