Comments on: On fixed and variable costs and infinite loops http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2007/04/29/on-fixed-and-variable-costs-and-infinite-loops/ a blog about information Mon, 06 Feb 2012 01:37:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Are Calendars the reason for poor productivity? « Digital Life http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2007/04/29/on-fixed-and-variable-costs-and-infinite-loops/comment-page-1/#comment-126745 Are Calendars the reason for poor productivity? « Digital Life Wed, 02 May 2007 16:03:52 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2007/04/29/on-fixed-and-variable-costs-and-infinite-loops/#comment-126745 [...] Calendars the reason for poor productivity? Posted May 2, 2007 I was just reading this post by JP and found it extremely interesting. I intend to read the concepts behind the thinking when I get [...] [...] Calendars the reason for poor productivity? Posted May 2, 2007 I was just reading this post by JP and found it extremely interesting. I intend to read the concepts behind the thinking when I get [...]

]]> By: Colin Henderson http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2007/04/29/on-fixed-and-variable-costs-and-infinite-loops/comment-page-1/#comment-126511 Colin Henderson Wed, 02 May 2007 00:53:36 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2007/04/29/on-fixed-and-variable-costs-and-infinite-loops/#comment-126511 This is terrific. I just left a big Bank, and calendars, not urgency drove schedules. This is terrific. I just left a big Bank, and calendars, not urgency drove schedules.

]]> By: If you want to kill a bureaucracy you must kill the diary and schedule first (or whoever comes are the right people) « The Bankwatch http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2007/04/29/on-fixed-and-variable-costs-and-infinite-loops/comment-page-1/#comment-126510 If you want to kill a bureaucracy you must kill the diary and schedule first (or whoever comes are the right people) « The Bankwatch Wed, 02 May 2007 00:52:47 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2007/04/29/on-fixed-and-variable-costs-and-infinite-loops/#comment-126510 [...] Source: On fixed and variable costs and infinite loops | confused of calcutta [...] [...] Source: On fixed and variable costs and infinite loops | confused of calcutta [...]

]]> By: Stephen Smoliar http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2007/04/29/on-fixed-and-variable-costs-and-infinite-loops/comment-page-1/#comment-125926 Stephen Smoliar Mon, 30 Apr 2007 21:13:42 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2007/04/29/on-fixed-and-variable-costs-and-infinite-loops/#comment-125926 Dennis, I am sure you agree that the semantics of "best" can only reside in evaluation criteria. My guess is that the vast majority of SAP customers put a lot of weight on attributes such as accountability and predictability in their own evaluation criteria. This is the sort of thing I had in mind when I commented above on the immutability of regular social practices. It is all very well to talk about paradigm shifts, but my guess is that most change is evolutionary. If "the new breed of knowledge worker" defines a "new breed" of enterprise structures and practices, then the "market" will decide which "breed" survives. We all have our hopes and fears; but those will not serve us in predicting the "species ecology" of the next generation of enterprises! Dennis, I am sure you agree that the semantics of “best” can only reside in evaluation criteria. My guess is that the vast majority of SAP customers put a lot of weight on attributes such as accountability and predictability in their own evaluation criteria. This is the sort of thing I had in mind when I commented above on the immutability of regular social practices.

It is all very well to talk about paradigm shifts, but my guess is that most change is evolutionary. If “the new breed of knowledge worker” defines a “new breed” of enterprise structures and practices, then the “market” will decide which “breed” survives. We all have our hopes and fears; but those will not serve us in predicting the “species ecology” of the next generation of enterprises!

]]> By: Dennis Howlett http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2007/04/29/on-fixed-and-variable-costs-and-infinite-loops/comment-page-1/#comment-125778 Dennis Howlett Mon, 30 Apr 2007 12:24:17 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2007/04/29/on-fixed-and-variable-costs-and-infinite-loops/#comment-125778 Having just returned from SAPs monster customer love fest aka SAPPHIRE07, the vast majority of their customers don't want innovation or change. They want integration on a massive scale with one throat to choke. The fact this may not be the best solution is of no interest, especially if those same companies are operating on a global scale. You and I might find this anathema to the new breed of knowledge worker that is implied through social computing but that's the way it is in the Global 2000. That of course may well change as companies get exposure to the new A1S services they're planning to roll out. But that's for the future - at least 2-3 years away. Having just returned from SAPs monster customer love fest aka SAPPHIRE07, the vast majority of their customers don’t want innovation or change. They want integration on a massive scale with one throat to choke.

The fact this may not be the best solution is of no interest, especially if those same companies are operating on a global scale.

You and I might find this anathema to the new breed of knowledge worker that is implied through social computing but that’s the way it is in the Global 2000.

That of course may well change as companies get exposure to the new A1S services they’re planning to roll out. But that’s for the future – at least 2-3 years away.

]]> By: JP http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2007/04/29/on-fixed-and-variable-costs-and-infinite-loops/comment-page-1/#comment-125746 JP Mon, 30 Apr 2007 10:48:58 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2007/04/29/on-fixed-and-variable-costs-and-infinite-loops/#comment-125746 Anant, of course there are exceptions. Of course there will be CEOs who think like owner-managers, and whose staff respond to that lead. But they are exceptions. Sig, happy to have been of service. BTW the writing on the wall is probably Kaliya's, captured courtesy one of the ZDNet bloggers, I think it was Dan Farber who posted it many moons ago. And the concept is probably 25 years old, as Johnnie suggests. Anant, of course there are exceptions. Of course there will be CEOs who think like owner-managers, and whose staff respond to that lead. But they are exceptions.

Sig, happy to have been of service. BTW the writing on the wall is probably Kaliya’s, captured courtesy one of the ZDNet bloggers, I think it was Dan Farber who posted it many moons ago. And the concept is probably 25 years old, as Johnnie suggests.

]]> By: sig http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2007/04/29/on-fixed-and-variable-costs-and-infinite-loops/comment-page-1/#comment-125718 sig Mon, 30 Apr 2007 09:44:20 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2007/04/29/on-fixed-and-variable-costs-and-infinite-loops/#comment-125718 JP, excellent point! I shall now add the "diary & schedule" to my little collection of true process replacing building blocks, the documents, forms, budgets and accounts. The tools of the hierarchies... the frameworks for (some) process structure, ad-hoc of course. "Whenever it starts is the right time" is so apt, with a real process that flows (no start, stop, wait, start...) then that would be true and schedules would be moot. Much obliged for the seed! JP, excellent point!

I shall now add the “diary & schedule” to my little collection of true process replacing building blocks, the documents, forms, budgets and accounts. The tools of the hierarchies… the frameworks for (some) process structure, ad-hoc of course.

“Whenever it starts is the right time” is so apt, with a real process that flows (no start, stop, wait, start…) then that would be true and schedules would be moot.

Much obliged for the seed!

]]> By: Anant http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2007/04/29/on-fixed-and-variable-costs-and-infinite-loops/comment-page-1/#comment-125640 Anant Mon, 30 Apr 2007 04:05:55 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2007/04/29/on-fixed-and-variable-costs-and-infinite-loops/#comment-125640 JP, There are two industries in India which are not necessarily owner managed that have learnt the importance and value of the fixed time meeting: media and telecom. Meetings are scheduled well in advance, and absenteeism is not acceptable -- probably because the meetings are scheduled by a CEO or COO. This is probably because of dynamic nature of the verticals and the acute shortage of time to analyse and find solutions for pressing problems or challenging situations. The perishable nature of the stock in trade in both cases, I would believe, enforces the discipline and increases the value of such meetings. These meetings have another admirable facet: an agenda that is circulated with the scheduling of the meeting, ensuring that all participants participate. Is it coincidence that CEOs of media companies and telcos are often seen as owners even when they are professional appointees? I could name a dozen, at least, in the Indian landscape. JP,
There are two industries in India which are not necessarily owner managed that have learnt the importance and value of the fixed time meeting: media and telecom. Meetings are scheduled well in advance, and absenteeism is not acceptable — probably because the meetings are scheduled by a CEO or COO. This is probably because of dynamic nature of the verticals and the acute shortage of time to analyse and find solutions for pressing problems or challenging situations. The perishable nature of the stock in trade in both cases, I would believe, enforces the discipline and increases the value of such meetings.
These meetings have another admirable facet: an agenda that is circulated with the scheduling of the meeting, ensuring that all participants participate.
Is it coincidence that CEOs of media companies and telcos are often seen as owners even when they are professional appointees? I could name a dozen, at least, in the Indian landscape.

]]> By: Lee Bryant http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2007/04/29/on-fixed-and-variable-costs-and-infinite-loops/comment-page-1/#comment-125495 Lee Bryant Sun, 29 Apr 2007 21:40:11 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2007/04/29/on-fixed-and-variable-costs-and-infinite-loops/#comment-125495 sorry for the late night HTML :-( sorry for the late night HTML :-(

]]> By: Lee Bryant http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2007/04/29/on-fixed-and-variable-costs-and-infinite-loops/comment-page-1/#comment-125494 Lee Bryant Sun, 29 Apr 2007 21:39:40 +0000 http://confusedofcalcutta.com/2007/04/29/on-fixed-and-variable-costs-and-infinite-loops/#comment-125494 Hi JP, Great piece - I am known to rant about this topic regularly. My own point of disagreement is tactical: the best way to kill a bureaucracy is, I believe, to <i>fill> not kill its diary. It is going on all around us, sometimes deliberate and sometimes a kind of mutually assured suicide where everyone does what can be justified as correct, whilst knowing the collective result will be failure. Hi JP,

Great piece – I am known to rant about this topic regularly.

My own point of disagreement is tactical: the best way to kill a bureaucracy is, I believe, to fill> not kill its diary. It is going on all around us, sometimes deliberate and sometimes a kind of mutually assured suicide where everyone does what can be justified as correct, whilst knowing the collective result will be failure.

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