LEADERSHIP STRATEGY: ELIMINATE INDUSTRIAL-AGE ATTITUDES AND HABITS
we have much in common with the pre industrial era
Many organizations have decades of planning and operation advances woven into the fabric of everyday life. Enhancements such as just-in-time inventory management, total quality processes, lean manufacturing, and a plethora of continuous improvement mutations, served us well—until for the first time in history, we were broadsided by a “mega change in stereo”—double whammy of the digital revolution and globalization. These changes have impacted society with an intensity greater than the industrial revolution.
by LSI publisher Art McNeil
Digital technology, by breaking up-transmitting-then reassembling data, makes instant communication possible–with no loss of quality and an unprecedented capacity to store and retrieve information. Its predecessor transmitted information in tact—analog transmissions (similar to industrial age machinery and factories) are structural. Human life styles have evolved in direct correlation to advancing technology. The wheel, the compass, and air travel are just a few innovations that radically altered the way we live. Digital technology is no exception; but this “stereo mega change” has an interesting twist. A close comparison of the age of extraction (farmers, fishers, hunters) to our E-merging digital world (being referred to as the “shift-age”), reveals that the two eras have much in common—in many respects, we are heading “back to the future”.
Age of extraction Industrial age The shift-age
- from sun (seasons) to the clock anytime (24/7)
- from outside to inside anywhere
- from self-employed to employee interdependent partner
- from the home to the workplace anyplace
- from one room school to factory type schools home & internet
- from on job learning to formal education lifetime learning
This post sponsored by The Baton Management System