What happens when the simultaneous subsumes the sequential?
Moore’s Law has given us cheap,fast, and readily available storage and communication.
The Network Effect has provided a means of sharing what has been stored.
So, if a simultaneous global information infrastructure makes filtering and reacting skills and tools of greater value than planning and implementation strategies, what happens then?
Will our functional concept of the future be eclipsed by the presence of the present?
My bet is that it will. Likely within the next decade.
Organizations with centralized, hierarchic management relying on review, ratification, and head office approval will lose ground. Agile, decentralized networks of smaller firms/groups/movemements will not necessarily take over, but will simply succeed without laborious 20th century methodologies and infrastructures . Understanding a situation or event will be more valuable than managing it.
There are hurdles. The ubiquity of the cell phone as a powerful platform for change holds great promise. The existing network speed, range, lack of inter-operability and expensive data rates are a leash held by the telcos.
I’m optimistic.
I’m patient.
We’ll get there.
