Here is a relevant interview by Fast Company magazine w/ Hatim Tyabji of
VeriFone.
Fast Company: People look to VeriFone as a model of global competition and
the "virtual" organization. Yet you worry that they draw the wrong
lessons. What don't they understand?
Hatim Tyabji: Much of the stuff that has been written focuses on the form
-- e-mail, information systems -- and not on the substance. The true power
of running a company, the true power of growing any enterprise, is 5%
technology and 95% psychology. With all this technology, you run the risk
of becoming a robot. Leadership is not robotics. Leadership is human.
Leadership is looking people in the eye, pumping the flesh, getting them
excited, caring about their families.
It's so easy to worship technology or to blame technology for problems
that are human in nature: "Our e-mail system isn't good enough." Bullshit!
The e-mail system has nothing to do with anything. Companies have this
funny idea -- they forget that human beings are human beings.
. . .
Fast Company: What you're saying is that e-mail is not just an information
system, it's a social system. It transmits the values of the company.
Hatim Tyabji: Exactly! Not many people think of it that way, but that's
exactly what it is. I resonate with that big time.
The complete interview can be read in
http://www.fastcompany.com/t1/inprint/01/vfone.htm
- --
Slamet Hendry (sh@earthling.net)
Change is good. You go first. (Scott Adams)
--"Slamet Hendry" <sh@earthling.net>
Learning-org -- An Internet Dialog on Learning Organizations For info: <rkarash@karash.com> -or- <http://world.std.com/~lo/>