Headline FeedsE-Commerce Times Talkback
|
|
Re: The Future Enterprise, Part 1: Why Businesses Need to Rethink Computing
Posted by: Steve Hamm 2011-09-17 09:35:48
See Full Story
The world of business is in the midst of a profound shift, driven by a convergence of forces -- technological, economic and social. As a result, information must be gathered and managed more efficiently and effectively than ever before, decisions have to be made at every level in an organization with more certainty and immediacy, and information technologies need to be as accessible and easy to use as a mobile phone. The shifting demands are the same for government agencies and non-profit organizations.
All true in principle, with one exception: How can a government agency "lose?" In most cases -- the Post Office being an obvious exception -- they have a monopoly on whatever government service they're tasked to provide. And their people are protected by civil service. So where is their incentive to upgrade either their infrastructure or their processes in order to provide better service to their constituents? As someone who has fought this battle for years, even before computing became that critical a part of the equation, I can tell you that making any kind of changes in the government, educational, or other nonprofit sectors is supremely difficult. It really comes down to whether or not it's important to the leader -- what drives his or her political agenda.
