Putting it all together

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Putting it all together

• Lecture 5 IEM5010 Summer 2002
• Paul E. Rossler, Ph.D., P.E.

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Essay 5

• To what degree does Takahashis account of
  Microsofts Xbox effort reflect the ideas,
  concepts, or principles identified by various
  authors in the course readings, by yourself in
  your other essays, and discussed by us throughout
  this course?
• What are those key ideas, concepts, and
  principles?
• What is your action plan for improving your
  ability to lead and manage new technology or
  change initiatives?

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Some key concepts from Inside the Xbox

• The strategy tax in the competition for eyeball
  hours
• Gaining traction
• Signing up
• Lessons learned (of Sims, Trespasser, 3DO,
  content is king, threat from below)
• Technical evangelists
• The business side
• Company culture

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Factors in 10 technology disasters

• Specifications decided by technology-illiterate
  customer
• Less than honest communication
• Relying on guesswork Ignoring scale effects
• Cutting corners to cut cost
• Lack of attention to detail

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Factors (continued)

• Mismatch between new technology and old ones
• Foregoing proven technologies for novel ones
• Over-reliance on technology
• "Normal" accidents inherent in system design

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Why some projects fly and others crash and burn
Dimensions R100 R101
Competent technical leadership x
Appropriate staffing x
Use of appropriate technology x
Reasonable expectations x
Honesty toward engineered object x
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What makes some development efforts succeed?
Willingness to Cooperate
Level of Interpersonal Trust
Propensity to Experiment and Adapt
Comfort Level With Changes
Form Cross- Functional Teams
Integration of Diverse Skills
Culture
Team Leadership
Top Managements Tolerance for Delays and Failures
Access to Information and Resources
Based on Jassawalla, A.R. and H.C. Sashittal,
Building collaborative cross-functional product
teams. Academy of Management Executive, 1999.
13(3) p. 50-63.
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Squires thinks that hierarchical structures cause
problems
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He also thinks that maestros of technology are
key to success

• Possess great technical and managerial skills
• Didnt rush into management but served
  apprenticeships that provided tests of competence
• Focus on improvement rather than innovation
• Arent seduced by gadgets or new technology
• Understand Watson-Watts Law of Third Best

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Watson-WattsLaw of Third Best

• Best never comes.
• Second best takes too long or costs too much.
• Pick the third best and get on with it.

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Maestros of technology (continued)

• Show tremendous loyalty to the projects
  objectives
• Workaholics
• Get around know whats happening
• Arent concerned about position
• Help others become maestros

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Complex projects require a great many maestros
and

• A great leader who ensures they cooperate and who
  sorts things out when they dont

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The Abilene Paradox

• Organizations frequently take actions in
  contradiction to the data they have for dealing
  with problems and, as a result, compound their
  problems rather than solving them.

Source J. B. Harvey, The Abilene Paradox and
other meditations on management (Lexington, MA
Lexington Books, 1988).
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The very different fourth attempt

• In 1753, John Jefferys follows Harrisons design
  specs and makes him a pocket watch
• Changes Harrisons vision of the sea clock
• H4 takes roughly four years to complete
  (1755-1759)
• Presented to Board in 1760

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Its here that the story takes a turn

• Astronomy-based methods had been making steady
  progress
• In 1731, Hadley and Godfrey independently created
  the instrument on which lunar method depended
  (quadrant or octant ? sextant)
• By late 1750s, lunar distance method finally
  looked practical
• Flamsteed ? Halley ? Bradley
• Tobias Mayer
• Reverend Nevil Maskelyne

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But can it be made?

• Kendalls K2 inferior
• Mudge built three (Maskelynes new sparring
  partner)
• Arnold produced several hundred of high quality
• Farmed out bulk of routine work to craftsman

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But can it be made? (continued)

• Mudges son built 30, but cost twice as much as
  Arnolds, not as good
• Arnold and his sons biggest competition came
  from Earnshaw
• Earnshaw stuck to single basic design
• Could turn out chronometer in two months
• In patent suit with Arnold over escapement
  design
• By 1780s prices down to 80 for an Arnold, 65
  for an Earnshaw

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The road to Watson and Crick, Wilkins and Franklin

• In 1943, Oswald Avery proved that DNA carries
  genetic information
• 1948, Linus Pauling discovered that many proteins
  take the shape of an alpha helix
• In 1950, biochemist Erwin Chargaff found that the
  amount of certain nitrogen bases in DNA always
  occurred in a one-to-one ratio

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Two competing (complementary?) paths

• At Cambridge University, graduate student Francis
  Crick and research fellow James Watson employ
  model building techniques
• At King's College in London, Maurice Wilkins and
  Rosalind Franklin use X-ray diffraction techniques

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The generation of innovations generally follows
six stages
Needs
R
D
C
Diffusion
Conseq.

• Essentially a communication process and,
  therefore, labor intensive
• Characterized by a high degree of uncertainty

See p. 133 for full model
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One of the most crucial decisions is the decision
to diffuse, to adopt
Diffusion

• Innovation gate keeping occurs in a variety of
  ways (p. 148)
• Decision processes
• Blanket approval
• Recommendations
• Consensus development
• Trials

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Decision about an innovation is a process,
occurring over time
Knowledge
Persuasion
Decision
Implement.
Confirmation

• Period between awareness-knowledge and decision
  is gestation period (p. 198)
• Distinguishing characteristic is perceived
  newness of innovation and uncertainty associated
  with it (p. 161)

See p. 163 for full model
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Five attributes explain 49 to 87 of the variance
in rate of adoption

1. Relative advantage (p. 206 ff.)
2. Compatibility
3. Complexity
4. Trialability
5. Observability

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Behavior of opinion-leaders helps determine rate
of adoption

• Degree to which an individual is able informally
  to influence others (p. 281)
• Usually different sets of opinion leaders in a
  system (p. 288)
• Tendency to seek info and advice from leaders
  perceived as more technically competent (p.289)
• But not too much greater!

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Behavior of opinion-leaders helps determine rate
of adoption (contd.)

• Not necessarily innovators (pp. 294, 354)
• Sometimes they are, but often they are not
• Depends on whether or not norms favor change
• Change agents often err in selecting opinion
  leaders who are too innovative (p. 295)

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Behavior of opinion-leaders helps determine rate
of adoption (contd.)

• Must continually look over her or his shoulder to
  followers (p. 296)
• Relationship of respect is a delicate balance
• Typically will hold back in adopting
  high-uncertainty innovations (p. 297)

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Innovation process consists of two phases and a
usual sequence
Decision
II. Implementation
I. Initiation
Agenda- Setting
Redefining Restructuring
Matching
Clarifying
Routinizing
Innovation goes on all the time in organizations
(p. 376)
Note Complete model shown on p. 392
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Summary