Today was a good day

What could be better than discussing www.persiankitty.com, followed by Mater’s and Johnson, and then to top it off with a game of Twister? I don’t know either. I just wish I could have had a couple of beers during class to really top the afternoon off. By the way, has anyone checked out that link yet?

This was definitely a class that will stick in my mind for more than just the reasons outlined in the paragraph above. First, I believe that you cannot get to efficiency without first having a high degree of intimacy throughout key parts of the organization. Technology can improve efficiency, but generally some guy or girl has to acquire the right technology, tell the machine what to do, and then make sure the machine is completing the appropriate tasks to the necessary specifications. With few exceptions, I just don’t think the organization can achieve a strong level of commitment from that employee without feeling attached to the organization or the folks who make up that organization. Without commitment, you will not get that employee to operate efficiently which results in underperformance. Without high levels of performance from the employees, the organization will be inefficient.

Secondly, I want to comment on the enterprise applications segment of class. I worked at a consultancy that rolled out an internal enterprise application for managing engagement tasks such as billing, expense tracking, and other financial measures. It was a complete flop because the system could not properly interface with the old system. As a result, billings for projects were off by tens of thousands of dollars and the firm could not properly report quarterly or annual revenues. Furthermore, the number of hours employees worked on the project were not tracked properly and contributed the poor reporting of consultant utilization rates. That utilization rate is used in annual performance reviews and if it is not accurate, employees are not fairly evaluated and their compensation is effected. It was a complete disaster and contributed a mass exodus from the company. Needless to say, the company (which is public) was punished by investors and lost key accounts as a result. So, the twister game in class was a great illustration of what can happen when the promise of enterprise applications is not realized.