|
||
 |
||
|
A lot of magazines that write about information technology have this habit of treating it as the all-seeing, all-knowing solution to all things. Now, we at Context believe as strongly as anyone in the power of technology in today's business world. But it's not as simple as lots of people would have us believe. Anyone who has ever had a computer screen freeze at an inopportune moment knows technology doesn't always work as planned. And the corporate equivalent of a frozen screen happens often enough, too-sometimes with very expensive consequences. Even when technology works as planned, it's not all sweetness and light. Some people win. Others lose. The three features in this issue all address the complexities of technology issues. "Nightmare" shows how a technology initiative can blow up, taking a company with more than $5 billion of revenue, pushing it into bankruptcy proceedings, and eventually getting it sold for $80 million. But the story also shows how-whatever the failings of the Enterprise Resources Planning software-overly aggressive management at FoxMeyer Drug dug itself a huge hole. Executives overestimated the benefits of the ERP system, underestimated the limitations, and managed the implementation badly, according to former managers and industry consultants. Does that make the FoxMeyer debacle a technology problem? Or a management problem? Or both? "Counterattack" addresses the view that American companies will be able to extend their influence throughout the world, partly based on superior information systems. U.S. companies may well win, but it's not that easy. Foreign companies are using technology to invade the U.S. market, too. Even "A Cure for Health Care," which shows how information technology can improve the service of health care businesses, isn't a clear win. Before the health care system can change, there is going to be a lot of creative destruction. Ask Columbia/HCA, the huge but ailing HMO, how much fun it was reporting a $1.3 billion loss for 1997. An interesting question is whether this turmoil is just something for the industry to go through or whether this is a semi-permanent state of affairs. The Technosynthesis column argues that technology will continue to create difficulties for a long time to come. While it's tempting to dismiss technology's more surprising effects as random and unpredictable, Context executive editor Chunka Mui goes all the way back to the invention of the stirrup to show that technology predictably produces unpredictable results. He shows that technological disruptions are happening more often and taking effect faster. Lest this issue come across as bleak, Mr. Mui also lays out some ways for taking advantage of these disruptions before your competitors do. The Impact column explains how to better manage the entrepreneurial and "intrapreneurial" ventures that these rapidly changing times require. The CEO User's Guide column describes an innovative way for thinking about how to invest in technology to test new business possibilities. As always, we hope the total package of stories and columns gives you a better Context for figuring out how to move ahead of your competition. We hope you'll be able to seize the opportunities that technology-related disruptions are creating in markets, while avoiding the land mines that dot today's business landscape. Cheers, Paul B. Carroll |
