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Journalists are taught to comfort the afflicted and afflict the comfortable. For most of the 3 1/2 years that we’ve been publishing Context, we’ve focused on the afflicting part. Early on, we embarrassed companies that ignored the potential of the Internet. More recently, we mocked many of the silly claims that gurus were making on behalf of the Internet. Now, though, with the North American economy in such precarious shape, there is already plenty of affliction to go around. We’re going to try to provide some comfort. That’s actually not hard to do. Although the collapse of so many dot-coms has cast a pall over all of e-commerce, there still are plenty of examples of how the Internet is creating opportunities for businesses. In this issue, we feature two great ones: Sony Corp. and Ducati Motor Holding SpA. Ducati ["On the Fast Track"] was almost overcome by debt in the early 1990s. Then, in 1996, the Italian motorcycle maker turned to new management, who experimented with the Internet. When the company posted news of a rally on the Internet, it expected a few hundred people to show up near its headquarters in Bologna—11,000 came. When the company first tried selling bikes online, a special edition sold out. In 31 minutes. In the middle of the night. Being bright folks, Ducati executives kept testing the limits of the Internet and have ridden e-commerce back to prosperity. Sony ["Homeward Bound"] has successfully addressed an organizational issue that bedevils many companies. When setting up an innovative venture, companies consider whether they should make it separate so it can act entrepreneurial. Or, companies wonder, should they keep it as part of the main business so it can take advantage of corporate resources and, perhaps, make the whole company act more innovative? Sony’s answer was, "Yes. Both." When it spun out a business, then brought it back inside, Sony not only produced perhaps the biggest hit among online games but also has changed how the whole company approaches online entertainment. In the Digital Strategy column ["Beyond the Extremes"], Mohanbir Sawhney draws broad lessons from experiences such as Sony’s. Sawhney, a professor who aptly dubs himself an "intellectual capitalist," says people mistakenly think of the world in black and white. We ask: Spin out or keep inside? Wired or wireless? E-commerce or physical stores? The right strategy, he argues, is almost always some combination of the extremes. In the CEO User’s Guide ["Sailing the Four C’s"], Mel Bergstein offers another bit of advice for these confusing times: that it’s crucial to keep investing in certain areas. Bergstein, who is chairman of management-consulting firm DiamondCluster International Inc. and executive publisher of Context, says four categories of information-technology projects are especially important because they can produce innovations that will get a company growing again. When you’re in a reflective mood, read this issue’s interview ["The Elephant and the Flea"] with author and social philosopher Charles Handy. Handy looks beyond today’s rush of events and paints a picture of an intriguing world that he sees taking shape over the next decade. He sees the business world splitting into elephants (big organizations) and fleas (small companies or independent individuals). He also sees all of us being able to make more explicit decisions about how we divide time between office and vacation, and between work life and home life. If "comfort food" is something you eat when you’re inclined to indulge yourself, then, to me, this issue is a piece of prime rib, with some creamed spinach and a big baked potato on the side. I hope you feel the same way. Happy reading. Cheers, Paul B. Carroll |
