Now here is an interesting principle:
"The value of a network is proportional to the square of the number of users of the system."
-Robert Metcalf
As real-time communication between vast numbers of nodes (people) throughout the world becomes a reality, the power of this principle will become exponentially more apparent. The reaction time of entire organizations will reduce and the landscape will allow anyone to compete with anyone else. Identity management will inevitably become an overwhelming concern, while a node's geographic location will only be important for knowledge acquisition. But what happens to the people at these nodes? Physically, they are all staring at a computer screen sending and receiving pieces of information. The purely intellectual involvement of people in work is not natural, and its physiological effects ultimately limits productivity. Example: The same architect who, no more than two generations ago, would have been playing with blocks, sticks, and paper to design a house, is now staring at a computer screen using computer software to “build” a piece of intellectual capital, which will ultimately be used to build a house. Is creativity hindered, bolstered, or left unchanged? With lower levels of physical involvement in work, blood circulation slows, hand-eye coordination is redefined with a mouse/keyboard, and energy levels decrease. Daily exercise, while extremely beneficial for maintain health, is rarely coordinated with intellectual activity. The end result for the individual at a node is better networking capabilities, combined with lesser contributions to the network. Networking enables synergy, but what is the cumulative power of people when intellectual faculties are not being fully-utilized?
"The value of a network is proportional to the square of the number of users of the system."
-Robert Metcalf
As real-time communication between vast numbers of nodes (people) throughout the world becomes a reality, the power of this principle will become exponentially more apparent. The reaction time of entire organizations will reduce and the landscape will allow anyone to compete with anyone else. Identity management will inevitably become an overwhelming concern, while a node's geographic location will only be important for knowledge acquisition. But what happens to the people at these nodes? Physically, they are all staring at a computer screen sending and receiving pieces of information. The purely intellectual involvement of people in work is not natural, and its physiological effects ultimately limits productivity. Example: The same architect who, no more than two generations ago, would have been playing with blocks, sticks, and paper to design a house, is now staring at a computer screen using computer software to “build” a piece of intellectual capital, which will ultimately be used to build a house. Is creativity hindered, bolstered, or left unchanged? With lower levels of physical involvement in work, blood circulation slows, hand-eye coordination is redefined with a mouse/keyboard, and energy levels decrease. Daily exercise, while extremely beneficial for maintain health, is rarely coordinated with intellectual activity. The end result for the individual at a node is better networking capabilities, combined with lesser contributions to the network. Networking enables synergy, but what is the cumulative power of people when intellectual faculties are not being fully-utilized?
2 comments:
Interesting point, however, a network is not always people at a computer.....
Hmm....It depends on what network you choose to build!
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