The Rapid Response Institute

Tag: Smart Technology

  • Operational Excellence Enabled by Leadership in Technology

    Operational Excellence Enabled by Leadership in Technology

    In 2025, our new book, Navigating the Data Minefields: Management’s Guide to Better Decision-Making will be released by CRC Press.  This is an accompanying book to our 2023 book, Smart Manufacturing: Integrating Transformational Technologies for Competitiveness and Sustainability.

    Both books focus on the use of advanced information technologies to attain and sustain Operational Excellence.  Today, organizations are drinking from a firehose of advanced solutions such as Big Data, Artificial Intelligence, Machine Learning, Business Intelligence, Virtual Reality, Digital Twins and much more.

    Moreover, the roles of executives at all levels are changing.  It is no longer satisfactory to leave major decision to Chief Technology/Digital/Information types.  Everyone has a stake in these (in some case $100 million or more, bet you company decisions).  For example,

    • The business need must be identified, verified and a detailed plan put in place to acquire and implement the technology of choice.
    • Is this aligned with organizational objectives?
    • How will these new technologies integrate into existing systems, if at all?
    • Does the organization have the maturity to undertake this process?  In other words, is it culturally ready and if not, what must be done to get ready?  Examples include upskilling the workforce, what new skills will be needed and so forth.

    The list is lengthy and detailed which is further explained the new book mentioned.  Additionally, what role do non-IT executives play in this process.  The Blogger believes is it no longer satisfactory to outsource the future ‘core competencies’ to the technology staff or key third parties, including Systems Integrators.  The so-called experts.  What agendas do these parties have and are they aligned with the organization mission and strategy?

    Bet Your Career

    These advanced and emerging and sometimes very immature software solutions will touch every division, department and individual employees as well at the organizational ecosystem.  Poor performance will end careers and possibly organizations.  As always, there will be winners and losers, both at the organization level as well as individuals.

    We could go on, but readers get the point.  This is game-changing for industry sectors, organizations including government agencies and finally for individuals.  Big decisions will need to be made and soon.

    What are you doing to prepare of this transformational tsunami?

    For More Information

    Please note, RRI does not endorse or advocate the links to any third-party materials herein.  They are provided for education and entertainment only.

    See our Economic Value Proposition Matrix® (EVPM) for additional information and a free version to build your own EVPM.

    The author’s credentials in this field are available on his LinkedIn page.  Moreover, Dr. Shemwell is a coauthor of the just published book, “Smart Manufacturing: Integrating Transformational Technologies for Competitiveness and Sustainability.”  His focus is on Operational Technologies.

    We are also pleased to announce our forthcoming book to be published by CRC Press in 2025, Navigating the Data Minefields: Management’s Guide to Better Decision-Making.  This is a book for the non-IT executive who is faced with making major technology decisions as firms acquire advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI).

    “People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.” (Martin Luther King speech at Cornell College, 1962).  For more information on Cross Cultural Engagement, check out our Cross Cultural Serious Game.  You can contact this author as well.

    For more details regarding climate change models, check out Bjorn Lomborg ands his latest book, False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet.

    Regarding the economics of Climate Change, check out our blog, Crippling Green.

    For those start-up firms addressing energy (including renewables) challenges, the author can put you in touch with Global Energy Mentors which provide no-cost mentoring services from energy experts.  If interested, check it out and give me a shout.

  • Burrattery

    Burrattery

    Burr!  Its winter in the northern hemisphere and many shiver from the cold.  The ‘Many’ include batteries.

    We have know for generations that cold weather negatively affects electrical batteries.  So, it should come as no surprise that Electric Vehicles (EVs) performance can suffer greatly when the temperatures are extremely cold.  This phenomenon is not limited to this power source, diesel engines face similar challenges at very low temperatures.

    Is It All Hype?

    The IT research firm, Gartner has developed a model describing the process from the inception of new technologies to their general acceptance.  The Gartner Hype Cycle is widely viewed as a reasonable model of this process and is applied to a wide variety of technological innovations.  As the title suggests, technology undergoes a process of innovation, disappointment and finally broad acceptance.  Moreover, this process can take many years with the demise of many startup companies that were perhaps even too early in the process.

    According to Gartner, “Data-enabled services, electrification and smart cabins are a part of many technologies in this Hype Cycle.  Most of these technologies continue to be in the Innovation Trigger and Peak of Inflated Expectations, showing they have a lot of potential to disrupt the automotive space, but yet have some way to go before reaching mainstream adoption.”

    Diffusion of Innovations

    Most readers are probably familiar with the so-called Technology Adoption model which is composed of five types of users/buyers:

    1. Innovators
    2. Early Adopters
    3. Early Majority
    4. Late Majority
    5. Laggards

    For these and more reasons (including high prices), it seems that EVs may have a way to go before wide acceptance with more robust battery technologies.  Finally, we previously challenged the perceived low Carbon Footprint of batteries and documented these technologies are not as green as portrayed.  Interested readers can take a look at our blog Crippling Green discussion regarding the economics of Climate Change.

    Where does your organization fall on either or both of these curves for battery technologies?

    For More Information

    Please note, RRI does not endorse or advocate the links to any third-party materials herein.  They are provided for education and entertainment only.

    See our Economic Value Proposition Matrix® (EVPM) for additional information and a free version to build your own EVPM.

    The author’s credentials in this field are available on his LinkedIn page.  Moreover, Dr. Shemwell is a coauthor of the just published book, “Smart Manufacturing: Integrating Transformational Technologies for Competitiveness and Sustainability.”  His focus is on Operational Technologies.

    “People fail to get along because they fear each other; they fear each other because they don’t know each other; they don’t know each other because they have not communicated with each other.” (Martin Luther King speech at Cornell College, 1962).  For more information on Cross Cultural Engagement, check out our Cross Cultural Serious Game.  You can contact this author as well.

    For more details regarding climate change models, check out Bjorn Lomborg ands his latest book, False Alarm: How Climate Change Panic Costs Us Trillions, Hurts the Poor, and Fails to Fix the Planet.

    Regarding the economics of Climate Change, check out our blog, Crippling Green.

    For those start-up firms addressing energy (including renewables) challenges, the author can put you in touch with Global Energy Mentors which provide no-cost mentoring services from energy experts.  If interested, check it out and give me a shout.

  • 100

    100

    This edition marks the 100th post in our Critical Mass Blog series.  We have sought to provide thoughtful, unbiased insight into the contemporary business and organizational challenges we all face.  Since our first blog post on November 27, 2017 our world has turned over in ways none expected.  Likely, this trend will continue.

    This series continues a tradition of newsletters, opinion pieces and other on line punditry first begun in 1998 with our New Millennium News.  A bi-monthly email with a subscription base of approximately 7,000 readers.  A huge number at that time.  We estimate that hundreds of thousands or more have benefited from this knowledge transfer.

    Coincidentally, we reach this milestone as we begin the new year–a time of renewal.  We will continue to address critical issues individuals, businesses, agencies and others face as we all navigate an increasingly perilous path.  This series has addressed Human Resource issues including Diversity, Equity and Inclusion (DEI) Teams , the arrival of Smart Technology, International Business, Covid-19, Supply Chain Management, Operational Excellence, Cultural Transformation (including Safety Culture) Sales, Risk Mitigation and of course Leadership.  Today’s organizations must be very good at all of these disciplines!

    Available Tools

    The mission of the Rapid Response Institute (RRI) is to enable our clients with the ability to posture themselves in their market segments so that they can thrive in volatile markets and capitalize on uncertainty, not suffer because of them.  This is especially important for those economic actors in Critical Infrastructure sectors.

    In support of this mission the firm has developed a suite of Intellectual Property (IP) which includes Know How, practical roadmap Books and guidelines as well as Software as a Service (SaaS) solutions among others.  Many readers know that once a process has been standardized with minimal configuration required, the data is the ultimate driver.  This is the heart of most Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) solutions.

    With advances in technology, RRI has taken these once multi-million dollar solutions to a price point as well as Use Case where all organizations can utilize this capability.  Moreover, our advancements in work flow such as epitomized in our Cross Cultural Serious Games, Economic Value Proposition Matrix, and Smart OpEx (Operations Management System) and Risk Simulation Modeling add immediate and significant value to the challenges faced as articulated above.  Other Free Tools are available as well.

    Pulling It All Together

    The method to our madness is–Operations!!  As some are fond of saying with derision, “It’s All About the Benjamins.”  Well, it actually is.  If ‘for-profit’ firms are not profitable, they fail.  No amount of Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) will save them if they cannot deliver to paying customers.

    Everything RRI does helps organizations to deliver stakeholder value, compliant with ESG standards.  That is our Bottom Line and we are also pleased that Dr. Shemwell, Managing Director has been an independent advocate for responsible corporate success since 2004.

    FYI, major losses and legal actions do not enhance stakeholder value.  Neither for employees, local communities or equity holders.  Everyone loses when in terrible scenarios such as Deepwater Horizon, internal bias corporate hubris, poor high reliability processes/human factor shortcomings or lack of actual DEI.

    This journey continues.  Stay tuned for the next 100 editions where will continue to provide our thoughts on relevant matters.  Thank you very much for your readership and support.

    How is Your Organization Positioned for the Next Four Years?

    For More Information

    Please note, RRI does not endorse or advocate the links to any third-party materials.  They are provided for education and entertainment only.

    For more information on Cross Cultural Engagement, check out our Cross Cultural Serious Game

    We presented, Should Cross Cultural Serious Games Be Included in Your Diversity Program: Best Practices and Lessons Learned at the Online Conference, New Diversity Summit 2020 the week of September 14, 2020.  Check Out this timely event and contact the organizer for access to the presentations!!

    For more on DEI Standards, see the newly released ISO-30415.

    You can contact this author as well.