Good to Great #6: Technology Accelerators

The team supporting Jim Collins’ research for his book Good to Great debated whether or not a chapter needed to be dedicated to the use of technology by great companies – whether technology is a principle that took companies from good to great.  The group didn’t feel they had sufficient evidence to argue that  technology in and of itself took an organization from good to great.  However, they did believe the use of technology had a significant impact on these organizations and so they decided the principle deserved representation.

What they found is that great companies leveraged technology to increase momentum; it is not the way they created their momentum.  These companies think differently about technology and technological change.  They avoid fads, but are pioneers of carefully selected technology that can magnify what they were already succeeding at.

I believe the most valuable point of this chapter is the following question, Does the technology fit directly with your hedgehog concept?  If yes, pioneer it.  If not, ignore it or accept mediocrity in that area of your organization because it does not directly impact your hedgehog.

Making a Connection with Good to Great – The Internet, a 3P, and a Sponge

I remember when the internet was made accessible to the world.  How crazy is that?  My parents used to tell me they remember when television was invented and I thought they were old as dirt because of it.  Being a kid  during the initial development of the internet, I was excited to learn everything I could about it.  I spent hours reading and learning about chat rooms, ftp sites, and I was so excited to get my first email address, wondering if anyone else had one that I could write to.

I feel very close to the principle of technology because I am a child of the internet age.  I’ve seen it brought to life and become this monolithic and virtually indispensable thing that is a part of almost everyone’s life on this planet.  As a result, I’ve become familiar with and leveraged countless online tools to create, distribute, and consume music to support my musical career.

One of the many technological accelerators my band Upstanding Youth latched on to that magnified our growing  momentum is called the 3P.  Here’s a video explaining what a 3P is.

 

The 3P is a perfect example of how our band found a technological mechanism that fit directly with our hedgehog concept and it helped catapult our preexisting momentum.  The 3P in and of itself did not create our success;  our success was the result of countless other principles.  The 3P and technological accelerators are like water on a sponge .  Water poured over a dry sponge causes the sponge to expand, but without the sponge itself the water would magnify nothing.  Water is like the technology and the sponge is like the natural momentum of a group.

I love this principle.  Technology can do great things if used well and if it applies to your hedgehog.  If it doesn’t mesh with your hedgehog concept, it’s a distraction.  If water is poured over a sponge that is already expanded the water just spills over and is useless.  Look for the water (technology) that will cause your sponge to expand and be better.