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 | Wayne Burkan : Wide Angle Vision |
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In 261 pages, Burkan writes much about organizational strategy and change, with hundreds of case studies but mentions Asian cases once or twice at the most. So what is this book doing in the Forum Review? Quite seriously, because it is a book that any Asian manager would be a fool to ignore. It strikes at the root of the main bugbears of developing effective organizations in Asia, without having to mention us much at all! Wide-angle vision is all about the "edge". The "edge" is made up of dissatisfied customers, rogue suppliers, problem employees and new "invisible" competitors. Burkan thinks we ignore these too often. That in our rush to embrace the Pareto principle we ignore the periphery that runs out from under the house and bites us. That in our enthusiasm to focus on the mainstream business, which is necessary of course to maintain the bottom line, we ignore the "edge" which can gives us vital clues to the future. Basically if we listen to our best customers all the time we are partially blinded. Of course they provide the majority of the business but they are those that are "mainstream". They believe in the same values as us..thats why they are our customers. The same goes for our best "model" employees, and the new competitors that we cannot possibly take seriously. The "edge" can force us to change, and that is surely the most fundamental challenge of Asian business today. Just read one of Burkan's descriptions of people on the edge and relate it to your organization:
"The "edge" consists of people who are extremely dissatisfied with today's solutions. They firmly reject the popular wisdom for a very practical reason: It does not work for them. The "edge" reveals a unique perspective about our most cherished practices. Not only does it highlight the hidden challenges in a way that leaves us stronger than ever. Further, because people on the "edge" reject the status quo, they are the first to point out the most exciting opportunities for growth" Now think about how you or your organization treats people on the edge. Are they marginalised, treated as outsiders, edged out? If you believe that many Asian organizations are structured to reinforce the status quo and reward conformism, in Burkan's world we are heading or disaster. Examples abound, from the development of Java by a member of the edge who was talked back into the company he resigned from, from the emergence of Apple as an "edge" competitor to their fall because they failed to recognise other edge competitors. It is said that if Edison used a focus group to design the light bulb, he would have invented a longer candlestick. Deming, also a member of the edge, was rejected in the US but welcomed in Japan. The Japanese, in this case, recognised the "edge" and masterfully managed it. Quite clearly, the rewards for conformism in many of our companies are too high and the encouragement of the edge too little. To maintain our existing business yes..talk to best customers, competitors, and employees. But in the period of change we are entering now it is the "edge" that holds the key to the future. Burkan, in crisply written prose, gives guidelines on how to remove the mainstream blinkers and grow a "wide angle vision". His prescription for recognising those on the "edge".. 1. Never rely on intuition 2. Never rely solely on experts 3. Never let past investments influence your view. And then he goes on to say how you can manage the edge in team building, leadership, and reengineering. For recognition is one thing, how to become a truly "wide-angle vision" manager is another. It takes practice and some insight. Burkan, while ignoring the most promising business arena in the world, may well have simultaneously done us a great service. The case studies we have to develop ourselves, but they are in front of our eyes every day.
Reviewed by Rod Davies
ISBN: 0-471-13416-3
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