Enterprise 2.0 and Offshoring :: Defining it
In my pervious blog, I briefly talked about Enterprise 2.0 and offshoring. While analyzing this trend and implecations, we should perhaps take a step back and analyze some of the definitions of Enterprise 2.0
Professor Andrew McAfee, credited with coining the term Enterprise 2.0 in March 2006 [in an article in the spring 2006 issue of Sloan Management Review (SMR)]. In his blog, Prof. McAfee points to three broad and converging trends concerning the changing relationship between those who offer technologies and those who use them:
- Simple, Free Platforms for Self-Expression
- Emergent Structures, Rather than Imposed Ones
- Order from Chaos
M.R. Rangaswami, from Sand Hill Group has a similar, but more inclusive definition that I particularly like (no points on guessing why!) .
MRR says….It (E2.0..) will be created using an infinite combination of the latest - and possibly, some old-fashioned - ingredients, including the following:
- Technologies - Open source, SOA/Web services (AJAX, RSS, blogs, wikis, tagging, social networking, and so on) Web 2.0, legacy and proprietary - or some combination
- Development Models - Relying on in-house, outsourced or offshore resources - or any combination; pursuing a global development strategy; and/or pursuing co-creation with users, partners or both
- Delivery Methods -Downloading individually; paying for a license; and/or, using on-demand/SaaS or via a service provider
Though I have my viewpoint on what Enterprise 2.0 should /could evolve into – more later -- I have been observing the debate between Sandhill consultants MRR, Vinni Mirchandani and Professor McAfee.
Leveraging technologies and trends – including tools of Web 2.0 -- to facilitate globally distributed teams of people to work towards common business goals is perhaps the key. Now, one could get into a debate on whether the “business goal” is just about maximizing shareholder wealth?!
