For now it is likely that some of the non-mainframe configuration-management schemes are more flexible, because less bureaucracy-encrusted than the schemes we are accustomed to using.
The Anglican Communion's Book of Common Prayer has this to say about problems of this sort, which are ineluctable: There was never any thing by the wit of man so well devised, or so sure established, which in continuance of time hath not been corrupted. New initiatives need to be criticized in their own terms, and they often need it badly; but reflexive defense of and retreat into the familiar is rarely helpful. On 2/13/12, Anne & Lynn Wheeler <l...@garlic.com> wrote: > arthur.gutow...@compuware.com (Art Gutowski) writes: >> Patterned after centuries (millenia?) of cultural character - raze the >> conquered and build your empire on the remains. > > re: > http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012b.html#74 IBM Doing Some Restructuring? > http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012b.html#76 IBM Doing Some Restructuring? > > I had sponsored Boyd's briefings at IBM in the 80s ... and he had a very > interesting scenario for this. some Boyd URLs from around the web as > well as past posts > http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subboyd.html > > Part of his briefings was that at the entry to WW2, the Army had to > deploy a huge forces with little or no experience. To leverage the small > amount of skilled/experienced resources they created a rigid, top-down > command and control structure. He would then observe that this was then > starting to have a significant downside on US corporate culture ... as > former young WW2 officers, skilled in rigid, top-down command&control > structures were started to climb corporate ladders. They were beginning > to implement similar infrastructures that assumed only the very few at > the very top knew what they were doing and required rigid controls for > large hordes that didn't know what they were doing. > > Something similar was touched on in "Tandem Memos" (even before I met > Boyd) ... from IBM Jargon > > Tandem Memos - n. Something constructive but hard to control; a fresh > of breath air (sic). That's another Tandem Memos. A phrase to worry > middle management. It refers to the computer-based conference (widely > distributed in 1981) in which many technical personnel expressed > dissatisfaction with the tools available to them at that time, and > also constructively criticised the way products were are > developed. The memos are required reading for anyone with a serious > interest in quality products. If you have not seen the memos, try > reading the November 1981 Datamation summary. > > ... snip ... > > I had been blamed for online computer conferencing on the internal > network in the late 70s & early 80s (part of which was "Tandem Memos") > ... misc. past posts mentioning the internal network > http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/subnetwork.html#internalnet > > part of the folklore was that when the executive committee was informed > of online computer conferencing (and the internal network), 5of6 wanted > to fire me. > > Boyd's explanation has been used more recently to explain a report that > the ratio of executive compensation to employee compensation had > exploded to 400:1 ("Age of Greed", mentioned in earlier post, claims it > spiked over 500:1), after having been 20:1 for a long time and 10:1 for > most of the rest of the world. > > The other downside is that people at the bottom that may appear to know what > they are doing, can be viewed as a threat. > > other recent posts mentioning "Age of Greed": > http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012b.html#12 Sun Tzu, Boyd, strategy and > extensions of same > http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012b.html#19 "Buffett Tax" and truth in numbers > http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012b.html#29 The speeds of thought, > complexities of problems > http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012b.html#43 Where are all the old tech > workers? > http://www.garlic.com/~lynn/2012b.html#54 The New Age Bounty Hunger -- > Showdown at the SEC Corral > > -- > virtualization experience starting Jan1968, online at home since Mar1970 > > ---------------------------------------------------------------------- > For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, > send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN > -- John Gilmore, Ashland, MA 01721 - USA ---------------------------------------------------------------------- For IBM-MAIN subscribe / signoff / archive access instructions, send email to lists...@bama.ua.edu with the message: INFO IBM-MAIN
