The Global Human Capital Journal

New Life Sciences Accelerator Leverages Digital Social Network—Inspired by LinkedIn and Facebook

Healthcare systems worldwide are criticized for falling short of expectations, and countries like the U.S. which feature aging populations, are rapidly approaching a crisis. Demand and cost will grow, but the system as currently structured will certainly break down unless radical changes are made. Web 2.0's disruptive potential can be part of the remedy: we need to introduce much more accountability and collaboration into all parts of the system. We need to change the paternalistic attitudes that pervade the system, treat patients as active participants and encourage everyone to be more accountable. This series introduces healthcare Web 2.0 innovators.

Business Drivers

The Hershey Center for Applied Research KnowledgeMesh is a new initiative that unites healthcare- and life sciences-focused commercial, academic and government forces in a digital social network.  It is a cutting edge social networking and scientific mapping online community that will drive R&D in the life sciences and high tech. 

KnowledgeMesh is inspired by Facebook and business executive social network LinkedIn.  It is explicitly designed to create and enhance interactions among industry, government, academie, venture capitalists, intellectual property attorneys and the work force.

Knowledge Economy Unfolds via All Things Digital-Social—Wearing Passion and Personality on Your Sleeve

Discerning Web 2.0 from Web 1.0—Ron May Gets Comeuppance as Happy and Successful

Web 2.0 entrepreneurs, financiers and professional services folk descended on Loyola University Chicago's Lewis Hall 29 May 2008 for "Tech Conference," TechCocktail's first ever day-long educational event. Founders Frank Gruber and Eric Olson served an effervescent yet heady elixir of heart-to-heart war stories, lessons learned and strategies by entrepreneurs, venture capitalists, lawyers, accountants and an executive coach.

Since attending TechCocktail 1 in July 2006, I have promoted the periodic TechCocktail "meetups" to everyone who will listen as the place to learn about and connect with Web 2.0 players and technology in Chicago (elsewhere now, too). Frank and Eric have created one of the most worthwhile groups and communities in the city and were recognized in the ITA's Citylights this year. Their first conference was both high value and quintessentially Web 2.0: speakers were open about what had worked and what hadn't. The program was well balanced, organized and entertaining. There were considerable lessons for Web 2.0 entrepreneurs and their providers to take away.

Leveraging B2C "Social" Networks for Real Enterprise Advantage—Flashbacks to Web 1.0—People in Bars

Pan in, circa 1998, and enterprises were beginning to doubt the conventional wisdom that had prevailed during the past three years, namely that "the Internet" was a Silicon Valley fad that would blow over with nary a whimper. It was "for kids," it didn't merit adult attention—none of these "businesses" were making money anyway. You can't be serious, how could a money-losing online bookstore affect GM? It looks silly to read these words today, but that's only because we know what happened. Here I will suggest that we are on the cusp of a similar shift with Web 2.0 and social networks, I'll outline an approach you can use to consider your adoption strategy, and I will recommend tactical things you can do right now to leverage LinkedIn, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Del.icio.us and others.

Since 2006, my consulting work has encompassed strategic and tactical sides of Web 2.0 and social networks and, in 2008, I launched a tactically-focused service, the Executive's Guide to LinkedIn, which helps global enterprises to use LinkedIn for process innovation. This has provided the opportunity to deep dive into applying these tools to enterprise processes.

A New Synthesis in the Knowledge Economy—Fast Forward to the Past—Plus, The Fire

Noodles are largely driven by intuition and holistic mental doodling, and this one has been simmering a long time*. I believe that there is profound meaning in virtual and literal "mobility," and I'll explore its significance in terms geography and human relationships. Geography has always had a profound impact on how humans have lived and the organizations in which we have lived, and when its meaning shifts, our lives are transformed. This is of paramount importance because human relationships are currently transitioning from geography-based to interest-based. Many governments and businesses harbor business rules that assume geography-based relationships, and, unless they appreciate the shift to interest-based relationships, they will experience disruption's spin cycle. Lose a turn. Don't pass go ,^)

Before exploring how these things will unfold in Part II, let's review three geographies and four economies here in Part I...

Enterprise-class Social Networking Is Closer than You Think—Resetting the Adoption Clocks

Shades of Web 3.0—The Googlization of Knowledge Management

Tuesday IBM announced a new services practice, "Enterprise Adaptability" services, which aims to help global companies realize a quantum leap in workforce agility and collaboration by facilitating their adoption of social networks and Web 2.0. As predicted in the Year in Review—2007, social networks and Web 2.0 are being embraced in the enterprise B2B arena this year, and this announcement shows that adoption is right on ahead of schedule. Enterprise 2.0 is reaching the mainstream, and companies that do not aggressively adopt enterprise 2.0 will experience serious competitive threats within three years.

IBM's announcement validates enterprise social networking, but more significant is their rationale for launching the practice: their clients are struggling with adjusting to the Knowledge Economy, globalization and decreasing margins, and Enterprise Adaptability prescribes collaboration and innovation to cure legendary agility gaps. As explained below, Enterprise Adaptability smells like breakthrough, although it's barely out of the oven. To look behind the curtain, I caught up with Scott Smith, a lead Partner in IBM's Human Capital Management practice as well as Christa Degnan Manning, Research Director, AMR Research and Derek Smith, Research Director, Kennedy Information. After briefing you on the Enterprise Adaptability practice, I will dive deeper into its market significance and consider prospects for success.

"Yes," Says Team of Healthcare Experts, Employer CEOs and Patient Representative at the Executives' Club of Chicago, "But You Must Change Your Ways"

Honestly Assessing Quality—Engaging Consumer Empowerment—Trading in the Ferrari for a Chevy

The Executives' Club of Chicago convened its healthcare reform summit at the Hilton Chicago on 20 February 2008, drawing on diverse expertise. Ian Morrison, Ph.D., healthcare futurist, gave the keynote and moderated two panels: first, the healthcare expertise panel with Dean Harrison, CEO Northwestern Memorial Healthcare; William Novelli, CEO AARP; Scott P. Serota, CEO BlueCross BlueShield Association; and second, the business executive panel with Andrew M. Appel, Chairman AON Consulting; John A. Edwardson, CEO, CDW; John B. Menzer, Vice Chairman and Administrative Officer, Wal-Mart Stores. Robert L. Parkinson, CEO, Baxter Healthcare gave an insightful point of view on recommended actions to close the event.

There was broad agreement that the U.S. healthcare system was broken, and speakers offered excellent insights and perspectives about how to fix the system. However, what they didn't say was as interesting as what they did, and I will address two key issues in Analysis and Conclusions: the pervasive lack of trust among all parties and the emerging consumer empowerment trend: what do Web 2.0-enabled consumers have to bring to the party?

Editor's Choice of the Global Human Capital Journal

As I reflect on 2007 and create strategy for 2008, several macro-trends come into sharp relief, and I believe that some of them might be helpful to you as you conduct your own planning. As always, I focus on emerging phenomena because they are areas in which disruption and discontinuous change are acting on markets, thereby elevating threats and opportunities. Helping leaders to create strategy to manage the risk of unusual market developments is the focus of my consulting practice.

In 2007 it became clear to me that we were entering a profound social transformation that would produce an unimaginable degree of change. Unlike the technology-precipitated change that I've been helping people with since the 1990s, technology is shifting to the background now, and pervasive social change is taking the stage. Look for disruption in all areas affected by how people connect, communicate, purchase and collaborate: business, politics, community and leisure. Moreover, these changes are completely global with all the variations that engenders.

I can't tell you how many acts this opera has, but 2007's themes can provide you enough clarity, at a minimum, to notice that the water is getting warmer. I have also included among the links some prescriptive market advisories I wrote this year. They give explicit advice and action steps to maneuver your organization so that you can become stronger as these changes unfold.

Thank you for your readership and support, and best regards as the curtain rises on the first act!