The Global Human Capital Journal

"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?

A Must-read Guide to the Importance of Web 2.0 and the Knowledge Economy

The Long Tail is a watershed book that reflects many of the profound socioeconomic changes wrought by the transition from the Industrial Economy to the Knowledge Economy. The "Long Tail" represents the splintering of the mass market—what is happening, why and how you can thrive in the new era of the niche. Moreover, it shows how the mass market was a temporary phenomenon that developed because niches were not economically viable for producers to address.

Chris Anderson is editor-in-chief of Wired, and the book has an appreciation for culture, the economics of technology and the importance of innovation. It's also very well written: Anderson tackles some fairly abstract concepts, but the reader doesn't trip over them. It's possible to read the book quickly, but there is plenty of substance for a detailed, reflective reading as well. Difficult to over-recommend!

The Long Tail offers an insightful look into the byte-oriented Knowledge Economy and its movement away from the zero-sum, bits-oriented Industrial Economy—and what this holds for business and culture. The book has the technology/culture/innovation I associate with Wired, which makes it very insightful for understanding the implications of the changes. It includes numerous case studies and examples, many drawn from the entertainment industry, but also manufacturing and high technology.

Due to the book's importance, I've included some detailed chapter notes before adding Analysis and Conclusions at the end.

Excellent guidebook for succeeding in the online world, including social networking

The Virtual Handshake is an immensely valuable book, both as a handbook to the virtual world for the business-oriented person and as a guide to purposeful networking. I was compelled to get it after seeing David Teten speak at a conference because he spoke with authority while explaining new things clearly. Allen and Teten have done a masterful job at writing an interesting book that is full of useful information. Moreover, they succeed at providing a conceptual framework, so the reader can make use of the information. It is also a fun read.

As a marketing executive and a management consultant (strategy) since the early 1990s, I have helped to build parts of the virtual world the authors describe. I am very familiar with the topics, and I found the book useful on two key levels:

• Conceptual: The virtual world is difficult to understand conceptually because it is boundaryless and serendipitous, and the authors describe what it is enough so you can get to the point: how to interact with it to accomplish what you want. This is extremely important because the online world is limitless; one needs to understand enough of the content and potential to make actionable goals for oneself. The authors are very goal-oriented.
• Detail: The book contains several work strategies like how to work your email box and integrate it into your day so that you are not constantly interrupted; in addition, it includes myriad useful tips and information such as the latest sites to locate new emails for people with whom you've lost touch. As someone who spends extensive time on-line, I picked up numerous useful on-line resources, and the authors do a good job at pulling it all together into an actionable handbook.

(**Updated) Marketing Outlays Sabotaged by Sub-par Process Execution

Chicago, 29 November 2006—Today, the Global Human Capital Journal awarded Grace Bank, the top three credit card issuer, its notorious Web 0.2 Citation for inducing an acute spasm of customer yechsperience™.

This citation demonstrates how exceptionally poor service destroys brand despite kind words and happy pictures from Marketing. Although Grace employed a somewhat formulaic approach, it demonstrated laudable skill at producing customer irritation and angst.

Grace began the customer relationship with overcaffeinated marketing, followed by doltish fulfillment in the back office and blithe customer service. Consumer credit cards are largely a commodity service, and no customer will thank an issuer for seamless integration and real-time access. However, when customers do not get the minimum level of service, they become hopping mad.

Talking with the Ambassadors of the World's Largest Trading Relationship—and the CEOs of Four Global Enterprises

Three eminent diplomatic leaders and CEOs from Baxter, Financial Dynamics, ITW and Philips briefed Midwest executives on the current status and future directions of the world's largest trading relationship at the Executives' Club of Chicago's International Conference November 15. The half-day program featured several presentations, a CEO panel and a media round table. All speakers sought to impress upon the audience the pivotal importance of the transatlantic alliance for the United States and Europe, and most warned chief executives neither to take it for granted nor to be passive in the face of rising protectionism.

The fact that the importance of the E.U.—U.S. alliance had to be emphasized brought into sharp relief the relatively sudden rise of Asia as well as the shift from the Industrial Economy to the Knowledge Economy. Both megatrends pose opportunities and threats for the world's largest economies and enterprises, and the concomitant uncertainty emanated from the assembly hall. I will summarize speakers' remarks and question and answer sessions before adding conclusions.

Advice from three successful CIOs

In the past 15 years, "enterprise IT" has been transformed from an accounting support function to the driver-enabler for innovation and value creation. By no means has this been a smooth transformation, as businesses in all industries are besieged by globalization, new competitors and rampant commoditization. At many companies, executives around the boardroom table have had mixed feelings about IT in the face of huge expenditures and uncertain ROIs.

At the Executives' Club of Chicago High Technology Conference last week, Michael S. Carlin of Hospira, Richard Shellito of State Farm Insurance and Randy G. Burdick of OfficeMax shared their advice on keeping IT relevant in the boardroom. After their prepared remarks, Winifred A. Gillen of Capgemini moderated the panel during a Q&A session.

Part of the IDC Outsourcing Forum Midwest Report

Part of the IDC Outsourcing Forum Midwest Report

Clear Outsourcing Adoption Curve Emerges

The IDC Outsourcing Forum Midwest convened sourcing thought leaders from global enterprises, world-class outsourcing providers and IDC's leading analysts in Chicago September 11-12, 2006. They shared pioneering experiences that are pushing the transformational boundaries of outsourcing, one of the most important management practices to emerge in the 21st century. Case studies from the William