Book review: The Future of the Internet – And How to Stop It, by Jonathan L Zittrain.

“The framers of the Internet did not design their network with visions of mainstream dominance. Instead, the very unexpectedness of its success was a critical ingredient,” says Jonathan Zittrain in his free e-book The Future of the Internet – And How to Stop It.

“The Internet was able to develop quietly and organically for years before it became widely known, remaining outside the notice of those who would have insisted on more cautious strictures had they only suspected how ubiquitous it would become.”

Sea change
Yet Zittrain raises a concern that the Internet may be headed for a more controlled future. “With the unwitting help of its users, the generative Internet is on a path to a lockdown, ending its cycle of innovation—and facilitating unsettling new kinds of control. As tethered appliances and applications eclipse the PC, the very nature of the Internet—its “generativity,” or innovative character—is at risk.”

In a recent article in ComputerWorld, Zittrain responds to criticism of his view of cloud computing.

“I don’t begrudge operators of cloud-based services,” Zittrain says, “or vendors wanting to sell or consult about exciting new cloud technology, their enthusiasm about ubiquitous networks-or their outrage when they feel their parade being rained on a little.

“But for the areas many of us should be caring and thinking about, the sea change occurring in our control over our code and content must be addressed, especially since the move to the cloud can be appealing for so many other reasons.”

Book review: The Future of Management, by Gary Hamel with Bill Breen.

Gary Hamel’s latest book, The Future of Management comes at a time when many companies, especially those in the U.S., face overwhelming competition from Chinese and Indian firms, not to mention established competition from Japan and Western Europe.

Hamel asks if companies constantly innovate new products, and improve existing ones, why don’t they do the same to their management approach? This might imply a change in management style away from a militaristic command-and-control model of past centuries, to a latticed, network style of management birthed out of how the Internet has changed the way we think of information and communities.

Employees aren’t 13 anymore
The Future of Management focuses on three companies: Whole Foods, WL Gore, and Google. Despite their shortcomings, these companies have adopted a management style that respects employees as adults, not as children who need clear boundaries to their freedom.

Hamel says, “To a large extent, managers play the role of parents, school principles, crossing guards and hall monitors. They employ control from without because employees have been deprived of the ability to exercise control from within. Adolescents outgrow most of these constraining influences; employees often aren’t given that chance. The result: disaffection. Adults enjoy being treated like 13-year olds even less than 13-year olds.”

The book implies we will need less managers in successful organizations of the future. The best companies will be those where employees have the power to innovate, not just the duty to follow orders.

It’s surprising that Mr Hamel’s latest book has attracted so little attention since its publication in October 2007. Perhaps it’s because it questions the effectiveness of business schools to turn out graduates capable of root-and-branch management innovation. Could it be that even these venerated institutions simply propogate the status quo?

Book review: The Fortune at the Bottom of the Pyramid: Eradicating Poverty through Profits, by CK Prahalad.

“What are we doing about the poorest people around the world? Why is it that with all our technology, managerial know-how, and investment capacity, we are unable to make even a minor contribution to the problem of pervasive global poverty and disenfranchisement? Why can’t we create inclusive capitalism?”

With opening challenges like this, Mr Prahalad’s book really grabs one’s attention. “If we stop thinking of the poor as victims or as a burden and start recognizing them as resilient and creative entrepreneurs and value-conscious consumers, a whole new world of opportunity will open up,” Mr. Prahalad goes on to state.

Constant innovation
University of Michigan Business School professor CK Prahalad challenges the common beliefs held by business about the world’s poor and introduces us to the Bottom of the Pyramid (BOP), an underserved market of more than four billion people. This is the market companies should be paying attention to, he says.

According to Prahalad, the poor need to seen as a market, but one different from the conventional wisdom. When this happens traditional business concepts are applied to each situation from its distinct perspective. What results are practical, innovative solutions to unresolved problems.

Prahalad demonstrates that making products more affordable to the world’s poor can provide substantial returns to create real partnerships and innovations for established companies.

One may question the realism of Prahalad’s vision and goals. As Prahalad readily admits, “We have a long way to go before the social transformation of inequalities around the world will be accomplished.” But being a long way from reaching that goal should not be a deterrent to working towards it.

Slowing growth and financial crises in overserved markets may mean companies have no other option than to enter these Bottom of the Pyramid markets. When you do, you’ll find it a win:win.

In what way will you apply the efficiency and effectiveness benefits you’ve gained from Agile? What about using these benefits to innovate products for Bottom of the Pyramid markets?

Book review: Brain Rules: 12 Principles for Surviving and Thriving at Work, Home, and School, by Dr John Medina.

“Would you get your dog up for a cup of coffee and a doughnut in the morning?” asks Jack LaLanne. The godfather of the American fitness movement, LaLanne, now in his nineties, once exclaimed to Larry King: “I tell people I can’t afford to die. It will wreck my image!”

“If you ever have the chance to hear him in an interview,” says Brain Rules author Dr John Medina, “your biggest impression will not be the strength of his muscles but the strength of his mind.” Dr Medina, a developmental molecular biologist and research consultant, is an affiliate Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Washington School of Medicine. He is also the director of the Brain Center for Applied Learning Research at Seattle Pacific University.

Brain rules, OK
Medina uses LaLanne’s incredible story to introduce the first of his 12 ‘brain rules’: Exercise boosts brain power. How many brain rules do you follow? To find out, here are the others:

EXERCISE | Rule #1: Exercise boosts brain power.
SURVIVAL | Rule #2: The human brain evolved, too.
WIRING | Rule #3: Every brain is wired differently.
ATTENTION | Rule #4: We don’t pay attention to boring things.
SHORT-TERM MEMORY | Rule #5: Repeat to remember.
LONG-TERM MEMORY | Rule #6: Remember to repeat.
SLEEP | Rule #7: Sleep well, think well.
STRESS | Rule #8: Stressed brains don’t learn the same way.
SENSORY INTEGRATION | Rule #9: Stimulate more of the senses.
VISION | Rule #10: Vision trumps all other senses.
GENDER | Rule #11: Male and female brains are different.
EXPLORATION | Rule #12: We are powerful and natural explorers.

This is a great read; it’s an honest, entertaining, and well-written book based on years of research into the interesting subject of how the brain works. Yet Medina is humble enough to admit that there are many things he and his colleagues still don’t know about the brain. To my mind, this gives the book a lot of credibility.

You can pick up a copy of John Medina’s book here.