Stephen's space

This is the next blog in the continuing series of interviews with top-echelon and renowned professionals. In this blog, I interview Vaclav Vincalek, IT Authority, Founder and President of Pacific Coast Information Systems (PCIS) Ltd. Take the time to look at Vaclav's very strong background and then the topic index. Vaclav shares his views on security, best practices, recommended resources, and business trends.

With Vaclav's extensive history in the industry, we also dialogued after the podcast about his insights on IT as a Profession which I'm sharing with you here...

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The UN-founded International Federation for Information Processing or IFIP has their Professional Practice Partnership (IP3) program which received full ratification at the world general assembly in August 2007 with their first implementation meeting in Montreal hosted by CIPS in October of 2007. This marks an historical inflection point and speaks to IT as a recognized profession with global standards, profession-based code of ethics, and widely adopted professional certification--all happening in 2009. Can you comment on this global initiative?

"Global standards and a professional code of ethics would benefit the IT industry. Until this point, the position of “IT professional” has not been clearly defined with firm standards and codes of conduct. Without exaggerating, the definition of an IT professional in some organizations has meant the person at the office who knows more than everyone else about computers – even if the extent of their knowledge was limited to opening up a box with a computer in it and getting the Internet hookup working.

The technology industry proved itself capable of instituting standards for technology. Clearly, the capacity exists for the industry to develop a professional association and codes of conduct like other established professions have already developed, like in accounting, architecture or law.

The IFIP is a long-awaited move for a maturing industry as technology plays an increasing role in our lives. It will ensure that IT professionals have the training and credentials to do their jobs and benchmarks to measure their skills, experience and value to their organizations. It will also allow industries to benefit from more free movement of trained IT professionals. Additionally, it can help IT professionals carry out their objectives, not of using more technology for technology's sake, but focusing on better understanding their customers to develop solutions for their organizations' real business needs."
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Enjoy the podcast,
Stephen Ibaraki, FCIPS, I.S.P., MVP , DFNPA, CNP

Vaclav Vincalek is the founder and president of Pacific Coast Information Systems (PCIS) Ltd., a Vancouver-based company that provides strategic consulting, application development, technology solutions and managed services to companies and government organizations throughout North America. He has over 25 years of experience in the information technology industry.

In 1995, Mr. Vincalek started PCIS, turning it into one of British Columbia's leading providers of IT solutions for business. His strategic vision, proven management style, keen understanding of business technology and ability to predict and manage technology trends helped him to successfully grow PCIS. He oversees and mentors a talented team of technology and business specialists.

Mr. Vincalek launched Boonbox in 2007 as a division of PCIS, currently offering unique web security, password management and secure data backup solutions. The division was established in response to growing demand from businesses trying to remain competitive while faced with an increasingly complex IT landscape and greater demand on scarce IT resources.

Before founding PCIS, Mr. Vincalek was a Systems Analyst with Process Automation Controls Ltd. in Burnaby, BC, from 1991-1995. He has also worked with the Jones Soda Co. to invent a patented personalized bottle labeling process, developed the overall technical framework and oversaw the coordination of the development teams involved. He also developed BCTV's back-end web system in 1998.

Mr. Vincalek has spent four years in post-graduate university research and has a Masters degree in Electrical Engineering at Czech Technical University. During that time Mr. Vincalek also worked with Nokia in Tampere, Finland and later in Prague, Czech Republic.

Mr. Vincalek speaks at seminars about web security and integrating technology solutions to improve business productivity. He is a member of the Knowledge Management Community of Practice, British Columbia Technology Industry Association (BCTIA) and Academy for Technology Company CEOs (ACETECH). He has been recognized by the IBM Systems Group for the work he completed on the HUB International Limited Intranet Development Project.

Mr. Vincalek produces the Pacific Coast Informer, authors a blog about technology trends and is frequently interviewed and quoted by media in programs and articles dealing with the technology industry, such as BCTV News, CBC radio, the National Post, Vancouver Sun, ComputerWorld Canada and BC Business Magazine. He can be reached at info@pcis.com

To listen to the interview, click on this MP3 file link

DISCUSSION:

Interview Time Index (MM:SS) and Topic

:00:34:
Can you describe what triggered your interest in computing and business?
"....I was raised in technically savvy company. Everybody from my grandfather, father, uncle, were involved in technology in some shape or form. My grandfather and father were pioneers and definitely leaders in communication technology in Czechoslovakia...."

:01:44:
You have a Masters in Electrical Engineering and worked for Nokia. Profile your work and valuable lessons you learned from these experiences.
"....When I worked for Nokia it was during my post-grad studies at the Czech Technical University in Prague....I was working in Tempere for the R & D department for Nokia....Definitely working for Nokia was a highlight of my career at that time...."

:03:01:
What was the nature of your HUB work?
"....HUB International is an umbrella for insurance companies through North America....They came to us to create a portal for all their employees and to be able to cross various divisions and to be able to share the experience, expertise and knowledge within this large group....A collaboration portal where people could share information.... not only across geographical distances but also different business groups...."

:04:36:
Since you developed the back-end web system for a major media network, what were the main challenges and solutions in this type of work?
"....At that time it was quite a revolutionary undertaking (1998-99)....It was a feature that through a browser the editor or a news reporter could update the story 'real time on the fly'. Today nobody thinks twice about it but at that time it was quite revolutionary for them...."

:06:50:
Describe your work with the Pacific Coast Informer and your blog. What business and IT trends would you like to share?
"....We have been, as a company, in business for over 13 years, we see that the technology is coming to the marketplace at such a speed that even for seasoned IT professionals, it is sometimes difficult to keep up with all the technology....Our aim with the Pacific Coast Informer (on the formal side) and my blog (less formal)....we want them to stop and think about all the implications....that technology has on their lives. For example one of the issues which is important to me is privacy and security...."

:09:08:
What are key best practices for integrating technology solutions to improve business productivity?
"....Every time you want to implement any technology, start first with the business. Understand why you are doing it, where is the benefit to the business....Another is to find seasoned professionals who understand both - the technology and the business...."

:10:57:
What are some important lessons around improving web security?
"....It's like when you go food shopping, you go into places where you know you can get fresh food which won't make you sick. The same thing applies to people browsing the internet. Go to websites which can prove to you that they are serious about protecting your personal information and your privacy and your secure transactions...."

:14:15:
What do you see as the most important broader business challenges and their solutions?
"....Businesses have to understand where the technology makes sense and how they can compete on the global level and how to do it as efficiently as possible...."

:16:57:
In your current role, what are the biggest challenges, and their solutions? How does this relate to business?
"....The market is opening and the competition is increasing....we are trying to improve our internal business processes. We are trying to minimize the time being spent on unproductive tasks and we are trying to make our organization as lean and efficient as possible....We are trying to identify all the issues which other companies are facing and then deliver solutions which are helpful to these organizations...."

:20:37:
Vaclav Vincalek shares an interesting experience from his work.
"....If one can create great encryption, there are always people who are smarter who can break the encryption. The moral of the story is if you don't want to lose something don't put it on your computer...."

:25:40:
Which are your top recommended resources and why?
"....To stay informed I spend about two hours every day reading on the internet....I subscribe to about 15 newsfeeds from various vendors or publications from around the world....Wikipedia....Because of our work with major vendors (IBM, Microsoft, Novell etc.)....they supply us with information from their point of view....But I would say the most important thing for me is talking to other IT professionals (that cannot be substituted for anything else)...."

:28:00:
It is interesting that what you are saying is that the top resource for you is your connection to communities enabled through technology and other means. This podcast will go out to different IT communities and you are saying that is a great resource to get involved with.
"....Technology is here to help us but it is the connectivity to other people who are knowledgeable and who can provide great wisdom and perspective on things...that is the ultimate for me. I am looking forward [perhaps as a result of this podcast] that I will be able to talk with similar minded people...."

:28:58:
If you were doing this interview, what would you ask and then what would be your answers?
"....unclear ownership of digital information on the internet...."

This is the next blog in the continuing series of interviews with top-echelon and renowned professionals. In this blog, I interview Jeff Kempiners, Top-ranking IT and Business Strategist and Leading Executive, Chief Technology Officer, Avanade Canada Inc.

Jeff provides insight into the "next generation workplace" and why it's essential to keep the relevant technologies (unified communications, digital collaboration, enterprise content management, enterprise search, ...) high on your planning cycle. Take the time to look at the topic index since all key trends are discussed. Jeff also provides an overview of the need for global professionalism and how this is coming about this year and in 2009 worldwide through the UN-founded IFIP IP3 initiative which Avanade is formally supporting. In Canada, CIPS is the official representative for the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP).

Enjoy,
Stephen Ibaraki, FCIPS, I.S.P., MVP , DFNPA, CNP

Mr. Jeff Kempiners, as Chief Technology Officer, leads the strategic direction and growth of Avanade Canada. Avanade has more than 7,200 professionals in 22 countries, including more than 230 in its Canadian business, which has offices in Toronto, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Ottawa and Montreal. Recently, the company grew its business by 25%.

A seasoned leader, Mr. Kempiners has more than 12 years of experience in IT management and consulting. Mr. Kempiners joined Avanade in August, 2000 as a Solution Architect in the US-Central region. Most recently, he served as Avanade Canada Capability Director for Infrastructure and Application Solutions, overseeing the deployment of Avanade's infrastructure and application development solutions and working closely with Avanade customers. Prior to joining Avanade, Mr. Kempiners was employed with Accenture in a variety of roles, including System Analyst, Project Manager, and Engagement Manager for large customer accounts in all industries.

Over the past five years, Avanade Canada has worked with several enterprises to help them meet their business objectives, including First Canadian Title, PCL Construction, and Future Electronics.

To listen to the interview, click on this MP3 file link

DISCUSSION:

Interview Time Index (MM:SS) and Topic

:00:42:
What is the outlook for unified messaging?
"....It's going to become part of the building foundation upon which we start to recompose business processes in order to better leverage concepts like digital collaboration and workflow...."

:03:49:
What value is returned by enterprise content management (ECM)?
"....When I think of enterprise content management, eventually we will move back to the space where ECM hosts corporate official documents (for example, public press releases, HR policy documents, quarterly sales reports - things that you are looking for that are one single version of the truth) and we will start to take away from ECM space those things that are currently a poor fit for ECM (just leveraging its search capabilities). I believe that enterprise content management will continue to be misused for at least some time in the new future...."

:07:49:
Can you explain how collaborative workspaces improve all the elements of business agility?
"....My opinion on collaborative work spaces is that it's not just about enabling two individuals but rather it's about enabling a knowledge management repository for it to grow in such a way that other individuals can leverage previous collaborative sessions...."

:10:54:
Do you have a definition of business agility?
"....Your ability to make change; to measure it against the market you are attempting to serve..."

:13:43:
What does enterprise search mean to the user and ultimately to the business?
"....Think of the applications that you use at home - your media players, consumer devices, websites - everything has searches and a search is amazingly accurate and amazingly fast. Then you get to work and it's not at all like that. You sit down in your office and log into your enterprise portal, you're digging 15 file menus deep into a shared "s" drive in order to launch the document that you work on day to day....Ultimately enterprise search means a high degree of efficiency and the ability to get what you are after without any search whatsoever...."

:17:04:
What is meant by workplace transformation vehicles?
"....As we have new ways to communicate with one another, we're are then redesigning the business processes that leverage those communications and that's a workplace transformation vehicle...."

:19:10:
How do the elements we discussed weave into the Next Generation Workplace?
"....It's collaborative, it allows business insight via business intelligence and it enables crowd sourcing via wikis and via challenges and it has unified communications and unified messaging as the core that all enables a searchable, secure, managed environment...."

:21:04:
Jeff discusses and shares a story about search as being one of the most impactful and disruptive technologies of its generation.

:26:21:
What do you see as the top five opportunities and innovations in IT and how can they be exploited for competitive advantage?
"....In no particular order.....Search....Concept of digital collaboration and capture....Service oriented architectures....Dynamic computing....Customer relationship management...."

:33:24:
Can you delve into the top risks for businesses and how they can be resolved?
"....A lack of agility....The ability to attract top talent...."

:39:24:
What question would you ask and what would be your answer if you were doing this interview?
"....Clarify the Next Generation Workplace and how Avanade differentiates itself in that space...."

:42:10:
Jeff gives his current thoughts on the International Standard for IT Professionals initiative which Avanade is supporting formally.
"....The other are truly interested in industrializing software and information technology processes in such a way that we are really adding a sense of professionalism to what it is we do in a measurable and a consistent manner. That is a big part of what the International Federation of Information Processing (IFIP) is attempting to accomplish. They are attempting to bring a broad professionalism and global consistency to what it is we do...."

This is the next blog in the continuing series of interviews with top-echelon and renowned professionals. In this blog, I interview - Dave Remmer, Architect Advisor Developer/Platform Group Microsoft, Top Architecture Authority.

Dave was the principal organizer for the Strategic Architecture Forum held in Vancouver and a featured speaker due to his acknowledged expertise. Ruth provided an earlier blog for the forum where there are links to the major presentations from Dave.

Dave continues to share his valued insights in this podcast. Take the time to look at the topic index and then listen to Dave's thoughts on what IT/Business professionals, managers, and leaders need to know.

Enjoy,
Stephen Ibaraki, FCIPS, I.S.P., MVP , DFNPA, CNP

Dave Remmer, Architect Advisor Developer/Platform Group Microsoft, Top Architecture Authority

This week, Stephen Ibaraki has an exclusive interview with Dave Remmer.

An industry veteran, Dave Remmer has architected solutions in the financial, multi-media, security, manufacturing, services and health care industries. He specializes in leveraging SOA, security, and standards development to realize ongoing business value within organizations. Dave focuses on current issues in architecting enterprise solutions and how to leverage the Microsoft platform to support project's architectural success. He has achieved certifications in the Java architecture and development environment as well as the Microsoft Certified Solution Developer designation.

Dave is an Architect Advisor with the Developer and Platform Group in Microsoft Canada and works with some of the largest organizations in Canada.

To listen to the interview, click on this MP3 file link

DISCUSSION:

Interview Time Index (MM:SS) and Topic

:00:44:
How would you best define yourself and your work?
"....I think my title, Architect Advisor, in many ways is the best way of describing what I do and what my mission statement is...."

:01:49:
What is the meaning behind being an IT architect?
"....as architects, we primarily help develop plans and models for the successful delivery of IT projects ....but that encompasses a lot of activities and one of the most important is looking at the process of how we build projects and successful solutions...."

:03:13:
What would you classify as the different categories of architects? For example, what is meant by Enterprise architect, Solutions architect, Infrastructure architect?
"....Traditionally what we've seen is that software developers as they mature in their career get very good at the process of building software and some of the challenges we experience in our projects. We often call those Solution architects....On the other side, we have Infrastructure architects who typically have filled the role of IT managers or IT professionals who help operate the systems and infrastructure we have in an organization. Then there is this concept of an Enterprise architect and that role is a lot less about building a software solution or maintaining a data center and more about looking at how the enterprise itself is architected...and then looking at how you want to align all the various resources inside an organization to best align with that particular strategic goal...."

:05:17:
What sort of attributes should one have to be an architect (i.e. Enterprise, Solutions, Infrastructure)?
"....Clearly in the IT industry you need to have IT skills, you need to understand technology, but to really evolve your career and get into the architecture game, you really need to start concentrating on the people dynamics, the ability to communicate and collaborate with your peers as well as with your fellow organizations...."

:07:34:
Dave profiles how he got to his present position in his career.

:11:12:
What do you hope to achieve professionally in the next five years?
"....One of the things that I'm hoping to do in the next five years is to help my peers really achieve their potential in their own careers, as well as, to make their own organization's strategies successful...One of the things that really excites me about that role is that it's not one of those things that is ever "done". You are constantly learning new things, you are constantly finding the priorities changing on you which are both challenging and therefore exciting...."

:14:01:
You organized the 2008 Strategic Architecture Forum. Can you first overview the forum and its intent and then share key architecture lessons of high value from the forum?
"....In Redmond, we hold a Global Strategic Architect Forum at Microsoft every year....We feel very strongly that the Canadian architecture industry needs to be supported and to have events such as the Architecture Forum closer to home so that we can invite a larger set of architects to join us. So in April we held our 4th annual Strategic Architects Forum in Vancouver BC....The number one theme that came out of the conference is this over-powering requirement in the IT industry to become better aligned with the businesses we are working in...."

:17:00:
Dave shares his views of the cloud, SAAS, Software Plus Services, and SOA.
"....We in the IT industry have had in the past, much more of the luxury of time of being able to say, 'Oh that's interesting, we'll see if we can build a project to meet that need and when we are done we will give you a call'. That's no longer possible; we are really getting ourselves to a place where we have to be able to keep up with the amazing rates of change that our business customers are experiencing and in fact, in many respects, try to get ahead of those rates of change so that we can help lead the change in positive ways...."

:24:00:
What are the major interoperability challenges and their solutions?
"....I think that interoperability is a hard problem to solve and I think that it's going to remain a hard problem to solve throughout the lifetime of our industry. But I do think that there are some tools and techniques that really are starting to help us solve some of those deep problems. One of these is the idea of having standardized vocabularies and standardized processes...."

:26:44:
From your current work, what IT insights can you give that would be of greatest value to the audience?
"....We are seeing the information technology world becoming more and more commoditized and I think that we as IT professionals need to be prepared for that...."

:29:39:
What are your recommended IT best practices?
"....I have one overarching best practice....that is to remain extremely pragmatic...My best practice is the 80 - 20 rule. To look at the 20% of the things that we do that creates the 80% of the value to our organizations...."

:30:52:
What are five little known but essential tips in IT?
"....Not necessarily little known.....Communication is key....Organizations have very ambiguous strategy....Less is more....The complexity is the greatest challenge we have in IT....Agility is becoming the key driver for our success in IT...."

:34:18:
What are the most important current roadmap-level tips involving architecture?
"....the idea of using service oriented architecture combining a variety of services as well as technologies that we purchase, and building around that rather than proprietary systems really gives the roadmap for architecture moving forward....."

:36:18:
Take the prior question and apply it to the next 3 to 5 years.
"....I think that is one of the things we are going to see more and more over the next five years. Higher level patterns describing how business patterns have been solved and our ability to adapt those patterns for the needs of our own organizations...."

:37:21:
What is the most important broader IT and business challenge and solution in 2008?
"....having to do more with less...."

:40:38:
The industry is changing. What advice would you give to IT professionals to stay on top of what is happening in the industry in order to position themselves (from a career standpoint) and their organizations to benefit from these trends?
"....We as an industry have been forced to evolve because the industry itself is so immature and I think we have to make sure that we get on top of that and continue to lead change...."

:43:26:
In your current role, what are the biggest challenges, and their solutions? How does this relate to business?
"....I think that change is in fact one of my biggest challenges....Working with architects trying to understand the complexity in their systems and look for strategies and avenues to reduce that complexity....Helping individuals and teams build maintainable systems really concentrating on this idea of solutions....We as IT professionals really need to start stepping up to the plate and become full partners with the business in helping to develop strategy and helping to organize structure...."

:46:45:
Dave shares some thoughts about his work.

:48:42:
Provide your predictions of future IT/Business trends and their implications/opportunities?
"....We are going to find that this idea of mega projects is really becoming much less sustainable....We are going to find ourselves much more entwined in the cycles of the business....The idea of communication and coordination will be the norm. We are going to see the tools around collaboration will be very tightly woven into pretty much everything we do in IT....We are going to start using models a lot more than we have in the past....Computing is going to become increasingly important in an integrated platform as opposed to a propriety platform...."

:55:26:
Which are your top recommended resources and why?
"....Almost everybody does research on the web....but the one thing the web lacks is really strong editing. I think that is its strength and it weakness....Another is the Economist magazine....Also the Harvard Business Review and the Sloan Management Review....There are some fantastic technology books as well less technology focused....'Enterprise Architecture as Strategy: Creating a Foundation for Business Execution' (by Jeanne W. Ross, Peter Weill, and David C. Robertson)..."

:59:15:
If you were doing this interview, what questions would you ask and what would be your answers?
"....What kind of problems have you been seeing at your customer's organizations and how can they been solved?...."

This is the next blog in the continuing series of interviews with top-echelon and renowned professionals. In this blog, I interview computing pioneer, Calvin C. (Kelly) Gotlieb, C.M., M.A., Ph.D. (University of Toronto), D. Math. (Hon., University of Waterloo), D. Eng. (Hon., Technical University of Nova Scotia), Fellow CIPS (FCIPS), Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, the British Computer Society and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM).

In my next chat with Kelly, we will discuss Kelly's work with the UN-Founded International Federation For Information Processing (IFIP) and the Canadian Information Processing Society (CIPS). Kelly was instrumental in the founding of IFIP and CIPS.

Enjoy,
Stephen Ibaraki, FCIPS, I.S.P., MVP , DFNPA, CNP

Kelly Gotlieb is currently Professor Emeritus in Computer Science and in the Faculty of Information Studies at the University of Toronto (UT). He is a computing pioneer, whose innovations and accomplishments helped lay the foundation of an entire worldwide industry, educational stream, and profession. His contributions are so profound and their impact so diverse and in so many areas that the lasting value cannot be comprehended. Have a look at this blog to find out more: http://blogs.technet.com/cdnitmanagers/archive/2006/09/29/459971.aspx

To listen to the interview, click on this MP3 file link

DISCUSSION:

Interview Time Index (MM:SS) and Topic

:00:36:
Can you provide a brief history of how you initially got into computing?
"....During the war we were doing calculations (usually on desk computers) and electronics. After the war when the interest came up in electronics in the days of computers, it was a natural for me...."

:02:00:
You joined the ACM in 1949. Can you tell us more about the ACM and how you got initially involved?
"....I got to meet the founder and the early principals and contributed some articles. Ed Berkeley, for example, was one of the key persons....I wrote some articles on the Future of Computing for his magazine, Computers and Automation...."

:03:12:
How did you get into ACM publications? What led to you being Editor-in-Chief of two flagship journals of the ACM?
".....the first journal they started was the Journal of ACM but later on they formed the Communications of ACM. I was invited to become an editor of the Business Section because I had written some articles on computer sorting ....... Then when the founding editor became president of ACM, he decided not to be editor-in-chief so they invited me to be editor in chief of Com ACM which I did for about three years....When the editor-in-chief of the Journal of ACM left, I was invited to me to move over to that, which I did....I was involved with the publications for about eight or nine years...."

:04:54:
Can you tell us more about the book you wrote with Hume?
"....We wrote this book called 'High Speed Data Processing' with Hume. It is one of the things of great satisfaction to me...."

:07:34:
Kelly met Turing in 1952. He shares more about that time.
"....It's kind of interesting that computer people think of Turing and the Turing Test and the giant which he was in the computer field. Chemists regard him as the originator of the Chaos theory and they regard him highly for a completely different discipline.... "

:12:30:
Kelly talks about the ACM National Computing Conference which was held in Canada in 1952.
"....We were getting a Ferranti machine.....There was a tremendous interest in the machine. So the ACM was holding a conference and they decided to hold their 4th (I think at it was one of the only ones they ever held outside the US)....They were so anxious to see this Ferranti machine that they accepted our invitation to hold the conference here and it was a very successful one. Almost anyone who was famous in computing came up to see that machine...."

:14:28:
You had an interesting offer from the Dean at Cornell - can you tell us more about that?
"....One day while I was walking outside the university, someone introduced himself to me as the Dean of Graduate School at Cornell University. He said they were starting up a new department and they would like me to become the Chair of the department...."

:16:14:
You were involved in creating the glossary of computing - please share more about this?
"....I wasn't involved in that for long....but I was a participant in creating one of the glossaries of computing terms...."

:17:01:
Tell us more about the travelling lecture program for the ACM?
"....In the early days, the ACM was heavily populated by academics and they set up a lecture program which they make available to universities. Volunteers would give lectures and would travel around. So I volunteered...."

:19:05:
From your ACM work, this afforded opportunities to have guest lecturers-can you share some memorable stories?
"....For about twenty years I've been chair and co-chair of the ACM Awards committee so you get to meet award winners who are bright and have a huge range of interests....You get to meet a wonderful range of interesting people....It's one of the kinds that keeps me doing this because you get to meet some interesting people.... "

:23:54:
You have touched on this earlier - about your work on the various Awards committees which continues to this day. What insights can you share?
"....They have more and more profile, for example, the Turing Award and the Infosys Foundation Award (new) - the winners attract attention and are written up in the New York Times. The Turing award has always been spoken of as the equivalent of the Nobel Prize but for computing....One thing that has helped a lot is the recognition that the ACM award process is one that is very fair...."

:29:19:
With regards to the awards themselves I know that you were able to establish some of the key policies in the early days of the awards to bring that shape and formality to the awards. Can you share more about this?
"....When we invite someone to the awards committee usually they serve for three to five years. One policy I did was....when you are appointed to the committee you gravitate up and you become chair of the committee usually in your second last year.....Everybody who is on the committee is game to be worthy of chairing the committee so that is never a concern...."

:31:00:
Kelly talks about his Fellow's work with the ACM.

:32:40:
As we come to a close with this interview, what else would you like to share about ACM?
"....It's a very dynamic organization....When it started it was heavily populated by academics but now about two thirds of the membership are practitioners....They are making special efforts right now to provide technical backgrounds for their practitioners who form a large part of their membership by conferences and digital library. I'm quite admiring of the organization. I think they have a lot lessons for others...."

This is the next blog in the continuing series of interviews with top-echelon and renowned professionals. In this blog, I interview World-Renowned Business and Technology Thought Leader and Educator: F. Warren McFarlan, Professor Emeritus, Harvard Business School. You hear a lot about China, and India in the news. Warren provides unique insights into this region. Moreover, he shares his views into education, aligning IT with business, and more. Here's an opportunity to hear the insights of one of the top thought leaders in the world!

Enjoy!
Stephen Ibaraki, FCIPS, I.S.P., MVP

An exclusive interview with Warren McFarlan; T.J. DERMOT DUNPHY BAKER FOUNDATION PROFESSOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION;  ALBERT H. GORDON PROFESSOR OF BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION, EMERITUS.

Professor McFarlan earned his AB from Harvard University in 1959, and his MBA and DBA from the Harvard Business School in 1961 and 1965 respectively. He has had a significant role in introducing materials on Management Information Systems to all major programs at the Harvard Business School since the first course on the subject was offered in 1962. He has been a long-time teacher in the Advanced Management Program: International Senior Managers Program, Delivering Information Services Program, and several of the Social Sector programs. He teaches currently in the First Year Financial Reporting and Control course as well as in several short Executive Education programs. He is co-chair of the Senior Executives Program for China.

To listen to the interview, click on this MP3 file link

Interview Time Index (MM:SS) and Topic

:00:028:
Professor McFarlan profiles how he got to his present position and what his current role entails.
"....I started at the very beginning of the Information Systems field and it was a course I took in computer programming in 1958 at Harvard College...."

:01:09:
What important career insights and lessons can you share from your considerable experiences as a world-renowned leader?
"....continual reinvention....to surround yourself in the network of good colleagues, both inside the school and throughout the broader society.....(over time) to be adaptive and flexible...."

:02:21:
What do you hope to accomplish in the next five years?
"....to complete the development of the material (of a new course launched last year on Doing Business in China in the early 21st Century).....a book written in Mandarin, on cases in Chinese management practice, (by the end of this year).....the outline for a draft of a book on non-profit management...."

:03:45:
As you indicated in a previous answer, you are also involved in Asia. Can you profile your vision, goals, and objectives in more detail for this region?
"....The challenges of Asia will probably be the dominant business challenges that they, (the new generation of students coming out of university at this particular time), will be facing in their professional lifetime..."

:06:05:
Warren talks about the top trends in China, their opportunities and implications.
"....they've had 10 to 11% growth for year after year....extraordinary demand on the world's energy and mineral resources...as part of this incredible economic growth has come extraordinary environmental problems...."

:09:29:
Where do you see China in 5, 10, and 20 years and where/what are the greatest opportunities?
".....This is a very technologically friendly country that have made massive investments in communications, electronics, infrastructure etc. to basically allow them to go forward....I'm looking for them to be able to continue to grow in terms of technology sophistication, going up the chain in terms of ever more sophisticated manufacturing products and along the way, being able to develop enough cash flow that they will be able to turn back and deal with many other of their intense internal problems such as the quality of their healthcare, development of housing and things of that nature....There's a huge change as to how they take these foreign exchange surpluses and find a way to invest it back into the country in a way that is not socially disruptive but helps drive the quality of life up...."

:14:13:
What do you see as the top five trends globally, their opportunities and implications? What are the intersection points with China?
"....the largest migration in human history has taken place in the last 20 years in China (from countryside into the cities) and with that have provided the workforce that is producing the incredible amount of manufacturing of goods....they are running an unsustainable trade surplus with the rest of the world....The question is how they are going to take the huge surpluses and drive it back into the quality of life...."

:18:15:
What does Asia mean to the world?
"....At the present moment, it's heavy manufacturing skills in China, heavy service skills in India. Japan, with a population of barely 10% of China, continues to dominate (at the present time) on the GNP per capita...but their challenges (Japan) are that they have reached the top of a demographic bubble and the Japanese population is now subsiding at the rate of a million per year. They control immigration in a very intense way and it's becoming a much more rapidly aging society at this point in time. What this means for the United States is that we have to engage in finding ways to do business with and finding joint projects across all three of the countries...."

:21:54:
Warren comments on the popularity of specific languages in secondary educational institutions today.

:22:51:
Can you speak more specifically about innovation in Asia?
"....What has changed in the last three or four years is that as both (China and India) economies are growing, a much higher percentage of people who came to be educated here (US), are now going back home to their countries...."

:26:36:
How do you see education trending in Asia and then more specifically in China? Can you compare this with the West? What are the implications to this long term?
"....The different countries have very different approaches. All of them have highly competitive screening systems, exams systems beginning at 7th grade as they try to identify the best and the brightest and bringing them into the universities....None of the three countries (Japan, China, India) are particularly good at handling large numbers of immigrants......The competitive advantage of the States is that we've had quite an open set of borders for the intellectually gifted....."

:31:20:
Where and how do you see graduate education evolving and why?
"....I've been doing a lot of work with Tsinghua University. What great success they've had in the last few years in getting people who left China in the early to mid 80's, who got their undergraduates and doctorates and went on to become young full professors in American universities now being able to be attracted back to the homeland. My Indian students are looking much more enthusiastically about the opportunities to go back. With that, I think that is going to lead to strengthening of the doctoral programs in India and China but that they are still not of the same caliber as the very best of what we have here. But the countries are investing in these graduate programs...."

:34:15:
Can you describe your key initiatives and their impact?
"....In China....We've built up executive educational programs, we've developed research initiatives, we developed field base cases, we have brought in a significant number of students and we have been able to raise money specifically to support the research initiatives and the scholarships for people coming from China...."

:37:42:
You have written about IT Governance. Where do you see this going and why?
"....IT is one of the great disruptive technologies and for a number of organizations it really wasn't being seen for the strategic transforming device that it was and its ability to actually hollow out the entire center of the company...."

:42:41:
How do you see the technology landscape building globally and why does this matter?
"...You have to ask yourself the hard questions...what are the sustainable value-added that are being produced by your firm...are they able to endure with your staff in your place at this time?......"

:45:15:
Warren comments on the hottest technology trends and what this means to us.

:46:49:
I see news items such as: aligning IT with business needs, driving business agility, managing risk through improved governance, closing the skills gap and meeting future skill shortages, addressing the productivity gap, improving ICT adoption rates, integrating Gen-Y and more. Can you share your views and insights on what you think are the top challenges facing business, industry, government and education in 2008 and beyond?
"....I think that it starts with the trite but accurate observation that the pace of change has never been faster, that the half-life of knowledge is shorter and all of this is playing out on a global basis. And it puts tremendous pressure on you to first ask ' what is it that I do that is fundamentally value-added and local in nature and what is it that is global'. And if I get efficient enough, then what is local may become global....Example: look at medical and hospital care....."

:50:22:
Do you have any closing comments and thoughts - looking into the future?
"....We talked a lot about globalization and technology, but in the end, it's the political climate, the government, the ability to embrace risk-taking and change...."

Though not part of the podcast, I asked this added question:
Q: Can you comment on one or more of the following: the meaning and status of 100 years of MBA education; the main trends in MBA/EMBA education; and with so much focus lately on China, your recommendations for China's MBA/EMBA education stemming from your considerable insights into China?
A:
"Clearly, the biggest challenge for China's MBA/EMBA education is to be able to ramp it up fast enough while growing quality. The biggest challenge is to recruit faculty who understand and are empathetic to the needs of managers and can shape their material in that directions.
A sad reality is that an important part of MBA education is getting inside people's minds and getting them to think in a different way. That takes time. The EMBA is better at teaching tools and techniques and perhaps not as good as getting people to change the way they think about things. That has been the hallmark of the long MBA programs. It is interesting when you think about the future of MBA education, how intense the debate has been, both about where we have been and where we are going. There was an extraordinary book written this year by Professor Rakesh Khurana entitled, "From Higher Aims to Hired Hands: The Social Transformation of American Business Schools and the Unfulfilled Promise of Management as a Profession," (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 2007), which summarizes the last 100 years of MBA education and looks to challenges for the future. It is very thoughtful and provocative. It is a "must" read for anyone thinking about taking an MBA or guiding an MBA program."