Infrastructure - Enabler of a Higher Productivity (3)


By Hans Bool


“All roads lead to Rome,” is the saying. The same method -- of centralizing infrastructure -- was used centuries later when the British designed and developed the Argentinean railroad system; all the railroads lead to Buenos Aires to ship goods back to Britain. And even today in 2006 the same construction method is still visible, not in the rail road system, but in telephony; all the telephone lines lead to Telefonica (in Spain). When you are a subscriber of the competition it is not possible to move your number without canceling your subscription (for instance with Jazztel) and to address your request to the mother of telephony in Spain: Telefonica. You’ll automatically come back to them.

Normally infrastructure is not visible, but congestions, capacity problems, inconveniences or other problems will make that infrastructure becomes a primary business issue. And these infrastructural issues pop up when the budget assigned to it is too low. When dealing with national infrastructures the (budget) problem is often regulation. Functionally it should be possible to move a telephone subscription (the phone number) from one location to another disregarding the supplier of the infrastructure (Telefonica, Jazztel, Ya.com, Tele2, etc) but somewhere down the line this process is not made transparent. And the problems start with a simple functional request to keep your subscription when you are moving to another home. That is the job of infra: facilitating (such moves).

Similar issues occur in business. The central department (infrastructure or information technology) has facilitated a certain infrastructure over time. But the various decentralized business units are free to buy systems according to their needs. These decentralized systems have their own infrastructural requirements and these are often not in line with the one that is supplied centrally.

Where in the old days -- the Roman roads were designed that way to hinder provinces organizing resistance against the Empire.” (en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roman_road). Today the business units (the independent provinces) are free to design their own roads.

Yet even if you do not want that all roads lead to Rome, make sure that the roads at least interconnect. If you choose to invest in a variety in infrastructural solutions, make sure that you reserve enough budget to connect these otherwise you will loose productivity in each individual unit.

Infrastructure could be an enabler of a higher productivity, when managed well, otherwise it will only cause a loss of productivity...


More Resources

Unable to open RSS Feed $XMLfilename with error HTTP ERROR: 404, exiting

More Management Information:

Related Articles

Reducing the High Cost of Absenteeism
Employers pay a high price for absenteeism, often more than they may realize, in terms of both financial and production losses and employee morale. Managers may view the tasks of finding a substitute employee as a short-term inconvenience; however, absenteeism frequently has more serious long-term effects.
Computer Consulting Profit Secrets
Do you own or manage a computer consulting company? Are you having trouble growing your computer consulting company's profits?If so, then you must learn how to focus on your computer consulting firm's profit and bottom line.In this article, we'll look at 7 profit secrets and strategies you can use in your computer consulting business, to ensure that you are able to balance your clients' small business IT needs against your own computer consulting company's profitability challenges.
The Idol-Makers
The end of the television season in May included the usual array of cliffhangers on shows like "Alias," the departure of Noah Wylie from "ER" and the finale of the highly-rated "Everybody Loves Raymond" after 210 episodes. On the last day of "Sweeps," more than 29 million people tuned in to see the crowning of the fourth "American Idol.
CRM ...The Emperors New Clothes
The story of the emperor's new clothes is a fairy tale about men who fooled the emperor into believing that they had made him a beautiful suit of clothes. In fact they had not made anything.
Communicating CEOs
I see a PR firm has done a survey on the amount of time Canadian CEOs spend on communication, and found they spend almost half of their time on communication.I think we're supposed to be impressed that CEOs spend that much time on communication.
Are you NICE or do you CARE?
Are you NICE or do you CARE?Most people and most managers want to be nice. After all, it's easier to be nice than to not be nice.
Executive Performance -- Whos to Blame for Incompetent Managers?
A recent article in the Wall Street Journal raised the question: Who's to blame for inept managers?The answer, of course, is the superiors who hire or promote them -- but not because they intentionally select or retain poor performers. Every leader knows that his or her own success depends on putting the right people in the right positions.
Passion for Profits
Business owners and managers are busier than ever. As their businesses grow and become more complex, they find that they don't have the time to be all things to all people.
25 Great Ways to Find the Right People and Not Break the Bank
Are you trying to hire dozens of hourly workers or a senior executive? Where do you look and how do you get the word out? There are many ways to find the right people besides placing want ads.Here are 30 innovative and inexpensive ways to expand the pool of potential applicants.
Improvements In A Large Public Electric Utility In South America
The company decided to develop and implement an improvement program. The main thrust was to propose strategies and alternatives for the implementation of a quality program.
The Red Phone - Management Consulting in 30 Seconds or Less
Modern business faces complex problems; management often calls upon highly-specialized consultants to help them address these difficult problems. If you're ever called to help identify these most pressing issues, one of the easiest and quickest ways to start is to talk about the "Red Phone".
3 Innovation Keys - Do Your Innovative Efforts Need More Power?
Recently, I attended a webinar with nearly 400 other Chief Learning Officers - during one polling period, we were asked what primary driving force pushes organization-wide or individual innovation - the majority agreed that leadership is that force.Indeed, those CLOs agreed innovation was the most important quality their organizations desire in teams, individuals and leaders.
Protect Your Computer System with a Comprehensive Security Policy
The most difficult part of creating a Security Policy for your business is determining what, exactly, to include in it. Never heard of a Security Policy before? You're not alone.
The Inferno of the Finance Director
Sometimes, I harbour a suspicion that Dante was a Financial Director. His famous work, "The Inferno", is such an accurate description of the job that it cannot be otherwise.
Safety Policy Sample Outline
Writing a safety manual is a tough job and most larger corporations outsource such jobs or they have someone on staff with the proper credentials in risk management. Imagine writing the safety manuals for NASA? I had the opportunity to be in the unique position of being able to imagine just such a thing when writing our company safety manuals.
Business Fails When We Do Not Talk
You may remember being told as a child, "Keep quiet!""Children should be seen, not heard," and "You talktoo much." You were a "good" kid if you kept quiet.
Plan for Business Success - 6 Reasons to Succession Plan
Succession Planning provides many valuable assets to your business. Yet it is easy to do, with a game plan.
One Bad Apple
One Bad AppleI know what you are thinking but no, I am not doing atribute to Michael Jackson and the Jackson 5. Although I will admit that their hit song from the 70's keeps rolling around in my mind as I type this.
Turbo-Charge Your Rollout with ERM
Employees are the often-neglected stakeholders in the success or failure of a CRM (Customer Relationship Management) initiative. But employees don't always resist new ways of doing business.
Four Corners of a Triangle: Why Organizations Succeed or Fail
When we want to hire people for a corporation or non profit organization, we follow certain rules and look for appropriate qualifications and expertise so that we succeed in our aims: the investors get their money's worth in form of financial success and enhanced prestige of the principals involved.An organization represents the interests of many people: the sponsors and the consumers.