Mass Collaboration is Driving Specialisation

It has been 235 years since Adam Smith identified the importance of specialisation, now mass collaboration is taking the potential for innovation to a new level.

The things we are best at, we enjoy doing.

The converse is true things we don’t do well we rarely enjoy.

Most small businesses are built around the passion and expertise of the founder. But there are many tasks that must be done if a small business is to prosper. Do you have to do it all? Should you do it all?

Back in 2004 Acumentum employed a techo to manage our network. We didn’t want our staff wasting time maintaining PCs. Soon he wanted a more challenging position. We wished him well, advertised and appointed a replacement but a week later he resigned because he got a better offer. Right at that frustrating moment The Grid came to us with a better offer too!

Business Planning – It’s a lot more than strategy

Boards are responsible for strategy and management for operations. Business planning develops the strategy and ensures it is well executed. Each choice sets up future possibilities and closes off others. This is about making the best choices. This is about changing behaviour.

Why is Planning Important?

Planning is a thought experiment saving the energy and resources of actually doing it. Planning is learning to be ready and able to meet any opportunity. It is not about specific anticipated future opportunities.

A Learning Process

At Acumentum we had three strategies: