I am continuing with my sprint to write down the ideas and concepts that I am explaining regularly at different events and meetings (The earlier posts are all available on www.cunningham.org.za). The ideas about the fourth industrial revolution being disruptive are now discussed and repeated even by people who have very little understanding of technology… Continue reading Disruption, radical and incremental innovation
Category: Thinking out loud
Technological change cycles
This is the 3rd post that draws from the research and advisory work I am currently busy with to strengthen South Africa’s technological capability to detect and better respond to discontinuous technological change. The citation information for this post is at the bottom of this post, and a link to the research report that I… Continue reading Technological change cycles
Technological architectures
An important distinction can be made between architectural innovation and component-level innovation. The architecture defines the way different components or subsystems are organised and how they interact with other components. Often architectures themselves form part of even larger webs of architectures. Innovations at the component level, which is a physically distinct portion of the technology… Continue reading Technological architectures
Becoming better at tracking how technologies change over time
The subject of how technologies evolve over time have been receiving a lot of attention over the last 40 years. Actually, much of the research work done in the late 80s and 90s are still relevant today. With all the talk of the fourth industrial revolution, the attention has shifted towards innovations coming from elsewhere… Continue reading Becoming better at tracking how technologies change over time
How to cultivate a more knowledge-intensive team or organisation
It is interesting to reflect how over my career the organisations I work with have gone from trying to gather additional information from beyond the organisation to trying to make sense of all the information around them. Actually, some people I know are actively disengaging from reading newsletters, books, blog sites or other channels because… Continue reading How to cultivate a more knowledge-intensive team or organisation
How my praxis is changing
For many years, my practice was mainly about process consulting, with some research on the side. Because I love reading and theorising, my work always combined operational with conceptual development. I think my most significant value add to my clients was in the informal coaching and decision support I gave them on the side. Over… Continue reading How my praxis is changing
Is the Fourth Industrial Revolution a paradigm shift?
I am excited that the Helvetas Eastern European team asked me to write a blog post for their Mosaic newsletter about the Fourth Industrial Revolution. The blog article and many others can be found here. Regular readers will know that I am not so convinced of one big revolution; rather that there are many smaller disruptions.… Continue reading Is the Fourth Industrial Revolution a paradigm shift?
Commemorating Jorg Meyer-Stamer
Unedited. Ten years ago on the 1st of May 2009, I called Jorg to tell him that I had just e-mailed my PhD thesis to the printers. The man who answered the call told me that Jorg had passed away. I can still remember my shock and confusion. For many people, Jorg was a very… Continue reading Commemorating Jorg Meyer-Stamer
Why are digital technologies absorbed so rapidly in many developing countries?
Globalisation-weary politicians and advocates of local capability developments and geeks or technology promoters have one theme in common: technologies developed in the First World not only disrupt domestic companies, but upset whole sociotechnical regimes in developing countries. While the benefits of digital technologies are not disputed, what is disputed is how to solve this problem. … Continue reading Why are digital technologies absorbed so rapidly in many developing countries?
Ready for 2019
Yes, I know it is already February. It took me a month to settle in and get my focus right. Happy (new) year of the Pig to my clients and friends in the East! This year started differently from previous years. I usually conclude most of my contracts by early December, and in January I… Continue reading Ready for 2019