Blur: The Speed of Change in the Connected Economy

by Stan Davis and Christopher Meyer

Book Overview

Durch Inter- und Intranet, E-Mail und schnelleres Lernen wird unsere Wirtschaft dynamischer, st?rker vernetzt und immer schwerer fa bar. Klar definierte Grenzen zwischen Unternehmen, innerhalb von... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0201339870
• ISBN13: 9780201339871
• Release Date: March 1998
• Publisher: Perseus Books
• Length: 65 Pages
• Weight: 1.28 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.0" x 6.4" x 9.5"

Customer Reviews

Great read of the future

The authors of Blur adeptly share their view of the quickly approaching future of business. Their speculations are built on three forces, speed, intangibles and connectivity, which they revisit throughout the book from many perspectives. One of the breakthroughs of this book is the idea of "offers," inextricably linked products and services. I found it interesting to try to come up with my own examples of offers, though the authors provided ample explanation and illustrations of their points. In this new marketplace, the authors suggest organizations should take the "bacterial approach" - breed quickly, mutate often and let the environment decide your fate. In other words, create offers through combinations and mutations, put them in the marketplace and see whether they are accepted or rejected by the market. This is fascinating advice, and it seems sound.This book not only addresses organizations of the future, but also individuals. The authors suggest that individuals market and invest in themselves as "free agents," putting their loyalty and effort toward their professions, rather than toward their employers. Connected individuals and their knowledge are becoming key organizing units - not the organization. Organizations must prepare for this.Blur suggests a strategy for succeeding in this new marketplace by using "economic webs." The convergence of speed, intangibles and connectivity are allowing real goods and services markets to behave like financial markets. The authors suggest they should be handled similarly, with real time pricing, deregulation, symmetric product knowledge and future-focused valuation.This book is an enjoyable and informative look at the present and future of business. Unlike some futures texts, which only take the present and exhibit it, this book has real, new ideas and strategies for taking our organizations and ourselves into the future successfully.

provoking, challenging

We all lived the 90's but most of us could not focus on the dynamics of change because of the blur that we are in. The writers pick up good examples of the economy and build a theory of future on them. The book explains the speed,connectivity and the value of intangibles. Also describes the personal and commercial models to be adapted. Useful for all employers,employees and government staff.

Something to live by

Blur will absolutely change the way you think of business - or should. The customer is king - competition is only a click away. And the customer wants solutions, not simply products. As a marketing professional in the technology industry this strikes home. When was the last time you bought a PC or server solely on the basis of its speeds and feeds? Listen up execs, this book absolutely offers something to live by.

Blur Review

BLUR refers to the mind-numbing speed at which things are happening. BLUR also refers to the increasingly changing and dual roles of individuals and organizations within larger systems. Three concepts are BLURing business: speed, connectivity and intangibles. The business world is changing at such a rapid pace that it gives rise to an even greater need to be connected to more people like suppliers, customers, and other partners. This forces companies to reevaluate the intangible benefits of the company's service/product. And all this is fueling an even greater need to shorten the product cycle or quickly identify new valued intangibles.COME ON IN AN MAKE US AN OFFER...An offering according to Davis and Meyers means the ability to provide unique value to the products and services organizations offer. In a way, their definition mirrors the definition of technology. If we understand the basic definition of technology to be knowledge or a device to solve problems, our corporate or organizational missions should intensely focus on solving our customers' problems. Technology also underscores continual innovation which gives one technology an advantage over others. Technology, once obsolete ceases to solve problems with respect to other available technologies and becomes abandoned. So, organizations must continually examine the services and products or face the same fate. Successful companies will find ways to efficiently and inexpensively add value by bundling services with products. CAPITAL: BUT WAIT YOU ALSO GET...The conventional view of capital identifies assets that can be inventoried. BLUR reminds us that capital can also come in less tangible forms. In fact, Davis and Meyer identify several areas in which non-material capital can be classified. Davis and Meyer go on to describe the growing recognition of intangible capital: In an increasing number of businesses, the real capital is intangible; it consists of such things as brand image, strong customer relationships, the talent of staff, the experience built into the process, and so on (p.184).BLUR also warns us of the dangers of over-investing in physical capital. With the increasing emphasis on speed and innovation, large investments in physical capital tend to inhibit adaptation to market forces. IT'S MY WAY OR THE HIGHWAY... Typically we consider business transactions as a simple exchange of money for a product or service. Although this is the key part of the transaction, businesses must go beyond mere buying and selling. The exchange, according to Davis and Meyer, is like a six-lane highway. There is a lane in both directions in which there is a basic economic transfer. There is also a lane in each direction for the exchange of emotional values and one for information too.In the future competitive companies must find new and better ways to exchange informational and emotional values to support the economic. Your local supermarket m

"thinking different" at its best!

There are so many people out there who have "visionary" ideas, but nothing but intuition to really support them. These guys are incredible at developing a seemingly implausible idea, and then coming up with some very tangible examples of how its already occuring. What a great book for getting you to "think different"!