Exploiting Emerging Platforms: From Push to Pull

John Seely Brown and John Hagel III on emerging platforms:

Shift in education model from things being delivered to you to seeking out knowledge and information, so that we are excited about change rather than wary.

The edge is now amazingly empowered because the cloud provides powerful tools and social networks to those on the edge. The edge pulls the core towards the edge, rather than having the core pull the edge towards the core.

The key is constructing pull platforms that enable everybody to learn faster at increasing rates of return.

Complex governance issues are emerging in these environments.

a. Networks have to think about institutional innovation and how to facilitate trust.

b. New management practices must be combined with new tech platforms, such as cloud.

Our institutions today are designed for scalable efficiency, not designing talent more rapidly, so freelancing is popular. But as we combine new management and technology, we will move back from freelancing to larger institutions.

In the 21st century, the purpose of the firm will be to facilitate faster professional development and learning. This will encourage collaboration.

How does this play out at the individual level?

Individuals will shape firms rather than the other way around due to social networks and other tools.

More and more trust-based relationships will develop, empowering individuals.