Just when I think Microsoft just doesn't get it (and never will - ed.) comes something that stops me in my tracks. Recently, Dave Winer posted two MS internal communications. Taken together, they write a road map for MS for maybe the next five years. It appears management has a clear idea of where they want to go. But can they get their organization to change directions quickly enough? That will be the multi-part challenge.
Multi-part because everyone, from the night janitor up to top management, must first understand the need for and accept the urgency/personal responsibility to implement forward looking change. To do this, management must answer the question: "What's in it for me?" In other words, management must make the case to employees that change will result in rewards for those who change.
Once people understand the need for change, they must then learn how to do something differently. Even if they have been doing it a certain way for many years. Even if what they have been during "worked" well in the past, each person must learn to do it differently. For many, this will not be easy.
In the end, in any organization, change is difficult - even when there is a clear case that the change is advantageous to everyone. Yet, MS has shown that it can effect major change. Do it rapidly. And lead the market to where it wants to go.
Do not bet that it can't do so now.
[One example of the direction MS seems to be headed is reflected in the MSDN Express Editions site that went live on Monday. Here, MS is providing free (as in beer) editions of Web Developer Express, SQL Server Express, Visual Basic Express, Visual C# Express, Visual C++ Express, and visual J# Express. However, as an example of how they still don't get it, you have to register to get a key to activate the software. Registration gives you the opportunity to receive email from MS and their partners (also known as spam, which MS says you can opt out of). Nobody said forward looking change would be easy.]
Aloha!
