Cross posted on SDN - here.
I just spent a good bit reading over a 3 part series from Dennis on Microsoft/SAP and something about a mythical bird? OK I have to admit it's cool to think of SAP as a Phoenix and I read it a few days ago this blog has been in draft mode since while I gave it some thought.
Said to live for 500 or 1461 years (depending on the source), the phoenix is a bird with beautiful gold and red plumage. At the end of its life-cycle the phoenix builds itself a nest of cinnamon twigs that it then ignites; both nest and bird burn fiercely and are reduced to ashes, from which a new, young phoenix arises. The new phoenix embalms the ashes of the old phoenix in an egg made of myrrh and deposits it in the Egyptian city of Heliopolis ("the city of the sun" in Greek). The bird was also said to regenerate when hurt or wounded by a foe, thus being almost immortal and invincible — a symbol of fire and divinity. Tears from a phoenix can heal wounds. (Wikipedia)
Dennis' series makes for an excellent read and really makes one think, me still being what I would call a newbie to the SAP empire having only started back in July of 2005, it makes me think even more on what I got myself into.
One piece of the 3 parter Dennis wrote really got me thinking and I think it might simply be because Dennis is not aware of something we are doing right now (might be the MAC viewing SDN issue we are still working to get ironed out correctly)
...SAP should be listening carefully to what these folk say instead of relentlessly defending their business models. Of course SAP must defend itself. But do it from a position of customer focused intellectual high ground. Get those conversations going...
It's a bit out of context from what he originally wrote but I think it still passes, he was actually referring to us listening to hmm actually let me just post the whole bit here.
SAP may have James Governor in the not too distant future. That’s a very good start. But it doesn’t compensate for the need to reach CXOs who are not where edge folk like he is. Along the way, James will inevitably be faced with having to tussle with guys like Jason Busch, Brian Sommer and, of course, Vinnie Mirchandani.
James that he is referring to "we" met awhile back and no this does not mean he is going to be an SAP employee.
So where was I? Ah yes wondering if we are not already doing what Dennis says we should be...
Granted I might be wearing the proverbially "rose colored glasses" as I live and breath community on SDN but man I swear we are doing this, but I am also one of those who tends to look at things from the bottom up. So it's entirely possible that it's just not floated up high enough to break the surface just yet. The other week one of my cohorts in crime, Marilyn who happens to be the Community Evangelist for the Business Process Expert Community shot something out to our folks for their feedback. Several might have missed it because it was snuggled into our little niche for the Community here.
How have you used SDN and BPX? We want to find out! That's why we've initiated our Community Success Story Program, which aims to discover how SAP customers, partners, and consultants use SDN and BPX to do their jobs better and faster.
Tell us about your challenges, "pain points," and the ways in which collaboration on SDN or BPX helped to resolve those challenges. Let us know about the tangible benefits you've reaped from SDN and BPX!
Just a small sample of what one wrote,
It was the first SAP project in my 20 years as SAP-Consultant that a "project sign off" ended with standing ovations for the project crew.
Dennis also links over to what Ed (not an SAP employee or spokesperson for SAP) had to say about Enterprise 2.0,
There is huge potential for our new “dawn of emergent collaboration”. So how do we apply these ground rules?
1. The first rule, starts here. SDN has already created a receptive culture for new practices. The trick now is to get our attitude to trickle into the workplace.
2. We now need to gather enough momentum, interest, and feedback to get SAP involved with #2 by providing us with an easily implemented and integrated Enterprise 2.0 solution for our existing systems/data.
3. Rule #3 has the same answer as #2, but it also falls onto the shoulders of individual companies to think differently and throw out old, rigid implementation processes.
4. As for #4, it will be up to our community, SAP, and you to really sell managers and leadership on the advantages of this type of new information sharing.
Excellent thoughts from Ed there on things that need to happen and as Dennis pointed out is a jump (maybe to soon) to a technical solution to the problem so what is Dennis' bottom line on his 3 parter?
The only remaining question then becomes whether Microsoft and SAP can successfully undergo a cultural shift so that they start to win the battle for ideas. I don’t know the answer though my gut says Microsoft, no - SAP, maybe. In the meantime however, I’m not going to bet against either. They may each have enormous challenges. But they each have incredibly deep pockets. In a war that is set to rage for the next few years, those war chests will be needed. To come through as relevant, credible and invigorated, they both need to step into the phoenix fire.
So can SAP undergo a cultural shift? I think it already is, most of it's of course internal facing but it's happening and in some cases it already has the group I work in has done, in fact we've done it twice since I've started and each time we've continued to reach out to our community, customers and partners more and more. We continue to put the power of change into their (your) hands. So I guess that means we have engaged in the war, the war for "ideas" and I would say that so far we are holding our ground very well and I think you'll see us begin to gain ground in 2007 and you'll see this community take a huge role in that.
In fact (last snippet added as I just read another post by Marilyn),
And now, almost a year later, will BPX be recognized as a business community of people...not "massive engineering" or worse, marketing? Geeks wield great power and have enormous credabilty. Will they use it to include or exclude? Will they drive the success of BPX? Are we going to be stuck in a "Dilbertesque" paradigm where suits are scorned 'cause they are too dumb to "get" it if they don't "twitter"? Are our geek heroes going to continue and share and spread the SDN goodness here? It will take more than mere lip service and lots of participants and participation to see if developers can really connect with "managers and buyers" as this community evolves and incorporates new populations and demographics and then...well, just maybe...then...SDN/BPX will be recognized by Dennis and others, as the only website and community to provide its members equal access to business as well as technical content while offering collaboration channels and brokering services between/among Business Process professionals, industry practitioners and IT professionals.....a people place. In fact, it may very well be SAP's Business and Geek Network (singular and unique please)
Can you taste the passion dripping off of that one? Could it be that SAP already has an advantage to Microsoft in this war? Sure we may not have Convergence but we've got SDN, BPX, SAP TechEd and Demo Jam as well as SDN Day!
I think even Dennis has to change his tune, something Ed reminded me of in a blog post the other day.
Dennis Howlett responds over on AccMan with the question
What has SAP contributed to enable this happy state of affairs?...
Does this mean SAP rocks? No. Individuals doing great things are what rock. Now if SAP could find 100 folk with stories like C-P, I might think about changing my tune. If they appointed a board member tasked and budgeted for innovation and put a number on it, I’d almost be ‘on side.’
Read them Dennis a lot are already there and more are coming in, and as for "board" member tasked and budgeted for innovation...will a whole department do?
Now with all of that said I still have to give Dennis total credit for being right - SAP is not doing this, AT LEAST not as publicly as we should be. Dennis let me know if you have time, Dan, Ed and I would like to have a chat about all of this together with you :-)
Link to Microsoft/SAP need to become phoenixes - part 1 « AccMan
Link to Microsoft/SAP need to become phoenixes - part 2 « AccMan
Link to Microsoft/SAP need to become phoenixes - part 3 « AccMan
3 comments:
Craig,
You nailed it here. Great post.
Hi Craig and thanks for the dissection.
I look forward to meeting up in Atlanta - you may not know but I expressed disappointment when I asked if you were originally slated to go and was told 'Craig's techie...this is more business.' Mike P seems to have picked up on that (no doubt having sought counsel elsewhere.)
For me that's a sign of change. I doubt it would have happened a few years back.
Do yes - I give SAP full credit for the good things it is doing.
I was asked awhile back if I was attending but since I am EMEA based our team decided it did not make sense since we have great people States side going, it was later that Mike and Stacey asked me if I would go anyway as part of their program. I of course decided it was a chance I couldn't say no to and so see you there!
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