Google the attributes of cloud computing and you will likely get a list like this: on-demand self service, scalable and elastic, resource pooling, metered by use and uses Internet technologies.  Lately we have been preparing to deliver turnkey cloud solutions and supporting consulting services.  This may seem a slight departure from our focus on delivering knowledge to need, but it struck me today that there is a great deal of similarity in the thought processes of each. 

The idea of on-demand self service is that the cloud service is ready to use and can be provisioned without any help from the support team.  Our thin layer approach to knowledge to need is that the role of the company is to connect people to the problem then get out of the way.  The smaller the company layer (support team) the better the model is working.  In other words customer value results not infrastructure.

Scalability is the ability to grow or shrink based on the application’s demand and elasticity is how fast resources can be added or removed.  Our knowledge to need model is based on the ability to quickly add task specific professionals who have been previously vetted based on skills and passion.  Using the knowledge to need search engine we can quickly add resources rapidly in response to job requirements.  We then release those independent professionals or companies when the task is complete.  Some may not like the model, but to the professional pursuing their passion the process allows the freedom to choose tasks specifically aligned to their interests and work when and where they choose.

Resource Pooling is to the ability of software to be offered to multiple user entities in a way so that each tenant operates as logically isolated, while using physically shared resources.  The knowledge professionals in the previous paragraph and increasing in years to come will likely work for multiple entities without a specific company affiliation, but delivering like expertise based on their individual passion.

Metered by Use refers to the measurement of services in a way similar to electricity or mobile phone usage. Also, consistent with our thin layer approach as typified in delivery platforms such as oDesk.com workers set an hourly rate, bid for jobs, deliver and are paid accordingly.

As seems obvious, uses Internet technology refers to the accessibility of cloud services through the Internet.  Our knowledge to need model likewise accepts that work in the new normal is not constrained by time or location.  Use of the Internet creates a workforce upon which the work never sets.

I may just have my head in the clouds, but I think the ideas around cloud computing and knowledge to need converge.  As we begin driving the delivery of consumable cloud service and associated consulting, I think we find great value applying the model.  Our success will depend greatly on our ability to identify, scale and deploy passionate professionals to sell, innovate and consult with customers to provide a captivating user experience.  Let us know if you see yourself as one of those professionals.

Ballgame over! Wildcats win! Wink 35 Tornillo 8, another football season in Wink is in the history book! You likely won’t see the score on ESPN, but the event is very important nonetheless.  For some student athletes it is the beginning of off-season training or another sport, but for the nine seniors it is the end of an era.  It is the last time they will be the boys being sent out to fight for their town, their school, their teammates and themselves. Try as they might, I think they are too young to truly cherish or treasure this last game, so I will try to do it for them.  Many will spend the rest of their lives trying to equal the competitive zeal and the sense of camaraderie that they shared on the football field, but that is not a bad thing.  Football will provide the memory of what it feels like to passionately pursue a purpose.  They can apply that memory to prepare, practice and leave it all on the field to the game of life.  For those who learn those football lessons, life challenges will seem less daunting and wins and the losses will be viewed with greater perspective.  I also have one more bit of good news.   In thirty or forty years, they will remember the game, the friends, the fans, the coaches and the lessons through the richness of life experience and appreciate the fullness of the blessing of football lessons. 

I thought this might be a good topic for Halloween.  Sometimes we “see” things that aren’t there because of a behavior that cannot otherwise be explained. By applying the universal laws of physics, black holes have been defined though never “observed”.  Astrophysicists infer the existence of a black hole by observing its gravitational interactions with its surroundings.  Businesses also have black holes.  It could be a disgruntled employee who does nothing overt, but quietly poisons their surrounding environment.  Maybe negative comments about you or your company are posted on the web or circulated by a competitor.  The problem could also be self-inflicted through poor branding or dated messaging.  Personally, if I see websites with news tabs or company blogs that have no updates for over six months, I assume they are neglectful, unaware or have done nothing lately.  None of these observations are constructive.  In business, don’t believe in chance.  Remember Newton first law…if something changes it is likely because something caused it to change.  Observe the effect, analyze the effect and search until you have found the cause.  Just because you don’t see it doesn’t mean it isn’t there.

What do these terms have in common:  The Goldilocks Principle, The Sawyer Effect and Autotelic? 

Let’s start with the Greek derivative autotelic.  The word’s roots are auto – self and telos – end or goal and combined it is used to refer to tasks that have a self-fulfilling purpose.  To my wife teaching, or now her work as an elementary guidance counselor, is and autotelic experience.  I’m convinced she would do it for nothing, she is not sure how much she makes, commutes two hours each day past numerous other schools, has no plans to ever retire and she is exceptional at what she does.  Her work is intrinsically fulfilling and truly an end in itself.  She is often late getting home, but never late leaving for work.  If her work is not an autotelic experience we may have a problem.

Astronomers apply the Goldilocks Principle in describing the planetary sweet spot where life is possible…not too close the “sun” or too far away.  In business it is a match between what people must do and what people can do.  When what they must do exceeds their capabilities, the result is anxiety.  When what they must do falls short of their abilities the result is boredom.  When the match is just right the result is glorious (Pink).  As we gain mastery, we can and must continually move the sweet spot to a spot where our reach is just beyond our grasp (Browning).

Finally, let’s examine the Sawyer effect.   You may recall the story in the book where Tom enlisted the help of others by convincing them that white washing a fence was such fun that they paid for the privilege. Tom Sawyer posits “work consists of whatever a body is obliged to do and play consists of whatever a body is not obliged to do.”   More appropriately for our application Pink defines the Sawyer Effect as “practices that can either turn play into work or work into play.” 

Now let’s see what these concepts have in common in our results oriented (or only) work environment.  We hope to apply the Sawyer effect to design work that provides an autotelic experience for passionate professionals who are working to achieve mastery within the delicate balance of the Goldilocks principle.  My guess is we have all glimpsed this convergence on rare occasion if only be accident.  Given design and desire we believe we can apply our knowledge to need model to create a more permanent effect.

What if a company defined its ultimate purpose as meeting the needs of its people for autonomy, mastery and purpose?  I’m talking about a company that believed designing the work environment around employee needs was the best way to deliver results to the customer.  We might begin with moving away from the concept of humans as resources and moving to employees as partners.  We could eliminate the policy manual that defined where, when and how people worked.  I’m not some new age Karl Marx building some communistic utopia, I’m sold on capitalism as the best system to create wealth, innovation and excellence for the individual and society, but my belief is this company of the people (partners) could create even more wealth, innovation and excellence by thinking outside the proverbial box?  Rather than saying it won’t work everywhere can we debate whether it will work somewhere.  We believe companies don’t solve problems, people do and people solve problems best when those problems match their knowledge, skills and passion.  We believe matching the right knowledge to the right need provides intrinsic rewards to the knowledge professional and yields the most innovative and valuable solution to the customer’s identified need. Can you imagine a world where knowledge workers were engaged in the decision to accept or reject a task and if they chose to accept the task they were free to choose the time, team and technique they would apply to succeed?  I can.  (many of these ideas were inspired by Daniel Pink and his book Drive: The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us)