ISA - International Society of Automation
Recently, I spent a couple of days with Pat Gouhin, the new ISA executive director. We had plenty of time to talk as we drove together from Los Angeles to San Diego to address ISA sections in both locations. Pat had already read my articles, criticising ISA's bloated bank-account and volunteer-driven paralysis-analysis; we discussed possibilities and alternatives.
I was impressed that he already has significant experience with volunteer-driven organisations and knows what to do, how to do it, and perhaps most importantly when to do it.
Pat Gouhin is actively promoting the international growth and success of ISA. He sent me this upbeat e-mail recently:
"Jim, we are trying to run, not walk. We just finished our Summer Leaders Meeting in Scottsdale, AZ. Culminating with a good Executive Board meeting. No trivia.
"Next week I am off to meet with Senators in DC to begin to make a name for automation and increase their awareness of the profession. And the end of the week will be spent at a strategic planning workshop for the Automation Federation. A feature article in the August issue of Automation World will be on Work Force Development.
"We are making good progress and are focused on the right things. We are even seeing the membership numbers beginning to increase. Yes, it is incremental and we have a long way to go to get to your objective of 100K, but it is up.
"As for the free standard benefit that you and I discussed in January, we had 4200 downloads in all of 2006; through the first five months of 2007 we had 46 000. So we ARE getting the additional exposure that we were hoping for, and much of it is in the international arena.
"By mid October I hope to tell you that ISA will be formally known as the International Society of Automation."
ISA was founded in 1945 as 'Instrument Society of America'. The name was changed in 2000 to 'The Instrumentation, Systems, and Automation Society'. The new name (subject to approval by the Society's delegates) is an excellent step forward, highlighting the changing role of ISA as the INTERNATIONAL Society of Automation.
Book: The Strategy Paradox
Everyone knows the old saying 'risk vs. reward'. But how many businesses really manage their risks to generate rewards? Executives and managers know that success depends on choices based on assumptions about the future which cannot be predicted.
The 'collision between commitment and uncertainty' creates The Strategy Paradox. This is the title of the new book by Michael Raynor, co-author of bestselling 'Innovator's Solution'.
Ambitious, bold managers take big risks, for greater rewards. Conservative managers hope that the future will bring more clues about which direction to take, and they wait - usually till it is too late. Most managers shy away from bold commitments, sacrificing the possibilities for greatness, for a chance of mere survival.
Michael Raynor explains how leaders can beat this trade-off.
Here are some of his suggestions:
* The CEO should not be evaluated on the company's performance, but rather on the strategic risk profile.
* The CEO should not drive results, but manage uncertainty.
* Business unit leaders should not focus on execution, but on making strategic choices.
* Line managers should not worry about strategic risk, but devote themselves to delivering on commitments.
Raynor's book includes case studies of success and failure at Sony, Microsoft, Johnson & Johnson, AT&T and other major companies in many different businesses. It presents a framework for strategic action.
Business leaders at all levels - this is a good book to read.
Jim Pinto is an industry analyst and commentator, writer, technology futurist and angel investor. His popular e-mail newsletter, JimPinto.com eNews, is widely read (with direct circulation of about 7000 and web-readership of two to three times that number). His areas of interest are technology futures, marketing and business strategies for a fast-changing environment, and industrial automation with a slant towards technology trends.
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