Competing in Time

This book was published as a senior manager's guide to keeping pace with opportunities from newfound technology at the onset of the digital revolution. Peter Keen lends insight into the complex and frenzied climate of the post-deregulation era of the mid-1980s, where telecommunications spawned fierce competition, innovation, risk and uncertainty. Industry successes and failures are examined in light of technological constraints and management challenges that anguished corporations at the time. Those who recognized the value of telecom and information technology were empowered to make sound decisions that resulted in the needed "edge" for their enterprises. Industry contenders that harnessed IT early on are analyzed. Financial institutions that redefined the transaction process by automating the process to provision "real time" transactions that transcended time and geography barriers, are illustrations of such victors. Keen heralds American Airlines as a triumphant success in the airline industry-with its SABRE auto-booking system that placed terminals into virtually every travel agent's office-in tandem with its leading role as the first to offer a frequent flier program. Such initiatives forced competitors to follow-suit or be left behind. Not surprisingly, these same companies have maintained a competitive edge today (even when they've hit some potholes along the way). We can relate their long-term success to the soundness of their product positioning and telecom strategies at the time. These industry leaders blazed the trails on which the information highways are built today, setting the agenda for prevalent business models. The predominant message that resonates within the book: telecommunication is a natural differentiator; and technology an enabler. In practical terms, this notion entails taking charge of change instead of reacting to it, recognizing when to act; paired with the ability to anticipate market shifts and being able to adapt; along with the ability to reposition within existing markets. While this book was published in 1988, the underlying lessons are still very valid and applicable in today's telecom-rich business environment. In dealing with telecom-centric changes, it outlines valuable and practical solutions that are traditionally-minded (planning, projection, analysis, implementation of policies, organization, and other key management aspects). The technical dimension of telecom is touched upon, offering a glimpse of the past and the environment out of which the digital age flourished. It is equally enlightening to survey the landscape that produced the first generation formats and protocols that have now been replaced by second-generation (and in some cases, third-generation) counterparts. It brings into focus the intensely dynamic pace of technological evolution in the span of 16 years. The shifts in market trends are also examined in the realm of human resources vis a vis the changing roles of senior