In an era driven by change and disruption, it should not be surprising that even the nature of competition is evolving. It used to be that
competing was a competitive advantage. Whoever accumulated more, won. But just like the algorithms that power so much of the decision making process, life has become more complex.
So despite decades of Marlboro Man-inspired, 'my way or the highway' bombast, the lone cowboy on the white horse
is about as relevant to contemporary decision making as his saddle and spurs.
The reality, as the following article explains, is that optimization in a financialized economy doesnt have much time for myth, sentiment - or ego. When you're working as much with machines as with humans, the facts have to add up. And success demands that leaders and their organizations learn to work with who or whatever can optimize desired outcomes. That may require a broader mindset. But in a networked world, the results justify the shared credit. JL
Greg Satell comments in Digital Tonto:
The premise of Porter’s competitive advantage—
increase the whole by optimizing each of the the parts in isolation—has
become untenable. Machine intelligence is replacing human
cognitive power much like machines replace(d) muscle power a
century ago. What drives value is the ability to collaborate with both humans and machines. In the past, we could dominate by
accumulating resources and driving efficiency, but now agility and
interoperability rule the day.