It Seems To Me

Thoughts and Rants on Technology, Business and Politics

The January 29th, 2005 edition of The Economist had an excellent article (subscription required) describing how the low cost airlines are making it possible for people to live and work anywhere in Europe. Of course, this concept is not unique to Europe. In the US, Southwest Airlines began a revolution that expanded the idea of commuting from cars, buses and trains to include airplanes as well. Here in Europe, many people now live in one country and work in another. From the Economist article:

Europe's low-cost airlines have done more to integrate Europe than any numbers of diplomats and ministers. They have helped to create a new generation for whom travelling to another European country is no longer exotic or expensive, but utterly commonplace.

I was almost 40 years old before I made my first international call outside of the US and Canada. When I was growing up, Europe and Asia seemed so far away and international telephone calls were prohibitively expensive. Besides, back then it wasn't like I knew anyone in those countries.

Today the world is a much smaller place. In my last job I led teams with members in Belgium, London, France, India and Australia. I now make international calls for pennies a minute. And services like Skype make it possible to talk to fellow broadband users anywhere in the world for free. Email and blogs make it possible to stay connected with friends and family regardless of location.

Global air travel has become affordable enough that even physical distances are becoming less relevant. I made my first trans-Atlantic flight (from San Francisco to London) in the spring of 2000. Prior to that trip I stressed for days over the imminent jet lag and worked a myriad of techniques to stave it off. Now I live in London and commute back and forth to San Francisco on a regular basis. I made four trips in the summer and fall of 2004 and I have two more scheduled in the next month. It is just not that far any more. I get on a plane in London and ten hours later I am in San Francisco. If I am lucky I have had a decent nap on the plane and, when I land, I am off and running eight time zones away.

Technology has made it possible to bridge space and time, shrinking and virtually eliminating geographical distances. The next time you hear someone say "Where are you calling from? It sounds like you are in the next room," remind them that technology has made the world a smaller place. You are not as far away as it seems.
 

I have worked in the technology industry for almost 15 years. Throughout that time I have become fascinated with technology and its ability to increase productivity. I bought my first PDA (the HP 95LX) back in 1991 to keep track of a mountain of tasks. The little marvel helped me stem the flow of ToDo's that had previously been slipping through the cracks. Ten PDAs later I am as big a fan as ever of technology's ability to help people and organisations function more effectively.

The hardware and software vendors have capitalized on this potential. The gospel of productivity is woven into the marketing message of every company offering goods and services in the technology sector. The reality is that technology cannot stand alone to improve an organisation’s output. A number of other key elements must synchronize with the technology to deliver sustained productivity. A well defined organisation with clear roles and responsibilities must also be in place. Processes must be a natural part of the environment using industry standard methodologies where appropriate. Finally, the culture must be imbued with an attitude that technology is to be leveraged and exploited. All of theses elements can deliver world class organisational efficiency with sustained improvements in output. When they are in balance the resulting organisation is a powerhouse of efficiency that learns and becomes more productive as it grows.

I have expanded each of these ideas into an article titled The Four Pillars of Productivity. A pdf version is available here.

My name is Heather Hollick, and I would like to welcome you to my little corner of the world. This is the place where I muse and rant on things that interest, intrigue or irritate me. I place a high value on diversity of thought so it is important to me that visitors here provide their own feedback and reactions to the ideas presented. Your input is expected!

I have more than 20 years experience in the high tech, health care and consulting industries. Most recently I spent four years with Cisco Systems in Silicon Valley. I have an MBA from Univeristy of California at Berkeley and a Master's Degree in Applied Mathematics from Purdue University.

I have a deep passion around productivity and working effectively. I am particularly interested in the appropriate use of technology to spur individuals and organisations to higher levels of efficiency. I have recently written an article called The Four Pillars of Productivity that summarizes some of my thougths on the subject. The article is available in the downloads section of my professional CV site.

I also have an affinity for electronic gadgets. I am on my 10th PDA (HP iPaq 4704), my fifth iPod (White 4GB Nano), and my second digital camera (Canon S500) and countless other electronic nick-nacks. I somehow hope that all of these electronic wonders will make my life easier. Alas, if that were only true.

I was born in southern Ontario, Canada and moved to the US with my parents after my sophomore year in high school. After living in the US as a permanent resident for 27 years, I was naturalized as an American citizen in April of 2003. My partner and I have recently moved to London and are chronicling our adventure in our blog called Living in London.

Thank you for stopping by. Feel free to send me an email or leave a comment on the site.