We can turn a plane on a dime
The 787 flew ~ at last ~ 2.5 years late.
The 787 was put together with a 20 page specification and takes 3 days to assemble parts from around the world rather than 40 days to assemble the plan manufactured on site.
We can turn a plane on a dime. And if we can manufacture a plane in a global network of local modules, then we can make anything.
Is modularizing work a good thing ~ for us?
Harvard Business Review blog are awed and skeptical in equal measure.
- They are sure the world will copy the “lego” model.
- They are sure that Chinese firms will give Boeing a run for their money.
I too, am sure that Chinese firms will Boeing a run for their money. They will give all of us a run for our money. What interests me is who will win the race, and how this new race will change the future of work.
Key skills in the future of workn
Clearly there are key skills in this new form of work
- Clicking the “lego” parts together
- Negotiating the specification of the parts and adjusting for inevitable “drift” as parts are made
- The credibility to organize the network of suppliers, customers and capital.
It strikes me that clicking the parts together is not key. Managing networks is the key. A firm can be judged by the size of the global network that it can organize and manage profitably.
Welcome to 2010 and the race to networking skills and managing global networks of local manufacturing modules!
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