Business @ the Speed of Thought (Review and Analysis of Gates' Book)

Book Presentation: Business @ the speed of thought by Bill Gates

Main Idea

1. The concept of a digital nervous system for a business

2. Operations & processes and a digital nervous system

3. Knowledge & know-how and a digital nervous system

4. Commerce & customer interactions and a digital nervous system

Book Presentation: Business @ the speed of thought by Bill Gates

Main Idea

Competitive business advantage in the twenty-first century will revolve around an organization’s ability to adapt to changing circumstances rapidly. To achieve this, information needs to flow within the business enterprise efficiently. The best way to achieve this is by building a Digital Nervous System.

A Digital Nervous System combines personal computer, Internet and communications technologies. It also includes, the management processes built around digital activities. In the final analysis, a Digital Nervous System will be the conceptual framework around which a better understanding of the challenges of the marketplace will be constructed – and from which the company’s response will be planned and implemented.

Any company that can integrate the transfer of information around the organization so completely that business decisions at all levels of the organization can literally be made as quickly as information becomes available will be ideally suited to the demands and requirements of the evolving business environment – the ‘‘killer application’’ of business in the twenty-first century.

1. The concept of a digital nervous system for a business

Main Idea

A Digital Nervous System is a set of processes by which a company gathers information and responds to it. In addition to the requisite hardware and software, it also requires the insight and collaborative efforts of the employees responding to the information they are supplied with.

Supporting Ideas

A Digital Nervous System is the