May 14, 2015
News

By Dr. Yossi Sheffi, LinkedIn Influencer

As the pace of technological change has increased so has our thirst for fresh, exciting innovations. One of the unfortunate corollaries, however, is that we are prone to fads and exaggerations about the impact of processes and technologies that are frequently touted as revolutionary. Examples of process fads include the quality movement, self-directed teams, and sensitivity training. Technologies that were expected to “change everything” but did not quite live up to this promise include audio-visual conferencing and radio frequency identification (RFID).

Clearly, one can think about technological breakthroughs that were indeed transformative. The unleashing of atomic power and the start of the nuclear age, the Internet, and the mapping of the human genome, are notable examples. In most cases, however, the process or technology is hyped by software companies, consultants, and universities looking for funding, but the new way of doing things simply finds a niche and joins the arsenal of management methods and other technologies used to accomplish tasks.

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