The Gordian Knot

The Opening Session at CODI2005 definitely had a down-to-business tone to it. The fancy boom cameras and glitzy lighting of the last couple of conferences were replaced by … well, tables, first of all, which sent the message “you’re gonna want to write this down,” and a couple of big TelePrompTer screens facing the podium, which sent the message, “we’ve got something to say and we’re watching how we say it.”

In keeping with this tone, the speech by SirsiDynix CEO Patrick Sommers eschewed grand announcements and predictions in favor of a more “getting-to-know-you” approach to talking about the merged company, what it’s about, and where it’s headed. There was plenty of material there, and perhaps others can comment on other parts, but I’d like to focus on one specific part of the speech: his explanation of what SirsiDynix refers to as its “Seven Imperatives,” because I really do believe they take them pretty seriously, so it’s time customers started getting to know them:

1. Create a diverse, innovative, flexible organization.
2. Develop a client-centric organization.

I’m not sure why these first two imperatives are separate. Perhaps SirsiDynix sees the first as inward-facing, the second as outward-facing, but I think that’s the wrong approach — you can’t face outward toward your center. If a company wants to foster diversity of views, innovation, and flexibility, they will find all of that if they look inward to the customers at the center. But they must make sure that there’s always a place for us there, and that we are an integrated part of “the organization” instead of just a rallying point.

3. Achieve unprecedented operational excellence.

Here is where Sommers referred to something that I understand is one of the big changes in SirsiDynix corporate culture since the merger — the new SirsiDynix lives and dies by metrics, statistics, and operational self-assessment, far more than the Dynix of the past. Customers, take note: this is the new language of your company: measurable, objective, empirical data. I think that’s great because I know we can speak to them in their language. What I’d like to see is for the company to make those kinds of self-assessment metrics a part of frequent communications with us, the customers.

4. Perfect resource allocation and decision-making.

Here Sommers talked about prioritizing between the company’s 3 constituencies: the customers, the employees, and the shareholders. He made an oblique reference to “companies you’ve heard about that get in trouble if they focus too much on one of those three: focus too much on the shareholders at the expense of the customers, or too much on the customers at the expense of the shareholders.” I understand the principle, but I’m hard pressed to think of any company I’ve heard of lately that got into trouble because it focused to much on the customers at the expense of other consitutencies. Perhaps some of you can figure out to whom he’s referring.

5. Leverage technology to exceed expectations.
6. Forge business partnerships.

If there’s one thing the open-source movement has taught us, it’s that innovative ideas, true competitive levers, often aren’t found at businesses. Nowadays, they hide in new places: nonprofit or nongovernmental organizations, end-users with an “itch,” social networks of folks with common interests, and sometimes a creative individual like a Ted Nelson or a Linus Torvalds. Or Ben Ostrowsky. Or Jim Taylor. Or Jenny Levine. Yes, your traditional business partnerships will help you meet expectations. But if you really want to exceed them, think bigger.

7. Become a recognized authority (on the library-user relationship).

Here Sommers emphasized the Normative Data Project (NDP) that Sirsi and now SirsiDynix have been very involved in promoting. Again, I hope this gives customers an idea of how this company works and how we can help make a difference — we are certainly experts on the library-user relationship, so it’s time for us to collect our figures and our stories, and hope that the company will be interested in some New Data Points from some Nice Data People.

Now, at another point in the talk, Sommers did emphasize the importance of the company’s partnership with customers, and the need for lots of “touch points” of contact to help them focus their operations on the areas of customer need. I’d like to hear more about those “touch points,” because as customers, I believe we’re ready and willing to help. It’s our imperative.