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The debate that won't die
January 31, 2006
I find it hard to believe, but it's almost three years since the Harvard Business Review published my article IT Doesn't Matter. Every time I think the debate about the piece is dying down, it flares up again. The latest example comes in the new issue of Fortune Small Business, which features dueling interviews between me and Dell CEO Kevin Rollins.
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Comments
I think you can expect that this article will be debated for many more years to come. Many business schools are using it as a basis for in class discussion, for example every student in my MBA class was required to write a critical evaluation of your article as part of our ICT course.
Posted by: Keith at January 31, 2006 12:41 PM
There are a lot of writers out there that would give much to have penned a piece that has the legs this one has. Whether people agree with you or not, you brought about a lot of healthy and neccessary debate and I thank you for it.
Posted by: Bob McIlree at January 31, 2006 12:42 PM
If Kevin is really serious (v/s just wanting to disagree with you, which admittedly wins him some points in some quarters) Dell is missing a major opportunity ...philosophically and supply chain efficiency wise it is better positioned than the IBMs and the HPs who want to sell big labor heavy outsourcing contracts, not streamlined, high automation utility type solutions.
Posted by: vinnie mirchandani at January 31, 2006 02:22 PM
I don't know if sometimes things happen because its their natural tendency or because some people try to force them. To be more exact:
If such an article was not published in Harvard Business Review, which is so influential in the business community (including the academic) will such a debate had occured in the community itself? It's my feeling that the debate was forced top down and not bottom up.
Posted by: Ronnie at January 31, 2006 03:50 PM
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