The Space Race and the Tough Decisions

by Carl Pritchard, Senior Consultant, Cutter Consortium

It's been a challenging year, both politically and economically. It's also been interesting to watch the reactions. As the job market has tanked, many have given up on the job hunt, turning their searches instead to themselves to explore new careers and new possibilities.¹ As government belt-tightening has taken place, private firms are stepping in to fill the void that hitherto would have been handled by the government sector. Nowhere has this been more visible than with the end to the shuttle program, which has been seen as the end of an era to many in the US.²

These are not easy decisions. It's a challenge to determine when the "right time" is to step away from things that are uniquely ascribed to us as individuals, corporations, or nations. It's challenging to try to ascertain the best time to fly (or stop flying, as the case may be). But there may be signs that the moment to alter our preexisting perceptions is nigh. The big questions we need to ask are:

• Are the goals still being achieved?

• Could we invest our time and energy better?

• Can we envision a better situation ahead if we make the change?

Goals

Whether it's a line of business (like the space shuttle program) or a personal shift (like a job), there are some common threads. For one, we're in it for a reason. We don't inherently have to feel like we're rocketing toward the achievement of the goal, but we should have a sense of what the goal is and that we're making at least some modest progress in that direction. Many businesses (or business lines therein) continue to operate under the mistaken assumption that someone in the company knows what they're doing and where they're going. During an interview with a peer this morning, we discussed a client situation where the client was hiring consultants not to help them with their work but to help them figure out what work they should be doing. When asked, "What does the organization hope to achieve?" they were met with blank stares. Houston? We have a problem.

While many contend that the loss of the space shuttle program is an enormous loss to the nation, the reality that could be argued is that the shuttle's mission was no longer being achieved, in that the fleet was aging and no longer on the cutting edge of aerospace evolution. It doesn't mean the fleet's objectives of space exploration, military support, and avionics development weren't worthwhile. It means that those objectives were no long being achieved to the degree that they could/should have been.

Energy

Are there other places to put our energy? This, for many, is the crucial missing piece. If we're going to bail on a job or a line of business, we need to know where we're going next. A friend of mine recently left his job, because he could not stand it anymore. When I asked where he was going next, he replied, "I'll figure that out eventually."

I was terrified. Wrong answer.

If we have no other place to put our time and energy, then the status quo is actually a step ahead! Some might contend that there's a need to occasionally step out in faith. I concur, but only when that faith is justified by evidence that there's somewhere else to invest. The lack of a place to invest means a lack of direction, which is something no business or individual can readily afford.

Future

There are no guarantees in our futures, but there are times when we have some idea of what we want the future to look like. We should have some vision of how that world is better than the world we currently live and work in. Growing up, I remember envisioning colonies on the moon, flying cars, and giant wall-sized televisions (one out of three ain't bad). What's funny is that I never thought through how that made the world better. I just thought it would be neat. Older (and, I hope, wiser), I now realize that change for change's sake is not inherently better. Change needs to be rooted in a clear vision not only of what the future looks like, but in how that future looks improved.

Goals, energy, and the future: if we fall short in any of these three considerations, we potentially imperil our organizations and ourselves. However, if we can evaluate our decisions today in the crucible of those three aspects, we make decisions that are both defensible and more utilitarian. By doing so, we have the capacity to peer into a crystal ball and get others to look in with us, seeing a shared, improved future.

I welcome your comments about this Advisor and encourage you to send your insights on business-IT strategy in general to me at cpritchard@cutter.com.

Sincerely,
Carl Pritchard
Senior Consultant, Cutter Consortium
E-mail: cpritchard@cutter.com

Endnotes

¹ Alterman, Elizabeth. "Employees Bid Farewell to Corporate America." CNBC.com, 15 August 2011.

² "SpaceX to fly to Int'l Space Station in November." Associated Press, 15 August 2011.