Hackathon, Team Work and a New Organization Model

The AT&T Developer Program’s Hackathon events are very popular among the mobile  app developers. I was able to attend the one in Seattle on April 13^th and 14^th.

From 5:30 to 7pm Friday night, 130+ developers showed up, networked and enjoyed dinner. From 7pm to 10pm, they listened to a few short technology sessions and recruited teammates for the projects that they had in mind. It was amazing to watch how quickly the teams were formed. The conference room closed at 10:30pm.

The teamwork started the next morning.  Interacting with a few of the teams, I was impressed by their ability to work together. The generous prizes for the winners were inspiring. I observed that when a team had a common goal with a reward incentive, there was a powerful display of team work.

By Saturday night, 21 applications were entered into the contest by each of the 21 teams. Five used the AT&T Cloud Architect (AT&T Infrastructure as a Service) to host their applications. The RaaSIO team (Robotics as a Service I/O) won first prize in three categories: Cloud, Apigee UserfGrid and SergeSDK. They designed a prototype robotic device with an integrated model that leveraged multiple mobile SDKs to build front end services using Cloud Architect as a Cloud based services delivery platform. (see attached picture)

In the book “Managing for the Future”, Anoona et al talked about a new organization model for better performance; “Flat is better than tall, flexible is better than predictable, diverse is better than homogeneous and global is better than domestic; regardless of the organization’s context”. I see that the new organization model was demonstrated at this Hackathon from the following perspective:

• Networked: team work
• Flat: Fewer layers, decentralized decision making
• Flexible: Problem solving with fewer formal procedures
• Diverse: Demographics, backgrounds, career paths
• Incentive: team based

The outcome was extraordinary!

Leaders,

How do you structure an organization towards innovation?

Cloud Computing in China

I attended the Cloud Computing China Congress in Beijing yesterday as a speaker and panelist.  It’s a one-day event designed for senior IT and business executives who evaluate and make purchasing decisions in the areas of on-demand infrastructure and software services. 

There were 600+ attendances and the majority of them have a background in computer sciences. Speakers shared their perspectives and experiences with Cloud Computing and vendors talked about their products. In general, China is in the “how to use Cloud” phase with quite a number of Cloud projects going on. Forrester ‘s Asia business survey in Oct 2011 showed that 20% of business have deployed Cloud, 46% are planning deployment and 33% have no plans. The SaaS (Software as a Service) market shows the most potential.

Microsoft, IBM, Oracle are bigger players in the Chinese market. One Microsoft project presently helps Chengdu city to track pork management from when the pigs are raised to when they are butchered and distributed. Since the Chinese are very cautious about the quality of the food they are consuming, the project is one of many growing efforts that the government is working on to help improve the quality of pork.

The following insights were shared:

• A good strategy should make sure Cloud computing is in alignment with the core business model and has a competitive advantage. A business should not use Cloud just because it’s a trend
• Understanding of the market demand could lead to business success. When demand is in place, technology will follow.
• The role and value of the Cloud broker
• Challenge big data from health industry, marketing promotion and social media.
• Internet of cars (Telematics) evolution will change driver and traffic management; for example, using big data to conduct emotional analysis and driver care, car maintenance and road/bridge maintenance. The insurance industry will be impacted.
• Cloud integration needs to be considered and planned.

It was wonderful to spend time with a group of people so eager to learn.

Networking Leaders and Blogging

This is my 100th blog! I have been blogging since 2005 and have kept my one blog per month commitment.

 

Yesterday, I attended the first AT&T Networking Leaders Academy (NLA) conference in New Jersey and received a reward as one of the top bloggers for the AT&T Network Exchange Blog. Most of my blogs were about Cloud Computing, a field that I stepped into last year and have become passionate about. To me, blogging is sharing, learning and being self-expressed. The AT&T Network Exchange Blog serves as a platform for employees to share our knowledge and experience with the world.

 

The event was well organized and educational. We learned about Personal Branding, Telling a Story with Your Content, The Tao of Twitter, Social Media at AT&T, Expanding Your Influence, Using Audio and Video for Blogging and Blog Analysis. Bloggers from different organizations of the company brainstormed and learned from each other. We listened to the executives’ speech and realized the impact we have made to our business and brand with our blogs. I was very inspired and grateful for the opportunity to blog and to be invited to the event.

 

Cause and effect can play a big role in life. I joined the NLA with the intention to re-direct web traffic to the Developer Program where I work. My goal was achieved. At the same time, I have more than “traffic”, I have readers and recognition. I have a community and the personal satisfaction of sharing, learning and self expression. I am a true believer in creating results by being consistent and  trusting the process.

 

 

Reflections on 2011

2011 was a significant year for me. 

My trip to Ghana in March was so memorable that the vibrant colors still appear in my dreams. Hardcore street salesmen, responsible tour bus driver, crowded night markets, beautiful arts, spiritual dancing and the Hawaii like coast will always in my mind.

Completion of the advanced course in Longevitology 長生學  in April enabled me to be a healer. I learned to forgive as fast as I could to ensure my energy flow and I still have a lot of learning to do. The Master teacher’s grace, generosity and life mission inspired me.

CloudExpo trips in June and November enriched my learning and networking for Cloud Computing. I feel good that I listened to my intuition about making the trips.

My children’s grandpa passed away in July reminded me to “seize the moment” with my loved ones.

Blogging for the AT&T Network Exchange blog since August grew my authorship. Learning, knowledge sharing and self-expression are among my top values.  Blogging fulfilled them.

A speaking opportunity at the 2011 “Global Cloud and Mobile” conference in October reminded me that I often commanded the room when I made a presentation. Since then, I have started to seek speaking opportunities.

Great MBA courses prepared me for a bigger task and the nurturing environment provided me the energy I needed every time I went to my classes.

I have completed 2011 with an appreciation of my personal and professional growth.

Operations and Project Management, team and leadership

We wrapped up the Operations and Project Management course with team presentations a couple of hours ago. In the last ten weeks, we worked with a corporation on a pilot product feasibility study. We put many hours into the project to collect and analize data.

Tonight, we presented our analysis and recommendations to a team from the corporation and answered their questions. They were very pleased with our outstanding work.

The experience has been an extraordinary one with many facets: Surya Pathak, the committed professor who has been assessable and passionate; Bob Bernstein, the authentic mentor who challenged us; Amol Natu, the team leader who demonstrated servant leadership and Julie Dimeo, Manoj Raheja and Joseph Shang, the open-minded teammates with talents and wisdom.

Applying what we learned on the project supported us to deepen our learning.  I started to appreciate Operations and Processes. Process strategy, analysis and capacity planning took a lot of brain power and math. Lean Systems and Supply Chain design are challenging and interesting when considering human factors.  

The result of team work is unbeatable by one individual. Everyone on the team plays a part towards building the team. Yet, the leader is a key factor for successful team work.

Innovation and Creativity

Today, we completed the “Creativity and Innovation” class with an intensive 7-hour simulation to save a financially at-risk company. I was totally inspired by what I learned from this class; different innovation types, levels and processes, case studies, research project on Great Innovation Product “Xbox 360 Kinect”, the workshop of “Six Thinking Hats” and today’s simulation.

I learned that inspiration occurs before creativity. Since I am easily inspired, my creativity is triggered and new ideas emerge. I also have the persistence to implement my ideas.  I can be disruptive for a culture that expects compliance. I also can be an inspiration for people who have an appetite for “what is possible”.

In one of the classes, we watched a video about “IDEO”, an innovation design firm that relies on its processes to design excellent products. The CEO, David Kelly, said that he hires people who don’t listen and he doesn’t put them in a hierarchy. “That’s how they get great ideas.” He embraces diversity, creativity and inclusion. The culture reflected the importance that management has attached to create a democracy of ideas. IDEO teams start the process with questions, and then move to observing and networking to gather data on their initial questions, and conclude with rapid prototyping.

This class gave me an academic foundation of innovation theories and practical applications. I appreciated the opportunity to lead a company as a CEO in today’s simulation. When disruptive innovation emerged in the last hour, passion and judgment took over; we ended up aiming for better performance and sacrificed the process and team work. In reflection, I understand the art of the process, the importance of having a strategy, getting the right people in the right seats and having clarity on roles and responsibilities. I also expereinced the destructive impact of performance expectations and less developed leadership.

Thanks to my team and professor Paul Collins!

LMBA Retreat

On September 16^th, 29 of us arrived Semiahmoo Resort for a two-day retreat to focus on leadership development. We are the 2^nd year Leadership MBA students from UW Bothell. The retreat went well since we were open to share and eager to learn. The fact that we trusted each other made the learning process enjoyable and fruitful.  Trust was a hot topic while we discussed how to let go of “control”. We did case studies, practiced giving feedback, discussed Authentic, Servant and Transformational Leadership and reflected who we were as a leader.

Semiahmoo Resort is a beautiful facilitate by Semiahmoo Bay. It’s quite an experience to watch the sun shine on the water and work on the challenging assignment – “potential discrepancies between self and others’ view”. It’s also fun to collect rocks by the beach and reflect my leadership experience and outcomes.

The retreat moves us out of our daily life so that we could focus on learning in a different setting. At the same time, we got a chance to hang out and have fun. What an awesome experience!