| Q: You wrote Essentials of Shared Services over six | | | | A: At present, my major clients include the US |
| years ago. How far do you think the shared services | | | | military, Massachusetts General Hospital IHP, and a |
| space has changed since then, and what have been | | | | handful of top-tier technology companies. For the |
| the drivers of that change? | | | | past several years, I've been developing intelligent |
| A: Shared services has gone through the hype curve | | | | training systems, serious games, and related |
| and survived - largely intact. The driver has of course | | | | technologies for the military. My role has been |
| been economics - the same driver for outright | | | | 'Principal Investigator' on a number of Congressional |
| outsourcing. Shared services has taken off in | | | | Grants related to training/evaluating medical first |
| medicine, where cost savings and tight control are | | | | responders to manmade disasters related to warfare. |
| both required. In other industries, where control isn't | | | | In these roles, I design systems and hand the |
| as necessary or desired, traditional outsourcing is | | | | designs over to programmers and trainers for the |
| more popular. | | | | implementation. |
| Q: What do you see as being the biggest advantages | | | | Sometimes I intentionally get involved at the |
| of the shared services model? | | | | hands-on level. For example, in designing surgical |
| A: The biggest advantage of the model is control and | | | | instrument interfaces for surgical trainers, I like to |
| retention of knowledge in the enterprise. If you | | | | work with the hardware and microcontrollers directly. |
| outsource, you may realize short-term profits, but | | | | I've done quite a bit of work on data warehouse |
| you lose intellectual capital in the long term. | | | | implementation over the past few years as well, |
| Q: Much of your work - unsurprisingly, considering | | | | primarily in the Middle East. I enjoy the travel, and it's |
| your background - has been on technology in the | | | | great working with people (many now friends) who |
| healthcare industry. Shared services is an increasingly | | | | appreciate your time. |
| popular strategy among healthcare providers: what | | | | The top-tier technology companies I mentioned are |
| do you think has been the influence of the healthcare | | | | Fortune 500 companies involved in medical device |
| industry on the development of shared services (and | | | | intellectual property. That is to say, they're involved in |
| vice versa)? | | | | exerting their patent rights in a given market. I assist |
| A: As above, the issue is control. Healthcare services | | | | in evaluating their IP holdings for patent litigation |
| are tightly controlled, in part because of regulations | | | | cases and to identify potential infringers. As everyone |
| and in part because of tradition. I've worked with | | | | knows, there's money in war, and there's a constant |
| several hospitals over the past year that have | | | | battle in the corporate world over securing and |
| moved to a shared services model for a significant | | | | defending intellectual property rights. I really enjoy |
| percentage of their business operations - especially | | | | this work because it demands knowledge of both |
| pharmacy and laboratory services. | | | | the underlying technology and patent law, and |
| Q: How do you see shared services evolving in the | | | | because the people I work with are highly trained |
| next, say, five years? | | | | professionals. |
| A: Good question. I think the governance model will | | | | Q: You've got a hugely impressive portfolio of |
| continue to evolve to provide a 'customized' fit for | | | | published works. How do you find the time? |
| each industry, based on tradition and standards. | | | | A: I make the time, but it's not a conscious effort. I |
| Q: What's your opinion of outsourcing as a business | | | | enjoy writing - I look forward to writing something |
| strategy? | | | | every day. |
| A: It's critical to the survival of many industries. I | | | | Time management is important, as is the "luck" of |
| don't know of many companies/industries that don't | | | | genetics. From a behaviour perspective, I don't watch |
| outsource. The only exception that comes to mind is | | | | TV. I work out every day, write something every |
| shoe manufacturers in Korea. They tend to build | | | | day, and make a point of learning something every |
| everything in house, instead of purchasing best of | | | | day. I also hang out with like-minded people. |
| breed components from suppliers. | | | | Genetically, I'm an early riser and never have required |
| Q: What's the secret to a successful tech | | | | much sleep. I'm up at 2am, 7 days a week, travel or |
| implementation? | | | | not. I get my writing done, work on my top-level |
| A: People. Technology is just a tool. You have to | | | | projects, and get to the gym or run, before 8am. |
| have buy-in and a workable plan that accommodates | | | | The rest of the day is open for meetings, etc. |
| users and that respects their need for time to | | | | Q: And, if anything, what are you working on at the |
| change. | | | | moment? |
| Q: In a nutshell, what are the "Essentials of | | | | A: At this moment (this week), I'm: |
| Knowledge Management"? | | | | 1. writing an editorial for one of my magazines; |
| A: Document what you couldn't do without. If | | | | 2. finishing up two SBIR proposals I helped write for |
| someone or some team in your business improves | | | | a client; |
| upon a process, then document it. Otherwise, the | | | | 3. evaluating two patents owned by an international |
| process leaves with the person. | | | | communications company for possible infringement by |
| Q: We mentioned your background a minute ago, so | | | | a medical device manufacturer; |
| let's look at that and get an impression of you | | | | 4. evaluating learning management systems for |
| personally: can you tell us a little about your career up | | | | training at a local medical college; |
| to now? How've you got to where you are today? | | | | 5. working on a patent application (for my company). |
| A: Up to now my career (whatever that is) includes a | | | | Q: What's the worst business mistake you've ever |
| mix of consulting (80 - 90%%) and traditional | | | | seen anyone make? |
| academia. Most of my time is spent on long-term | | | | A: Refusing to see "reality". A lot of people in |
| projects, such as 'chief scientist' for hire at start-ups. | | | | business start believing their own marketing materials. |
| I've also been involved in a large number of business | | | | I once helped a company develop a market for a |
| development projects for start-ups. For the past | | | | device that was never built, and never could be built. |
| several years, my major client has been the US | | | | In the end, the company folded. |
| military, which has very deep pockets for key | | | | Q: What's the most common mistake or bad practice |
| projects surrounding homeland security, bioterrorism, | | | | you encounter during your consultancy work? |
| nuclear events, and the like. | | | | A: Failure to change, even when it's obviously for the |
| I've kept a formal tie to academia since I finished a | | | | better. Most of us are creatures of habit, and it's |
| post-doctoral fellowship in Medical Informatics at | | | | easy to stick with the old ways of doing things. |
| Harvard to keep touch with the theoretical (and | | | | Q: Of what, in your professional career, are you |
| often impractical, but occasionally very profitable) side | | | | most proud? |
| of things. In my consulting, it also helps to have an | | | | A: I suppose it's some of my early software. Many |
| academic tie, as a seal of approval. My positions at | | | | of the titles were the first in their domains - |
| MIT/Harvard have facilitated, for example, obtaining | | | | computer based diet and exercise for consumers and |
| grants from the US Army and others. | | | | patient simulation for physicians, for example. |
| Writing continues to be a part of my everyday life. I | | | | Q: What's the best advice you've ever been given? |
| edit two magazines (one in robotics, and the other in | | | | And did you listen to it? |
| electronics) and that means a couple editorials every | | | | A: A marketing consultant once told me never to |
| month, at a minimum. I think that writing is a key skill | | | | charge for my time, but for my output - that is the |
| every consultant should develop - it helps to get your | | | | deliverable. Otherwise, there's no internal incentive to |
| name out there. | | | | increase efficiency and get more done. I've taken |
| In terms of business training, I owe my perspectives | | | | that to heart, and avoid charging "by the hour" unless |
| to my maternal grandparents. Both were | | | | the client insists. I get the work done as efficiently as |
| second-generation Americans with relatively little | | | | I can and then go for run, play my guitar, or spend |
| education who nonetheless each developed and ran | | | | time with my significant other. |
| very successful business in the transportation and | | | | In the cases where the client wants an hourly report, |
| food industries. | | | | I often find myself torn between simply getting it |
| Q: How do you perceive yourself in terms of your | | | | done ASAP and charging a reasonable time estimate |
| role: do you self-describe (if at all) as a consultant, a | | | | and actually spending the allotted time on the project. |
| doctor, a businessman...? | | | | It's a mindset issue. |
| A: My self-definition changes with my current | | | | Q: Finally, what's next for you professionally over the |
| activities. Today, I consider myself a consultant, | | | | next few years? |
| which is to say an intellectual mercenary of sorts. It's | | | | A: I'm going to continue the intellectual property |
| a freeing definition, in that it doesn't lock me down | | | | work, in part because it's innately interesting, and in |
| into a given tract or field. | | | | part because it helps me with my own patent |
| Q: Tell us a bit about your consultancy Archetype | | | | designs. There's probably a book or two in there |
| Technologies. What kind of work do you carry out | | | | somewhere as well. |
| and who are your clients? | | | | |