John Hagel and John Seely-Brown have just released a piece entitled "From Push to Pull – Emerging Models for Mobilizing Resources" which touches on some key points that resonate with what I discuss in this blog. I won't try to summarize the whole thing here because Hagel does a great job of that on his blog. But briefly, they believe a new set of dynamics is emerging that is beginning to move the market from our existing "push" model, or one where manufacturers have all the control over what products get brought (pushed) to market, to a "pull" model where the control shifts to the consumer.
"Push models treat people as passive consumers (even when they are producers like workers on an assembly line) whose needs can be anticipated and shaped by centralized decision-makers. Pull models treat people as networked creators (even when they are customers purchasing goods and services) who are uniquely positioned to transform uncertainty from a problem into an opportunity. Pull models are ultimately designed to accelerate capability building by participants, helping them to learn as well as innovate, by pursuing trajectories of learning that are tailored to their specific needs."
I find this piece completely in line with my thinking on not only where we are headed but where we should all be focused. As I mention here, here and here, I believe we are indeed entering new, incredibly valuable territory. The questions that needs to get answered are will it be as disruptive as the early adopters hope? Will it go mass market? Is it sustainable? I strongly believe the answer to these questions is yes but it will take many years, which does not, by the way, lessen the urgency. The quote in the paper that most aligns with my thinking is this one:
"...Customers are increasingly demanding the ability to configure their own products and services from modular components supplied by the vendor, leading to further proliferation of options. For example, the desire to obtain specific music tracks rather than an entire pre-packaged album of songs has spawned the rapid growth of online music networks serving that need. At the extreme, customers are demanding and receiving tools to create their own products and services, bypassing entire tiers of product and service vendors."
And while the example they give is for a digital content service, there is no reason to believe the impulse/need will not be shared and demanded in the physical world as well - a direction for which I am an ardent supporter.
I highly suggest you read this paper.
Comments