Change Agent (p. 102)
FC Article

• Has society become too critical? Is there such things as too much access to information? How have sites like Amazon.com and Epinions transformed the way we purchase products? Have they actually created a culture of criticism, or do they merely reflect the critical nature of modern society and give people an outlet for these criticisms?
• Does an overload of critical opinions halt new ideas or just make their development more challenging? How does your company balance fear of criticism with innovation? Does the public perceive innovation of new products as a sign of motivation or of fear and weakness? Have our standards for superior products and impeccable service become so high that they are unachievable? Read through Seth Godin's analysis of how Microsoft deals with failure. What techniques has Microsoft used in dealing with criticism that might be useful in your company? What would you do differently?
• What makes for a good critique? How can you and your company avoid the traps that Godin describes? What can you do to protect your company against unjust criticism?

Groove (pp. 96, 192)
FC Article
FC Article

• Both John Ellis and Bill Breen write about the impending arrival of the peer-to-peer program Groove. What software is most influential on the culture of business now, and how might Groove change this? Is Groove the last installment in a Lotus triumvirate of software, or might Lotus continue to change the way we do business? What features and functions might the next Lotus program take? What need does peer-to-peer software serve? How could your business utilize it? Will Groove make the physical office succumb to a virtual one?
• Explain how Groove serves as a metaphor for the new economy. Is Groove an actual part of the democratization of technology or does it only impact the already tech-happy? Will the program make face time simply a thing of the past? What impact will Groove has on Free Agent Nation? Will there still be a need for actual employees or will the increased network capability create an even larger demand for free agents? What are the potential negative effects of Groove? Is face-to-face contact necessary for companies to run smoothly or is it just an aspect of business that used to be a given? Examine the potential implications of Groove on teamwork and project management.
• Groove founder Ray Ozzie talks of how 'people can use technology to work together well.' Is this relationship between consumers and technology a symbiotic one or more parasitic? Ozzie envisions Groove as substituting as a means for communication. Is this appropriate or will there always be a need for human contact in the work place?
• Marshall McLuhan wrote 'the medium is the message.' Breen writes that we need to 'make the medium serve the message.' How has the relationship between medium and message changed in the new economy? Which plays the dominant role? What impact might Groove have on this relationship.

Daniel Richards contributed this month's Flash Points.

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