Ancora Imparo - The Stockholm Interpretation

Stockholm á Minuit. Peter Johnson

Ancora Imparo. 

Apparently Michaelangelo was fond of this phrase. It means 'still I am learning' and indeed, anyone in the business of creativity, design or innovation needs to keep an open mind.

Wandering around Stockholm this evening, I reflected on all the conversation and feedback from this last week. While I walked, I made a big effort to view these discussions from the Swedish perspective; from the point of view of one who loves order and hates chaos.

I'm pleased to say that the result was a mild epiphany.

During my talks I always make a point of emphasising that order (control) is important - and that it would remain - like the mainframe computer in the age of the tablet - chugging away in the background doing the heavy lifting. However, because I'm an innovation kind of guy, I think I'm sometimes guilty of not giving enough love to these parts of the organisation.

The point is if you love order, and working to processes, then you've found your natural role: mechanistic and systemic IT support processes. It's cool, we still need people like you. Have a big techpsychsoc hug: ❤.

But if you are an innovator, either in the heat of the service experience moment or if you have the ability to magic something new and useful out of the ether, then what's different about the post-ITSM workplace is that we also have a place for you. It's a place where free and unrestricted (but guided by your values), you can create the new and the useful. You are empowered to dream up solutions that the business will love.

Most importantly for everyone (that's innovators and order lovers), once you've finished and you're off creating the next amazing thing, the lovely, orderly types will be there, cleaning up the exhaust of your chaotic spark, and managing your innovations such that they become stable and reliable. Working in this way - together - IT departments can build a wonderful future for themselves, and most importantly, avoid going the way of the dodo.

Eureka. As another ancient innovator might have put it.