Friday, September 10, 2010

On Hong Kong and ambidexterity


Hello from Singapore.    I have arrived here from Hong Kong yesterday,  here is a picture of myself in the Victoria Park in Hong Kong.   Hong Kong is run as a "special autonomy region" of China, under the "one country, two systems" idea.    I am not sure exactly what are the borders of autonomy, but it sure have a different look and feel from China -- different currency, car are driving on the left side, all announcements in the public transportation are done in Chinese and English, even in the local newspaper I've read about a possible teachers strike, something we are used to in Israel, but I am sure you don't see in China.   Hong Kong also has its own flag 


The "one country - two systems"  method, reminded me of the previous director of IBM Haifa Research Lab, who used to talk about ambidexterity,  where he meant that different activities in the same organizations have to be managed differently;   while this idea was not implemented at that time, I think that it is a really good idea,  organizations often tend to impose the same management model on all its activities, and this can be counter-productive,  managing going on activities, and innovative activities that might lead to breakthroughs should be totally different, as they are different in expectations, way people should be measured, and often in the organizational structure.   I think that we should see more of "one organization - two systems", some of it is managed by the right hand (and left part of the brain), and some by the left hand (and right side of the brain).
 
I'll write more on Hong Kong and Singapore - later.  

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