CATEGORY

The day when information system leaders and business executives could function blissfully in their own isolated worlds is long gone--if indeed it ever really existed. John R. Logan's Evolution Not Revolution emphasizes why such professionals must now work closely together and outlines a series of six related competencies to help them do it. Logan, founder and CEO of the Aberdeen Group consulting company, says separation between these managers winds up producing a negative drag on performance that could be eliminated by introducing "a common set of management goals and principles for both to follow." Hinging everything on an overall corporate-wide information-age executive skill he dubs "emagineering," Logan spells out his approach to planning, deploying, operating, and measuring the advanced technological steps that spring from his suggested core proficiencies: fulfill the public's shifting demands, forge ties with existing customers and attract new ones, develop a common vision with business partners, maximize economic returns, execute functions on-time throughout the organization, and introduce technical operations necessary for a secure and flexible information system. "Connect the known, the suspected, and the new together," he writes, "and you will surely have the next great idea for improving the value of your company." --Howard Rothman