360°IT Blog
Can business save Britain?
25 Jun 2010
According to the Treasury's own figures, the UK's economic recovery and financial future rely on us transforming into a flourishing, predominantly export-led economy in just three years. As many commentators have pointed out in recent days, it's by no means certain we'll pull it off. Doing so requires a massive, concerted effort from the whole of the private sector to 'step up a gear' in order to push forward into the new and emerging markets where we'll need to succeed - places like India, the Far East, Africa and the Pacific Rim.
Make no mistake - technology will be central to that revolution, in terms of giving our organisations the capacity to move quickly, operate efficiently and face ever-nimbler competitors wherever they may be, as well as in terms of attracting and best harnessing the skills of the people and organisations we'll need to help us do it. We'll also need a superfast, universal broadband infrastructure to support this (as Peter Cochrane has previously argued on this blog) - and quickly. Again the Government has made clear this will have to be built and funded by business.
The challenges are immense and immediate. But while most media debate has focused on whether the Government can succeed in getting the banks investing sufficiently in our businesses, it seems to me the greatest barriers in our way are not financial but human - namely complacency and apathy. Some business leaders seem to believe, just like some football fans prior to England's first two World Cup group matches, that their success is somehow naturally guaranteed. Others seem resigned to the fact they have no control of their wider destiny and carry on as normal by default.
That said, I'm cautiously optimistic. The UK has a wealth of creativity and talent, and as England's improved form against Slovenia this week shows yet again, it might take us a while but when we're really up against the wall we tend to pull something out of the hat (although readers in Scotland may reject the analogy).
Well, we're up against the wall right now, and as gatekeepers to the potential infrastructural solutions that can accelerate many of the necessary changes, IT leaders need to be standing up and blowing their vuvuzelas for all they're worth. And, just like the World Cup, once we've found our form we need to stay on the ball and keep our dreams alive until we're defeated - or emerge as winners. Let's hope it's the latter.
Jim Mortleman is editor of the 360°IT Blog and an independent business and technology writer/commentator
Make no mistake - technology will be central to that revolution, in terms of giving our organisations the capacity to move quickly, operate efficiently and face ever-nimbler competitors wherever they may be, as well as in terms of attracting and best harnessing the skills of the people and organisations we'll need to help us do it. We'll also need a superfast, universal broadband infrastructure to support this (as Peter Cochrane has previously argued on this blog) - and quickly. Again the Government has made clear this will have to be built and funded by business.
The challenges are immense and immediate. But while most media debate has focused on whether the Government can succeed in getting the banks investing sufficiently in our businesses, it seems to me the greatest barriers in our way are not financial but human - namely complacency and apathy. Some business leaders seem to believe, just like some football fans prior to England's first two World Cup group matches, that their success is somehow naturally guaranteed. Others seem resigned to the fact they have no control of their wider destiny and carry on as normal by default.
That said, I'm cautiously optimistic. The UK has a wealth of creativity and talent, and as England's improved form against Slovenia this week shows yet again, it might take us a while but when we're really up against the wall we tend to pull something out of the hat (although readers in Scotland may reject the analogy).
Well, we're up against the wall right now, and as gatekeepers to the potential infrastructural solutions that can accelerate many of the necessary changes, IT leaders need to be standing up and blowing their vuvuzelas for all they're worth. And, just like the World Cup, once we've found our form we need to stay on the ball and keep our dreams alive until we're defeated - or emerge as winners. Let's hope it's the latter.
Jim Mortleman is editor of the 360°IT Blog and an independent business and technology writer/commentator
Tags:
business change, business transformation, UK plc, UK economy, recovery, export-led recovery, superfast broadband, budget, winning strategy, globalisation, competitiveness
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