Thread by @swardley

X : DevOps will be the new legacy?
Me : Yep.
X : Agile doesn't work everywhere?
Me : Yep
X : Don't Spotify your organisational structure, adopt basic principles instead?
Me : Yep
X : Are you trying to pick a fight with the entire management consultant industry?
Me : and?

X : It's almost everything you've done over the decade ... adopt cloud, adopt serverless, learn from China, hold back on AI and blockchain, stop messing with culture and org structure, forget bimodal, learn to map, use open source as a weapon, build ecosystems ...
Me : ... yes?

X : ... well, it's like you almost disagree with the entire management consultant industry?
Me : Not all of it. Large chunks I do. I however agree on the robots bit.
X : Robots replacing humans?
Me : Been happening for decades.

X : Do you not think that management consultants provide a useful function?
Me : They could do. Teaching techniques between companies like arms dealers for strategy. But they generally try to enslave companies. Mapping is all about democratising strategy. Freeing us.

X : You're serious about this?
Me : Which bit? My goal being to take out the existing management consulting industry possibly replacing it with something that does the job it's supposed to?
X : You are serious.
Me : Always have been. Long battle this one.

X : I don't get it. How do you intend to take on an entire industry? What resources do you have?
Me : Ah, I started with nothing. Mapped out where I wanted to go. Created "seed" conditions, encouraged it and then ... allowed the garden to flower. It's growing into a movement.

X : Have you done this before?
Me : Many times e.g. Ubuntu taking over the cloud OS against massive players (MSFT / RHAT). Seeding of changes in a massive organisations (e.g. UK Gov) through spend control.
X : Where did you learn how to do this?
Me : World of Warcraft. Long ago.

X : What?! That's a game.
Me : Oh no. It's the finest management training tool in existence. Many of the MMORPGs are. You learn how to build massive guilds world wide with ... nothing at all. It takes real skill. The future CEOs we need are all training on MMORPGs today.

X : What about MBAs?
Me : That's where future management consultants train. We will need to fix that as well.

X : Are you serious?
Me : Oh yes. MBAs are mostly about barriers and inequality. MMORPGs are about true talent. It's amazing to watch an educated consultant get nowhere whilst the kid from a council estate whips up a 5,000 person guild using mobilisation, awareness and behaviour.

X : Barriers and inequality?
Me : Of course. Thos MBAs are super expensive because it's about super exclusivity. Whereas MMORPGs are cheap which means you have to survive on talent and not because you can afford to buy a "gold card" to the executive club.

X : I disagree with you. MBAs are about learning real skills.
Me : You're welcome to disagree. Of course, I'll say that MBAs are mostly about gaining access to the "network". They often even sell it on such terms. You want real talent, spend some time with the MMORPG community.

X : As if some executive position is ever going to ask for "effective at building guilds on world of warcraft" as a requirement.
Me : Well, I view it as essential. If you can't build a large guild from nothing at all then I would question putting you in charge of a real company.

... anyway, executive positions don't tend to recruit in such ways. It's more the tap on the shoulder through "executive searches".

X : What about EVE?
Me : Oh, I did my online "management training" through World of Warcraft (circa 2004-2006). I know people rave about EVE. It has always looked good for this - (H/T @PaulComis)