Owen McCall - News, Features, and Slideshows

News

• Digital, the 21st century gold rush

  There are a lot of parallels between the California gold rush and what is going on today in the rush to digital, writes Owen McCall.

• The relentless pursuit of sameness

  You are unlikely to create greatness simply by replicating others. It's the business equivalent of ‘keeping up with the Joneses’.

• ​The technology puzzle

  It is very difficult if not impossible to design a jigsaw puzzle by getting independent actors to design certain pieces only and then expect them to work together - yet that is what a lot of organisations today are doing with their business technology systems.

• The disruption of Disney

  I believe that Disney is one of the smartest, most customer-centric corporate organisations in the world…but this paragon of service might well be under threat.

• 'Let’s face it, most organisations do not actively invest in the digital literacy of their teams'

  ...and when the system goes live users are expected to perform flawlessly.

• How to avoid the ‘technology hammer’

  “Here is a technology, it's really cool, now, let's identify a problem that we might be able to ‘hit’ with this technology.” Sounds familiar?

• Focus equals progress

  Most teams try and do everything, please everyone. Owen McCall discusses why this can impede the goal to build a world class IT team.

• Montessori at work

  Businesses can learn from the principles espoused by a doctor and educator that changed the game for schools at the start of the 20th century – and continues to today.
  
  

• Data science in the forest

  Nigel Brabyn drills in on a key asset of Nelson Forests – its data repository, which is set to grow exponentially as digital tools are used in logging production.

• CIO-plus: ICT on a mission: Climb Mt Everest

  The year in numbers, the best tech products of 2013 and a LinkedIn profile that could land you your dream job – a roundup of news, reviews and trends for business technology leaders.

• The CIO’s first order of business

  Before you can be influential you need to be seen as fundamentally competent, writes Owen McCall. You have to be strategically relevant, that is, you have to understand your business and the issues your peers are dealing with on a daily basis. You have to be influential with your peers so that when you talk knowledgeably about how IT can deliver value to the business or how IT was altering the competitive landscape, they listen.
  

• Power steering

  Five industry leaders discuss ways to push ICT governance to the top of the corporate agenda.

• The Warehouse eliminates CIO position

  The position of CIO at The Warehouse has been disestablished and Owen McCall, who held the role from 2003, left the company last week.

• Street-smart IT

  Eight children aged eight to 13 were taking turns playing games on four computers in one corner of a room, one afternoon at the Community House in Rata Vine, in Wiri, South Auckland,. The children went to the community house straight from school – and into the computer room.
  A few minutes before 4.30 pm, the supervisor told them the room has to be closed. The look of reluctance at having to leave was evident as the boys gathered their school bags to walk home.