> But I submit that in an environment of freely and instantly available
information,
> this advantage is only fleeting and cannot be sustained.
If this were only true David....
This ("every one has the same info at the same time") is one of great
misunderstandings of the new Information or Networked economy. Everyone
does NOT have access to the same information at the same time!. Sure,
very general information and data are 'instantly' available through many
media to many recipients. But the real knowleldege, innovation, secrets,
feedback, community learning is NOT available to all...and this is where
competitive advantage is gained. The real knowledge and understanding is
tied up in the networks of every industry. The ties in these networks are
NOT evenly distributed -- where you are in the network determines what you
know, when you know it, and who else knows. Those(people or companies)
who are central in these networks have a competitve advantage over those
who are not. If your firm is on the periphery of these networks, its
actions are severly constrained.
Hierarchies where easy to read -- those at the top held the power. In
networks those at the center hold the power. The only problem is that
networks are not easy to read -- it's frequently hard to determine who is
in the thick of things -- it is usually NOT the node with the most
connections. Knowing the networks of information, knowledge exchange, and
learning in an industry will reveal who the leaders are and who the
followers are. Networks are not as democratic as we think/hope/assume...
Valdis Krebs
Krebs & Associates
Los Angeles, CA
-- ValdisK@aol.com