Rating: 
Summary: Focus on Decentralized Human Expertise
Review: After demolishing Business Process Reengineering (BPR) as a necessary element of but insufficient substitute for corporate strategy, organizational learning, or reinvention, the author goes on to address twelve themes central to success in an economic environment characterized by networked intelligence: knowledge, digitization, virtualization, molecularization, integration/internetworking, disintermediation, convergence (a big one), innovation, prosumption, immediacy, globalization, and discordance (another big one). He stressed the need for "busting loose from the technology legacy", the need to dramatically transform both the information management and human resource management concepts and also a turning on its head of how government works-from centralized after the fact "leveling" and gross national security to decentralized, proactive nurturing of individual opportunity before the fact, providing individual security through individual opportunity and prosperity within the network.
Rating: 
Summary: Fundamental reading
Review: Don Tapscott provides an overview of the way the digitalization of information is transforming the economy and projects the likely changes ahead from his perspective in 1996. The book suggests ways to exercise leadership effectively in this transformed, networked world. However, since this thoughtful, well-organized book was written several years ago, it is mainly of historical interest now, because of the rapid changes in the digital world. Still, it is useful to apply some of the themes Tapscott developed when you consider how the digital economy is continuing to evolve. ...recommend this well-written book for a general audience as well as executives and managers who are interested in the unfolding of the new economy.
Rating: 
Summary: Wish List
Review: Don Tapscott's "The Digital Economy" is a wish list. In fact, it's everybody's wish list. Tapscott vision of the future is not too far from an episode of Star Trek. However, he failed to mention one major requirement for this Digital Economy to happen and that is the issue of bandwidth. For simple concepts such as video conferencing to happen in a practical sense, you'd need bandwidth. It may be practical in a local network for video conferencing to span across the globe, we're talking very fat pipes to carry to carry all that video information and I do not see that happening for awhile. Maybe in 10 years.
Generally, this book is oversimplified and by and large, a written reinforcement of current beliefs and thinking. ("The new economy is a knowledge economy" he writes. Anyone who does not already know that, raise your hand!) Tapscott's concepts and vision are idealistic, to say the least. Perhaps even naive. He does not address many issues that currently plague most developing countries such as infrastructure, bandwidth, politics, and the culture. It is almost like his idea of a global digital economy is the US digital economy with no concerns of whether other countries would want to participate in it.
Contrary to those who say that this book has very little techno-jargon, I beg to differ. There aren't many useful technical jargon but there are enough "technical" words in the book for those who are not Net-savvy to think that this is a technical book and heaven forbid, should they use this as a reference. (eg. HTML, "hotlinks.")
Take, for example, the "Highway Analogy Madness" (p.23) I find that grossly unnecessary. It is a list of unheard-of or hardly used terms. It's neither informative nor is it entertaining.
And my major gripe on his introduction of terms: Do we need another term to describe the Net. Just when you thought you've heard the last of the "Information Superhighway," Tapscott gives us a new one: I-Way (as in Information highway.)
Having said all that, this book should be good reading for those who want a swift kick from the reality of the future. It's written like a brochure. And like a brochure, don't believe everything you read.
Rating:
Summary: To understand how Digital Economy is transforming businesses
Review: Even if the book was written in the mid 90 it still gives the bases to understand how Digital Economy is transforming our businesses and lives. Don Tapscott is clearly explaining that after Total Quality Management TQM, Business Processes Reengineering BPR we enter a new era where we will be asked to literally transform our businesses and lives.The convergence of computing, telecommunications and content is a real revolution, giving access to a networked economy working in real time and without knowing distances. This means that boundaries are exploding. Learning is becoming a continuous process and part of our day to day work it is why Digital Economy is often called Knowledge Economy. Customer is integrated in the production process and organizations are moving from a vertical integration to extended networks including customers, suppliers and more and more often competitors. We are far from the industrial hierarchical organizations where we are working now. Don Tapscott is helping us to understand the New Economy 12 themes supported by the 10 technological shifts and the move from individual effectiveness to the internetworked businesses through high performance teams, integrated organizations and extended enterprises. But finally he is convincing us that as part of an internetworked leadership, we are collectively responsible to achieve the transformation of our businesses for a better life promised by the New interactive Economy. Don Tapscott is also helping us to evaluate impact of the Digital Economy on our business work, on our education systems, and on our governments. The interactivity is transforming the media industry and asking a new leadership for our businesses.
Don Tapscott doesn't forget to discuss the peril of the Digital Economy from privacy protection to electronic democracy. Digital Economy is a real knowledge spring where you come back regularly to improve your understanding of the surrounding growing New Economy.
Rating:
Summary: A "normal" person's guide to the Web and related technology.
Review: Finally - a book on the Internet and Information Technologywritten for "normal" people! In his "The Digital Economy",author and industry expert Don Tapscott avoids addressing his readers in geek-speak or treating them as techno-idiots. He provides an informative and useful tour of how the new digital world is impacting our lives today, even as it re-defines our tomorrow. The style is narrative and often amusing, and one hardly notices just how much dynamite information and solid research is being presented. Burned out on the hype of the "Web" or not; this is the one book which is a must read for confused students, concerned workers, and nervous business people who have been trying to figure out the Information Super-Highway. Don Tapscott has opened a "ramp" - and now there's no excuse not to "drive" on.
Rating:
Summary: Insightful book about the digital revolution.
Review: I have never considered myself an information "technocrat", but I realize that technology, or more accurately, the effective use of technology is critical to success in business. Books written on technology usually intimidate me with technical details that might as well be written in a foreign language. So, when Don Tapscott's book, The Digital Economy, was recommended to me, I purchased the book thinking it would not hold my interest for more than two chapters. Instead, I was pleasantly surprised by a book that grabbed my attention and would not let go. With a balance of case studies, statistical information, and his own model of the new digital economy, Mr. Tapscott wrote a book that describes the opportunities and pitfalls of the new networked economy. For business leaders grappling with the globally networked economy, this book helps put it all in perspective. As a sequel to his earlier bestseller, Paradigm Shift, Mr. Tapscott takes a strategic look at the technological advances society is making, focusing on how they change the way we interact, communicate, conduct business transactions, learn and play. Mr. Tapscott explains that we are on the brink of a revolution as networked intelligence, coupled with human intelligence, create new economic and societal possibilities. Like the agricultural and industrial age before it, the digital revolution will change the rules of business and the structures that support human interactions. Speed of innovation and flexibility on a grand scale will become critical to success in a digital economy. Product life cycles will be measured in weeks or days, and disintermediation will be a continuing trend that could lead to systemic unemployment. Through this revolutionary period, there will be a blurring of the line between producers and consumers. Tapscott coins the term "prosumers" to describe how we will interact with technology. With the requirements for success changing, the current best business practices such as Total Quality Management (TQM) and Business Process Reengineering (BPR) will not be enough to ensure survival in the future. Theses efforts focus on improving current business processes rather than inventing new processes, markets, and products. Tapscott urges his readers to focus on ways to add value in a new and rapidly changing economy. Because the digital economy makes information inexpensive, Tapscott speaks of the movement from an economy based on mass production to an economy based on mass customization. Already, Levi's will "build" you a customized pair of jeans. Those who success in this new digital economy must be willing to challenge their own thinking, make their own products obsolete, and continuously look for ways to add value to those they serve. Mr. Tapscott took great care to provide a balanced view of the networked revolution. As digital interchange allows people separated by great distances to share creative ideas, it also increases the risk of individuals becoming isolated. At the same time, we risk losing our privacy as personal information can be extracted from multiple sources. Tapscott speaks of the swift punishment corporations and individuals who do not "keep up with technology" can expect and of the societal risk we all encounter when we consider the possibility of a bipolar society based on technology "haves" and "have nots". Reminding us of our responsibility to each other and to society as a whole, Tapscott challenges us to make the most of the possibilities while remaining cognizant of all the risks.
Rating:
Summary: New Economy Genre
Review: Tapscott helped create the genre of new economy books with this effort. If he did not coin the term new economy he certainly helped to popularize it. Tapscott is an internationally sought after consultant, writer, and speaker on the subject of information technology. Technology related issues of the new economy are prominently featured in this book. Tapscott's clarity and broad domain expertise make The Digital Economy an extremely informative read. He was one of the first authors to introduce the idea that communications, computing, and content were all converging into new media. His business transformation through new media model wherein the effective individual leads to, the high performance team which leads to, the integrated enterprise which leads to, the extended enterprise which leads to, the inter-networked business which leads to ..., clearly anticipated the current eBusiness model rage, where the integration/collapsing of the supply chain is the road to competitive advantage. Even though (at the moment) New Economy thinking has fallen out of favor, Don will be proven correct on many fronts and this book will stand out as one of the most relevant portraits of this (still) emerging landscape.
Rating: 
Summary: Almost unreadable...a quaint artifact from an earlier time
Review: There were many annoying things about this book. Perhaps most annoying is that he never really talks about economies, and just blathers about gee-whiz technology in a rapid fire manner. He doesn't really penetrate much into the technology, nor bothers to say how it is really going to affect economies. The book is full of pre-9/11, pre-internet bubble euphoria, and never spends any time fully exploring its interesting premise. Certain the internet and communication technologies will effect the economy, and anyone trying to get any real insight here, beyond that it will make the world a better place and lots of people are going to make more money (stated over and over again), will be greatly let down. The effects of technology on economies is better described elsewhere, such as "The Innovator's Dilemma" and other books that understand both economics and the relevant technology, something a "visionary" such as Tapscott has no time for. Beyond providing insight into internet/technology mania of the mid to late 90's, I see no reason to invest time to read this book.
Rating:
Summary: Almost unreadable...a quaint artifact from an earlier time
Review: There were many annoying things about this book. Perhaps most annoying is that he never really talks about economies, and just blathers about gee-whiz technology in a rapid fire manner. He doesn't really penetrate much into the technology, nor bothers to say how it is really going to affect economies. The book is full of pre-9/11, pre-internet bubble euphoria, and never spends any time fully exploring its interesting premise. Certain the internet and communication technologies will effect the economy, and anyone trying to get any real insight here, beyond that it will make the world a better place and lots of people are going to make more money (stated over and over again), will be greatly let down. The effects of technology on economies is better described elsewhere, such as "The Innovator's Dilemma" and other books that understand both economics and the relevant technology, something a "visionary" such as Tapscott has no time for. Beyond providing insight into internet/technology mania of the mid to late 90's, I see no reason to invest time to read this book.
Rating:
Summary: The acid test for all prophecy is whether it comes true . ..
Review: This is one of the books that I keep with me as a continual source of inspiration. Although some criticize it as now being somewhat dated, I do not see that as a valid objection. After all, Mr Tapscott set out to predict the near future, and many of the things he has predicted has come true - in spades! These valid predictions merely add credence to the power of his other yet-to-be-fulfilled predictions, many of which one can see being realised as we speak. Of course a book like this will be soon dated - it goes with the territory. The value in this book is in its radicalism, in its shattering trumpet sounds that anticipate the crumbling of the Jericho-like walls of status quo business practices. It is an inspiration to those of us who believe, and are acting upon the belief, that the digital economy undermines everything - some for the better, some for the worse. But either way, it is best to get your head out of the sand and to get prepared. Standing still is not an option. Thanks, Don, for a GREAT book that will soon be widely regarded as a classic.
|
