I recently spoke with one of my favorite commentators, Network World journalist/editor Ann Bednarz (@annbednarz), on the 10th anniversary of the publication of Nick Carr’s seminal article, “IT Doesn’t Matter’. Carr’s article shook the foundations of IT – not entirely for the right reasons, or in the right way. In her new article, Ann does a great job tapping into the zeitgeist of that time, reviewing the surprisingly long tail of this article. I am honored that she chose to include some of my thoughts too: The jarring headline of Carr’s May 2003 article, “IT Doesn’t Matter,” is what many people remember, and it tends to overshadow his more thought-provoking thesis: that companies have overestimated the strategic value of IT, which is becoming ubiquitous and therefore diminishing as a source of competitive differentiation. … “He didn’t look into the future. He looked at the present state and saw a lethargic,…
