In the QUBE no one can hear you weep...

For decades we have been promised that technology would imminently conquer distance and time and enable us to work together at a distance as if we were side-by-side.

Video conferencing missed the mark and quickly became known for its cost, unreliability and the need to go to a ‘special room’ to peer into the faces of distant colleagues, email has evolved into he electronic version of those birthday candles which once blown out immediately relight themselves. Audio conferences and webinars are simply one person talking and 18 doing their emails in on mute – occasionally replying yes or no to a poll!

On the 12th of July two things happened. The first was the launch at Cape Canaveral signalling the final end of the space race and the second was that Professor Eddie Obeng led the first conference in the Pentacle QUBE entitled Innovation Without Boundaries.

QUBE is our attempt to create a natural working environment for collaboration at a distance. We designed it as a way to enable our business education applications so that we could seamlessly intertwine education with real work for our global clients. But we got more than we bargained for. Instead what we have created is perhaps the most natural collaborative environment available when people around the world need to work together. Because everything stays where it’s left, even across time zones, we can create the equivalent of ‘sticking a post-it on your monitor’. The secret is not just in the technology it is also in our understanding of creating environments where people wish to share and also in our skills in driving and influencing the behaviour change needed.

Key speakers were David Williams CEO Amari Plastics, David Kester of the Design Council, Sebatian Conran, Dr David Lonmas and Professor Eddie Obeng.

Perhaps the best comment we received on the day was one very animated participant who at the end said in a tight voice, “When I think of all the time in my life I have spent, wasted, miserably watching Powerpoints and been bored rigid listening to audio conference monologues and not progressing the work itself, I could weep.”

You can find out more about QUBE at http://QUBE.cc

Dancing to the B.E.A.T of Rapid Change

Ghana is thumping!  For a country known for it’s talking drums and foot tapping ‘hi-life’ music, the intertwined rhythms of change, innovation and execution have stepped-up their volume.  In the last few years GDP growth has shot up and is predicted to hit 15% soon.  Everyone wants to join in, from international and regional players to local start-ups, everyone is clamouring to do business in Ghana, and Accra is in the lead.

But the party spirit is dampened by anxieties about change projects that nobody believes in, complaints about lack of the right talent. ‘Resistance to change’ is often the refrain.

Kwame Akuffo and Michael Anaman  of Pentacle Africa were joined by delegates from Bharti Airtel; Buck Press; BVM Advisory; Databank; Ghana Commercial Bank, First Atlantic Bank; HFC Bank; JLD & MB Legal Consultancy; MMRS –Ogilvy; Ogilvy Africa Media; SSNIT and UT Bank and other companies well known in Ghana for two days.  The theme was Managing Today, Inventing Tomorrow - Welcome to the New World!

Over the two days the delegates were challenged, amazed and delighted by the range of Pentacle frameworks and concepts.  They were really energised by the Pentacle guests: Prince Kofi Amoabeng, CEO and founder of UT Bank and UT Holdings and Mr. Reginald France of Boulders Advisors and valued the fact that they had many chances to put their learning into action, guided by the tutors.

The most popular ‘tracks’ of the conference were on: “How to cope with the pace and speed of change”, How to avoid the “Dead Body Syndrome” of dissatisfied stakeholders and most to all the crucial importance of sticking to the Leadership B.E.A.T.  (which stands for our own Behaviours and the paradigms that underpin them; the Emotional engagement of followers; the prioritisation of the key Actions and the new world Thinking which de-risks all of it).

There will be another chance to dance to the BEAT with the Pentacle duo in September 2011.  If you want to find out some more visit us at http://www.Pentacle-Africa.com/

Note to: Harvard Business Review Editor - Please correct your spelling...

It seems that time travel is possible and that Pentacle has managed it.  This month ion an article entitled Who moved my cube? Creating workspace that actually foster collaboration.  HBR is exploring touchspace.  We think that they got it absolutely right but in the wrong stardate.  For the 21st century should probably be exploring cyberspace with the Pentacle QUBE - or maybe it was just a spelling mistook!

    
Old World

 New World         

In the QUBE no one can hear you weep

For decades we have been promised that technology would imminently conquer distance and time and enable us to work together at a distance as if we were side-by-side.

Video conferencing missed the mark and quickly became known for its cost, unreliability and the need to go to a ‘special room’ to peer into the faces of distant colleagues, email has evolved into he electronic version of those birthday candles which once blown out immediately relight themselves. Audio conferences and webinars are simply one person talking and 18 doing their emails in on mute – occasionally replying yes or no to a poll!

On the 12th of July two things happened. The first was the launch at Cape Canaveral signalling the final end of the space race and the second was that Professor Eddie Obeng led the  first conference in the Pentacle QUBE entitled   Innovation Without Boundaries.

QUBE is our attempt to create a natural working environment for collaboration at a distance. We designed it as a way to enable our business education applications so that we could seamlessly intertwine education with real work for our global clients. But we got more than we bargained for. Instead what we have created is perhaps the most natural collaborative environment available when people around the world need to work together. Because everything stays where it’s left, even across time zones, we can create the equivalent of ‘sticking a post-it on your monitor’. The secret is not just in the technology it is also in our understanding of creating environments where people wish to share and also in our skills in driving and influencing the behaviour change needed.

Perhaps the best comment we received on the day was one very animated participant who at the end said in a tight voice, “When I think of all the time in my life I have spent, wasted, miserably watching Powerpoints and been bored rigid listening to audio conference monologues and not progressing the work itself, I could weep.”

You can find out more about QUBE at http://QUBE.cc