[OSList] Steve Jobs & Open Space

[Larry Peterson]

I just finished reading Walter Isaacson's book "Steve Jobs". The last
chapter has an interesting summary of some of the issues that his successful
life raises particularly with regard to open versus closed IT product
systems.

Jobs chose to drive towards integrated, high quality, creative design and
mostly closed products and systems. The openness is primarily for app
developers who can count on a consistent operating system across products.
This makes it easier to develop high quality applications that you know will
work on phones iPad or iPod my son says. 

Jobs did not believe in market research because his ideas were beyond
anyone's expectations and he believed that this vision would create the
products that people would want. He pushed his engineers and the details of
his vision mercilessly. Even Isaacson saw that the technical term assh*le
applied to him quite often. He was a self centered Zen Buddhist who did not
appropriate the more subtle qualities of a caring person. He was open to
learning as long as it came to be his idea.

His vision "opened space" for those who would work at their top level to
realize it.  When they didn't he was mean and spiteful. And many didn't
understand his view of good design together with good technology.  He was
used to getting what he wanted, even as a child, and this provided the
hubris to move forward.  The space of silicon valley with its nutrient rich
environment of engineers and garages and good schools made it possible for
Apple to get going.  His personal Zen Buddist journey provided the self
development, but did not make him self aware, just confident in his own
vision.



People around the world got engaged in his visionary leadership and became
followers of Apple as a counter culture product, even when it stumbled. It
certainly has worked in the market place to integrate superior products that
then set the model for the others to come.  Will Google and Microsoft be
able to catch up?   

As a PC person, I now find the products are quite amazing and the
integration makes it easy for me to connect my iPad with my iPhone and
project pictures on Apple TV with out enormous effort and technical
know-how. The products and the integration are fun even if they are more
costly. I think the book is a great read .

So where is the Open Space and the self-organization, other than at the
beginning - maybe that was enough for real, committed if crazy leadership to
emerge?  

Larry

 

 

Larry Peterson & Associates in Transformation

Toronto, Ontario, Canada

 <mailto:larry at spiritedorg.com> larry at spiritedorg.com   416.653.4829
<http://www.spiritedorg.com/> http://www.spiritedorg.com

 

 

 

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