I’ve been chatting with Sig from time to time about his progress with development of Thingamy. He’s been ranting for months on his blog that companies should be changing their business processes & model(s) in order to kick their competition’s butt.

I was recently updating my personal web site to reflect my background and thoughts on creative thinking. While quoting Edward de Bono’s Time Sequence Trap (TST), I started thinking that it might represent the biggest reason (IMHO) why too many companies are stuck today with flat (or falling) revenues due to outdated business models. Then it struck me: Thingamy could prevent the TST.

Let me explain. Below is my own rendition of de Bono’s TST as an explanation of the need for disruption of existing structures. (Business leaders: Imagine that each letter represents a separate business process.) (IT leaders: Imagine that each letter represents a separate software application.)

Month 1: Start with A.
Month 2: I have a T to add. It fits nicely after the A to form AT.
Month 3: I have an E to add. IT also fits nicely at the end, forming ATE.
Month 4: I have an R to add. This works best at the front of the existing
structure. I now have RATE.
Month 5: I have a G to add. Like last month, the G fits logically at the frond end of my growing structure. I now have GRATE.
Month 6: I now have a T. What do I do with this? It doesn’t seem to fit my existing structure. I need to think about this…
Month 7: Wait a minute! What if, like legos, I take the parts I have and put them together in a different way:
change GRATE to TARGE
The T now fits at the end of my new structure to form TARGET.
Month 8: Now we can practice what we learned from Godin and tell stories about TARGET while our competitors seek different ways to dress up GRATE. We ROCK!!

I can hear many of you now: “That’s just a word game.” I have a much simpler — and real – example for you from the world of business…

Old sequence: (1) Build computer. (2) Sell computer.
New sequence: (1) Sell computer. (2) Build computer.

Any ideas who revolutionized the PC industry with that simple insight? (Hint: His first name is Michael, and it’s not MJ.)

I believe that, in concept, Thingamy has the potential to enable companies to create new ways of doing business and — perhaps more importantly — to easily revise those ways over time. Seems to me that, in a rapidly evolving global economy, such flexibility would be an incredible asset. I can’t wait to see what Sig is brewing!