“Instant Gratification”

It is nearly unthinkable to the younger generations of today that in the not so distant past there were no such things as cell phones, personal computers, and ipods.  Our society seems to have developed the mentality of a spoiled child.  We want what we want, when we want it.  Most likely when we want it, is now!  This is, of course, almost to be expected when many youth today have never even experienced the frustration of waiting for a dial up internet connection, let alone a world without text messages! 

This impatience encompasses business life as well as personal life.  We all want to be able to connect quickly and without problems, to anyone, anywhere, anytime.  We expect the information in a timely and easily understandable format at the click of a button.  Workflow software is the technology that prevents the temper tantrums that would most certainly erupt from the “spoiled” masses otherwise.  It allows the flow of information between individuals, companies, countries, and even continents.  It also allows for tasks to be simplified, delegated to those who can complete it the best and quickest, then re-combined to produce a finished product in a virtual environment.  Proximity is irrelevant when the world is flat.  We are no longer limited by boundaries.  What an incredible concept!

Workflow software seems to me to be the same basic notion as that of the assembly line, such as those used to build aircraft or automobiles.  None of us expect one person to kick out an entire airplane on their own.   A complicated process is broken down into smaller, simplified steps.  Each person along the assembly line is responsible only for completing their one specific task, and then the product moves on to the next person, each adding their input in their area of expertise.  The end result is a finished product compiled from the many small tasks put together as a whole. 

Open source software is a collaboration of a different sort.  This idea seems both revolutionary and outdated at the same time to me.  It is insane that people would knowingly and willingly invest their time and brainpower on designing and improving software that is then offered to the world for no cost.  This seems like an incredibly outdated ideal to me personally.  On the same note however, it is INSANE (as in awesome) that people would knowingly and willingly invest their time and brainpower on designing and improving software that is then offered to the world for NO COST!!  Totally revolutionary.  How incredible it is that we live in a world where so called no name “geeks” can band together and give a huge conglomerate like Microsoft a run for their money!

Such amazing innovations in software have led to the idea that strikes fear in the hearts of call center workers throughout America.  I know, I have been there unfortunately.  “Outsourcing”!  The surplus of fiber optic cable created a new highway that connected the entire world easily and at a relatively small cost.  Now with work flow software, the “assembly line” could be broken down and shipped anywhere in the world to be completed.  Each of the pieces were then just as quickly and easily shipped back and put together to form the finished product.  Now instead of work being handed out based on location, it was focused on the very best result at the lowest cost. 

And thus the spoiled child began screaming.  Who can give me what I think I want, as quickly as I think I want it, and at the least amount of financial burden?  The era of instant gratification had begun.