Business Multimedia Explained: A Manager's Guide to Key Terms & Concepts

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Excellent dialogue between business and technology [Posted on 1999-03-04]
Three themes knit together Peter Keen's wide-ranging study of multimedia. The first and opening one is the claim that, unlike networks which just move information, multimedia humanizes it. Multimedia is essentially about making digital information seem natural and common sensible to people (p. 193). Multimedia presentation to the human senses is self-evident and self-justifying. Thus, one of the explanation of multimedia promised and delivered by Keen ends up being Zen. It is paradoxical in that no further explanation is required. It works. Still, many other detailed explanations and through-provoking analyses are offered by Keen for the benefit of the business manager, who along with the executive and business-savy technician form the audience for this text. High on the list of explanatory devices is the notion of "dominant design". Running throughout Keen's work is the task of identifying dominant designs (see James M. Utterback on innovation ). Four breakthrough areas for the application of multimedia to business form an "opportunity checklist" (p. 25). These include knowledge management, customer interaction, natural decision input, and shared understanding. Multimedia produce dramatic results in reducing training costs and improving staff retention of information communicated. Customer service and the power of the ultimate on-line catalog (the Web) - whether delivered over souped-up twisted pair or cable modems - is a realty. Natural decision input and shared understanding are more complex. But ultimately more important. "Visualization is central to everyday human thinking and to synthesizing large volumes of data" (p. 20). Visualizing complexities in finance, manufacturing, and communication renders matters more manageable by making them seem simpler. Watch for dramatic future developments here. In the work place effective understanding between members of workgroups, between customers and salespersons, and between designer and producer, are all enhanced by multimedia presentations and simulations. These themes -- including those of dominant design, self-evident and self-justifying technologies, and the Web as a would-be subset of multimedia - are driven through an alphabetic listing of key concepts and terms. Although this second section runs to over 300 pages and is entitled a Glossary, that term is misleading. Many entries are the equivalent of multi-page, stand alone essays, with facts plus executive briefing style editorial comment. Given the author's impressive command of the language and IT expertise, it makes a rewarding and interesting cover-to-cover read. One key to Keen's success is the promotion of the dialogue between the business and the technical specialists. Multimedia adds an additional dimension to that - be sure to include the design specialist with the skills required to build Web pages or high quality CD-ROM disks. However, in the end, no technology - including multimedia - generates value all by itself. That most precious and limited of commodities, management skill does that. That is Keen's point and the power of his message. --excerpt from my published review in COMPUTING REVIEWS, October 1997

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