Inspiration at the Beach

The team captains were designated according to which person on each team had signed up first - the most motivated were our leaders? Good start. As we milled about, I whispered in our team leader's ear that I had received cudos in the past for a sand octopus I had built on a previous vacation, and it was pretty easy to do. Could we work that into the project guidelines?

The contest gave each 10-person team a set of tools and a consultant and a common goal of building a sand object with a "computer-based" theme. What if our octopus were typing on a laptop? He went with my idea and I volunteered to go up to my suite to bring down some beer. Ten minutes later, I show up with a twelve-pack and the octopus was already taking shape. As I watched the consultant and another working on the laptop and the head, I saw the majority of the team working on one tentacle each. The teambuilding part was working well. We were ahead of the competition, and had ample time to work on details. The tentacles spread out, looking like wires to me. What if the tentacles turned into cables - I spread the suggestion that we have some fun with the tentacles - one ended up sporting an RJ45 terminal.

Each of the other tentacles took on its own ending: besides the two tentacles typing on the laptop, we had one holding a Blackberry, another a cell phone, one with a can of Bud Light, a curled tentacle holding a pen, and finally, the piece de resistance, a tentacle grasping a pair of crimping pliers. The finishing touch had the Octopus sporting a big grin and a badge that read "CIO." After all, what CIO wouldn't be happy with eight arms to help him/her get all their work done?

Through some mix up in the judging, we ended up with a second-place trophy. I won't go into the winning team's design, but clearly, there had been some bribing of judges going on. In the end, the exercise worked and we had a lot of fun playing in the sand.

It was a fun exercise, and for me, it showed both the organic nature of creativity and the concept of emergence. From a kernel of an idea and a vision, the team went on to create personal touches and add florishes that only came to mind as they built the tentacles. I couldn't have imagined a better outcome.

I see the same process unfolding in the wireless projects at hand here in Texas. An important first step is to establish some clear project guidelines and an open spirit of teamwork and cooperation. Everyone involved should have a say and the project should be flexible enough to include flashes of inspiration. The end should not be pre-ordained, but should have a goal in mind to start with.

Once a process like a metropolitan broadband network is kicked off, it's impossible to say where the chemistry of the project will take it. The leaders should maintain sufficient flexibility and an open mind, so that when a better idea or modification floats up from the surface, it can be accommodated and added in, as long as it conforms to the general idea, is acceptable to most on the team, and is an improvement. That way, the project truly will reflect the interests and desires of the local community and they will have a sense of ownership and authorship.

The cooperation, team spirit and sense of fun that I saw from this group of public sector IT professionals bodes well for Texas and its connected broadband future. As long as we find a way to let everyone contribute, I think our future is in good hands and we will see plenty of creative energy and innovation shaping the outcomes.