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» Balancing the triangle » Of coolness and data centers
Authority, accountability
and responsibility can
be a finely balanced trio
In order to keep pace with the uncertainty and rapid change that have become "business as usual" in today's competitive global marketplace, organizations are being forced to re-examine some fundamental managerial principles. In working with a multinational client recently on the challenge of managing globally based virtual teams, we found ourselves taking a hard look at the premise equating authority, accountability and responsibility.
My mulling led me, as it usually does, first to my dictionary. Authority, I discovered, is "the influence of character or office." The authority of "office," I was reminded, is rooted in the "power to enforce obedience or command action." "Character," on the other hand, derives its power from "opinion, respect or esteem." Putting those pieces together adds clarity to part of our formula; we have choices as to the sources from which we can draw our authority.
It came as no surprise to see that to be accountable is to be "answerable to a superior." What did surprise me -- pleasantly, I must say -- was the example usage that followed immediately: "as in every person is accountable to God [their own conscience] for their conduct." The bracketed phrase is my own addition.
The definition of responsible, to finish our trip through Webster's, was: "answerable or accountable as being the cause, agent or source of something." And that something, I learned a few lines later, is the "ability to distinguish right from wrong, and therefore be accountable for one's own behavior."
So, all you "traditionalists" can breathe a sigh of relief. The good news is that the formula does hold. Authority, responsibility and accountability can form, if they are carefully aligned, three sides of an equilateral triangle. The challenge, of course, lies in the word "aligned," for it reminds us of the fundamental choices only we can make as to what "figures" we plug into this formula.
For example, if the only source of authority with which I can comfortably function is that of "office and the power to enforce obedience or command action," then my posture toward accountability and responsibility has certain predictable elements. The organization's formal hierarchy would be of great importance to me ... in both directions. As a manager, I would frequently reflect the "golden rule": "Those who control the gold make the rules." My direct reports, as a consequence, could be expected to lament at how little time and energy I spend explaining the whys and wherefores of my decisions (since I control the gold!).
On the other hand, if I can learn to be comfortable using the authority of my "character and the power of opinion, respect or esteem" of myself and of others, then the formal hierarchy -- while I respect the fact that it has to exist and has a role to play -- is not primary. Rather, the "superior" to whom I am primarily accountable is a power higher than my need to "play god," a desire driven by ego. The ultimate responsibility for my ability to "distinguish right from wrong" is, and will remain, in my heart, in my conscience.
I believe these choices shed considerable light on the managerial tensions many are experiencing. For the overwhelming majority of us, our life experiences have been in organizational cultures -- including families -- where "enforcement by obedience to superiors" was the dominant modality. As painful as it may be, it is nonetheless comfortable and familiar.
Yet, growing needs for globally dispersed virtual teams, rapid responses to environmental changes, and the flexibility to remain fluid and adaptive are driving organizations to rely less and less on the comfort and familiarity of hierarchy, office and command.
Rather, regardless of a person's position in the hierarchy, people are being challenged to become empowered.
And what can empowerment mean other than using the personal "power of opinion, respect or esteem" to become the "cause, agent or source of something"? That something being the doing of what in their hearts they know is "right from wrong."
The new formula equating authority, responsibility and accountability has little to do with position, obedience and ego.
It is all about personal integrity, humility and win-win relationships where one becomes skilled in being accountable for one's own behavior.
Irwin Rubin is a Honolulu-based author and president of Temenos Inc., which specializes in executive leadership development and behavioral coaching, communication skill building training, and large-system culture change. His column appears twice a month in the Honolulu Star-Bulletin. Send questions and column suggestions to temenos@lava.net, or visit temenosinc.com
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[ ON TECHNOLOGY ]Data center must
be cool and secureFirst of two parts
As a proponent of the technology age, I admit to throwing buzzwords around with the best (or worst) of us.
Like my use of pidgin, however, I usually try to speak the language that's most appropriate to my audience. There are times when I slip, and use a term that I think is universal, but is not. This happened recently when I recommended to a colleague that she consider housing her computer systems in a data center. I went on and on extolling the pros and cons of doing so, until she interrupted me with "What the heck is a data center, anyway?"
Like many things technological, the term "data center" means different things to different people. In simplest terms, a data center is a room in which operational computers are stored. So, does the closet in the back with the server qualify as a data center? There are a few computers in the accounting office; what about that? How about the spare bedroom in a home office? Of course, the answer to all of these questions is no - although the IRS might let you write off the spare bedroom if you use enough of it.
By our accounts, there are several characteristics that must be fulfilled before a computer room can be considered a full-fledged data center.
First, it must be kept cool at all times. Obviously, this requires 24-hour air conditioning. Techies like to refer to this as "climate control." Computers last longer when they are kept cool. An added benefit of a climate-controlled room is that everyday dirt and dust is kept to a minimum since all windows and doors must be closed. Anybody who's ever opened a PC can attest that it attracts dust more than that "Pig Pen" kid in the Charlie Brown comics.
Second, a data center needs fire suppression. Water is not good! If one computer catches fire in the data center, spraying water all over the place will almost certainly render all the other equipment useless. Instead, a fire suppression system uses non-flammable chemicals to extinguish fires. A nasty by-product of this method is that such chemicals kill people if they are inhaled. So the fire suppression system needs to be sophisticated enough to allow anyone in the data center to temporarily shut it off so they can leave. After a short period of time, the chemical usually dissipates and the data center is safe to enter.
Power is also a critical component to a data center. While power drawn from the HECO grid is usually pretty clean, there are many circumstances (such as bad wiring in the building) that could cause power spikes or sags. The use of a good power conditioner will eliminate these anomalies and result in happier hardware.
Another power-related component found in many data centers is a facility-wide uninterruptible power supply or "UPS." A UPS provides battery-backup power in the event of a power outage. Sometimes, smaller UPSes can be sufficient for this purpose and a facility-wide UPS might not be necessary.
Most UPSes can be configured to communicate with computers to shut them off in case of a power outage. Ideally, however, a data center is equipped with a generator backup in addition to a UPS. In case of power outage, the UPS only needs to supply power to the equipment until the generator kicks in.
The final piece of the power component in a data center is a cutoff switch. Often referred to as "the big red button" because it is simply that -- a big red button. This cutoff switch immediately cuts power to the entire data center and is a requirement of the Hawaii fire code for virtually all data centers. The "big red button" is usually used in case of fire or if a technician decides to stick his screwdriver into a socket to see if it's "hot."
Ever go into a room full of computers and see cables strewn haphazardly over the floor, along the walls and hanging from the ceilings? Oh, uh, me neither; but I've had friends tell me about them. A raised floor used to be a prerequisite for the data centers of old when mainframes ruled the world and there were only 3 stations on TV. Raised floors allow cables to be strewn haphazardly under the floor, thereby preventing people from tripping over them and pulling the plug on ol' HAL's DASD. Nowadays, with rack-mounted servers, blades, and other smaller computers and components, ladder racks can be more useful. A ladder rack allows cables to be strewn haphazardly overhead and out of the way.
Finally, in this day and age where everyone is concerned about security, the data center must be physically secure. Ideally, this would be through an electronic system that requires passcodes, keycards, or even biometric scans like retinal or fingerprint recognition. This will allow for easy updates to the security database, as people are granted or denied access. Once in the data center, a means to prevent access to the hardware itself is also desirable. This is usually effected through "cages" which are secured the "old fashioned way" with a lock and a key.
Now that you know what a data center is, what is it used for? Why might you need one? In Part 2 of this series, we'll examine what goes on in a data center, why you might need one and what to look for if you're in the market to utilize one.
John Agsalud is president of ISDI Technologies, Inc., a Honolulu-based IT consultancy, specializing in software development, systems integration, and outsourcing. He can be reached at jagsalud@isdi-hi.com or by calling 944-8742.
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