Secret Diplomacy

The XIXth century was the golden time for Secret Diplomacy.

This obsolete technology should be the direct enemy of SCM communications. It is however still creeping, hiding behind the mantra to avoid to have one's processes rely upon one's tools. It shows up in meetings, and in any kind of private and volatile communications (be it mail or phone).

Some people may attempt to gain power by owning critical information, and controlling access to resources. Doing so, they are trading their personal interest against the manageability of information.

This kind of control is often completed with collecting statistics, e.g. from customer reviews, or other formal interactions, e.g. ticket-based systems, thus emphasizing anonymous and one-way communications.

-- MarcGirod - 20 Aug 2007