David H. Deans

Ms. Alexander, thank you for sharing these insightful tips. You said "Reply to this article and tell us what works, what doesn't, and what other ways you've found to promote an inclusive and meritocratic environment."

I joined Red Hat one year ago, following nearly three decades of consulting experience at multinational companies within the Technology, Media and Telecom sectors. I value working in an environment that appreciates "Diversity of Perspective" -- i.e. seeing the Open Source landscape from my own particular vantage point. To help me better understand the organizational culture at Red Hat, I'm really looking forward to receiving a copy of Jim Whitehurst's book -- "The Open Organization: Igniting Passion and Performance." A key challenge, as I see it, is finding effective ways to engage peers in a dialogue that takes them out of their usual comfort zone (i.e. moving beyond legacy methodologies that are familiar). Based upon my prior experience, I believe that it helps if you're very patient when sharing unfamiliar ideas and concepts, while seeking out opportunities to effect an evolutionary change that will enable the desired outcome. Also, it's important to ask open-ended questions, to help ascertain the level of knowledge in the peer group. Take the time to explain your thinking; assume nothing (what may seem obvious to you may be very foreign to your peer group). And finally, learn to accept that some people will resist any and all attempts to change the status-quo. It is what it is; don't be combative, just move on.

My top prediction for 2015 is that the Mobile Cloud phenomena will evolve to the third phase of market development -- the first two being proof of concept pilots and early-stage production deployments. Next year we'll witness the shift in focus to Business Outcomes -- where these platforms are merely a means to a greater strategic competitive advantage. My point: when every organization has access to essentially the same basic technology, then the more savvy leaders move up the value chain with their distinctive application scenarios.