Fast Reactive Extended Enterprise (FREE)
I frequently receive questions about my activities related to the Fast Reactive Extended Enterprise (FREE).
At first I contributed with Hollandse Signaalapparaten (Thales) and Capgemini to the development of the FREE concept. Later I was involved in defining and implementing the FREE concept in the regular business environment.
Hereby a brief introduction to the FREE concept in relation to Virtual Extended Organizations.
A FREE organization
The development and production of industrial products is since years often realized by a network of co-operating enterprises, together forming a FREE, each with their own specialties and each performing a dedicated task in the total business process.
A Virtual Organization (Enterprise) is considered as a kind of horizontal and/or vertical Enterprise co-operation of independent firms (a network) to achieve a service or product on the basis of a common understanding that would be beyond the capabilities of any of the individual companies. Each company will contribute primarily what it regards as its core competencies.
The virtual organization is emerging as a much-researched phenomenon in the context of inter-organizational relationships as well as intra-organizational issues. Key enabler is standardized Information Technology to link the participating companies together in order to exchange Information and to co-ordinate their activities and to avoid any hierarchy- or vertical Integration
There is a time limit on the existence of the Virtual Organization caused by fulfilment of its business purpose. Thus the Virtual Organization is temporarily and will chance by every new program: Today's competitor can be tomorrow's Virtual Organization partner. By concentrating on core-business each individual Organization becomes more competitive.
The FREE Navigator
The FREE navigator not only explains this concept and enables deep navigation through all aspects of the FREE concept but is also useful as quick scan on the basis of the FREE organizational model which relates business issues to candidate base practices and performance indicators for assessment and measurement.
KCCIM supports, adopts and implements the FREE concept in the regular business environment. As sub-contractor of Hollandse Signaalapparaten BV, KCCIM contributed to the FREE-PMM guide and the Performance Measurement Method.
Originally the FREE navigator was available by request on CD-ROM, later the navigator became available through the KCCIM.com site or USB memory stick.
Keep informed by ESOCE-NET
For those who are interested in more background information on international (FREE) organizations I recommend ESoCE (ESOCE-NET).
ESOCE is a non-profit making organization whose knowledge scope is the Concurrent Enterprising (CE), the emerging discipline integrating the Virtual Enterprising concept and the Concurrent Engineering approach into a new business paradigm, implying the concurrent and cooperative development of extended products/ services, processes and organizations.
The ESoCE supports the establishment, development and operation of Collaborative Networks of Companies and of Communities of Professionals, leveraging the organizational structures of Industrial Associations, Clusters, Regional Development Centres and similar entities to support the implementation of services to their affiliates, such as the constitution and management of Virtual Enterprises and Virtual Teams of professionals, the evaluation of collaboration readiness, the qualification of potential members etc.
ESoC-NET is for example responsible for consolidation and development of the Collaborative Enterprising Body of Knowledge through the participation in research project financed by the European Commission within FP7 (2007-2013).
