In his video on the questionable value of some business best practices, Frank Buytendijk mentions a recent HBR article by business guru C.K. Prahalad. I just learned that Prahalad passed away this past weekend at the age of 68. (Information Week obit)

A couple of years ago I had the good fortune to attend Mr. Prahalad’s keynote address at a Gartner event.  He had an audience of software architects absolutely mesmerized as he discussed technology’s role in the changing nature of business competition. 

The often dysfunctional relationship between IT and business has and will probably always be hot-button issue. But during Prahalad’s keynote,  there was a palpable sense that the largely technical audience was having some kind of breakthrough, that they had achieved a new level of understanding about the importance of the relationship between the two camps.

Fortunately, Prahalad leaves behind a significant body of work that will remain a valuable resource as business and the technology that supports it continues to evolve.