Here’s a behind-the-scenes look from the Chicago Tribune at efficiencies in the online DVD service Netflix’s operations – the author asks: How do consumers get their movies so quickly? While the article is short on a few details, a few pieces do stick out, namely the importance of finding the right employees and providing them the right benefits/pay to keep them around. And Netflix’s use of the right technology to automate what humans would take much longer to do.

But most importantly, the article highlights Netflix’s effective use of both talent and technology to get the job done, something that is not always easy, but continues to be more important as distributors deal with reduced work forces that will need to adapt, partly with the help of technology, as demand builds once again.