I'd like to welcome you all to my opening blog. Thank you for taking the time to hear my thoughts. Open forums of this nature make it easy to brainstorm on an enterprise-wide level, and exemplify the power of web 2.0 technologies.
Advances in mobile video, conferencing, internet, and 2.0 applications (Facebook, Twitter, etc...) are changing the way the workforce interacts with each other. These changes are part of the next generation of the internet and hold invaluable potential for how the workforce of the future will become more flexible, technology forward, and collaborative.
The problem: The management of today is mostly built on Generation X members who have yet to embrace the technologies their employees (Generation Y) grew up on. This is creating a communication gap between management and employees, producing an efficiency loss that stems from the opportunity cost of Not leveraging 2.0, video, or mobile communication channels.
Running late for a meeting? Shoot a text to your team.
Giving a quarterly readout? Turn on that web camera.
Want to help build a professional network within your team? Get on LinkedIn.
I'm not saying that everyone is not using video, 2.0, etc... Don't get me wrong, I'm simply saying that there are so many collaboration vehicles evolving as the next gen internet rolls out that can be used to shorten the communication gaps existing in siloed operational process architectures, that companies should take advantage of them.
Shortening communication gaps between management and employee cross functionally will supplement new operational models of boards and councils, integrate the traditional management style of Generation X with the next gen communication habits of Gen Y, and allow organizations to become more progressive on the whole.
Great opening post. I often deal with the disconnect. It is an uphill battle that has its benefits of personal improvement in terms of communication skills and persuasion, however does create a great amount of missed opportunity.
ReplyDeleteI agree completely... There's even more of a disconnect with the baby boomers in management. Gen Xers are in a position to help bridge the gap between Gen Y and the baby boomers to enable more collaborative workplaces.
ReplyDeleteNice post Leeto
-Jamie
"Running late for a meeting? Shoot a text to your team."
ReplyDeleteReally? As a baby boomer, my view is that you should never be late for a meeting. I mean, what would your text shot be, "hey I'm running late"...as if that isn't already painfully obvious.
In an age of efficiency driven by technological progress, time has become less of an issue. Workers get more accomplished in a shorter amount of time, and the concept of "the traditional workday" is losing traction. Maybe this is a lesson that should have been instilled in Generation X by the baby boomers... thanks for the comment
ReplyDeleteBeing late for meetings, no matter the technology available, is not acceptable...unless you want to get on the short list for a pink slip.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to set up a virtual meeting, no problem, as long as everyone knows it is virtual. However, even virtual meetings need a start time, if they are in real time, and it is very disrespectful of the meeting organizer to waltz in late.
Technology does allow for email and blogs, which are not meetings per se and thus do not require a start time (but there may be deadlines...don't overrun these deadlines, either).
Human nature does not really change across generations.
Craig- As corporations grow, so do the campuses of today. Back to back meetings across campuses require the workforce of today to be in multiple places at once.
ReplyDeleteI'm not advocating tardines, I am a very punctual person by nature. The point is that collaboration technologies can enable Generation X an above to manage their employees more effectively, closing the gap between management and employee and enabling enterprises to be more effective.
Nice post Karl, definitley an issue that being dicussed widely in the banking industry currently. You may want to check out what BBVA Compass is doing this year with virtual video conferencing kiosks in their bank branches. Pretty interesting stuff. Hope all is well with you and the rest of the crew.
ReplyDelete-Nick