The Malone reading was very interesting, even just from a historical point of view. I had never thought about the printing press as such a catalyst to democracy, but of course that makes sense. My favorite quote from the reading was "in all the places where qualities like motivation, flexibility and creativity are important - and that lots of places - decentralization will become increasingly desirable in the coming decades."
Since I work in an academic area of the University, I can clearly see a large discrepancy in the ideas of long-tenured faculty and younger faculty and staff regarding work models and decision-making, usually meaning that "they" want to just make the decisions, while "we" want clear, open discussions. These differences are also quite large when it comes to ideas about technology. Many of the directors and established faculty have trouble grasping why the school would have a twitter account and tend to lean on jokes about how silly tweeting is than try to engage in it or understand what the big deal is. It is almost like watching it all evolve within one department.
Another concept I really liked from the article is that of moving from an idea of command and control to one of coordinate and cultivate. There are some areas where I think my co-workers and I (other business managers within the school) coordinate and rely on each other, knowing each of us has an expertise in something a little different. We have been trying to do this using technology but have had trouble finding ways that are within the University framework that people are comfortable with. The biggest issue I see, and I feel it myself, is trusting each other. When there is a wiki page, or even a shared drive, that many people can access, there is a chance someone will mess it up! Or delete it! Or put a bad word on it! It sounds silly, but if I put a lot of work into something I do feel like I should keep control of it. I guess we are all shifting over time.
The Khan video was great. I am a big fan of TED talks anyhow. I really like how he described the evolution of his idea, that it was meant to help a few people and by accident became a tool for many, many people. Then it was able to grow and now many more people can contribute to it and help even more. What is better than that? It almost made me want to watch some videos to brush up on my calculus... maybe after I graduate.
We are supposed to also discuss our experience with twitter, foursquare and Google+. My first twitter account (@reginatgg) was started a few years ago. I don't remember exactly why, except everyone was doing it. I used it a lot at first, but then began to worry about who would read it and if I would upset anyone, so I eventually just came to use it to retweet things I like.
I started my Google+ page pretty quickly after it started, mostly because my little brother was so excited about it. I do like it better than facebook in that the circles help relieve some of the worries I had with twitter, in not wanting my boss to read it, etc. Plus, I don't have to refuse any friend requests, just put them in the right circle.
Gina, I really liked the following comment from your post:
ReplyDelete"The biggest issue I see, and I feel it myself, is trusting each other. When there is a wiki page, or even a shared drive, that many people can access, there is a chance someone will mess it up!"
I think it is great the lengths technology has gone to connect people in the workspace, but it brings up issues of ethics and trust. Additionally, a shared or wiki space is accessible to anyone, and this reflects the attitudes and behaviors of everyone in the office. This places a great deal of responsibility on managers to monitor behavior and ensure compliance with company policies.
I think technology in many cases is a necessary evil, but it also creates an open forum to discuss ideas. As such, even if trust is an issue, a shared space is the most effective way to communicate new policies and practices. Because it is a professional setting, you have to assume those persons are well-informed if they are posting.
I Too Have Issues With E-Trusting
ReplyDeleteHi Regina,
What you said about discomfort with trusting in the virtual, cooperative environment resonated with me. I can exhibit rather controlling bouts of neurotic behavior (ask my wife and cleaning our kitchen) and coupling this with a lack of a "traditional" face to face relationship with another person and I too feel uneasy sharing, trusting and adapting in the virtual environment. I normally try to gauge the environment and respond accordingly. I find this to be unnatural for me in the virtual world. I notice how “kids” (wow, how quickly I sound like my parents) who are identifiable by their additional appendages (handheld devices) appear to conceptualize themselves as an extension to and from the virtual world.
I regularly mention to my wife the divide I view between individuals who grew up pre-computer and those post-computer. My wife and I were about 16-17 when computers entered mainstream. I still remember the dial up modem sound and time it took to down load one full-sized picture.
As managers in the public sector I foresee we will have the double responsibility of engaging our e-constituents while managing our e-employees. Imagine 25 years from now and the influence of technology on communication practices and construction of reality. I am concerned with the increased speed of communication affecting our perception of history and time. I believe your focus on trust is a gravely important component of social bonding and interaction which the information age will redefine and consequently social structures. It will be interesting to see what the future holds.
Thank you for the interesting remarks!
Zach (aka: BlankOn Purpose)
In a few of my other classes we have discussed how the printing press was actually the catalyst to social media, so it is interesting to see a different but similar view on its role in the development of the modern world. There are so many tools that have evolved to become more time efficient, like "snail" mail becoming e-mail, which has now led to wifi technology to read messages instantly on a cell phone, but they all were born from this idea of wanting to share important information with the masses. The printing press was limited and selective in its initial offerings, only sharing important theory or history. Now we receive emails about almost too many different things. This need to share "knowledge" with everyone we know or sometimes do not know has been taken pretty far extreme from trying to preserve ideas.
ReplyDeleteIn regards to your second address about the age gap pertaining to the role of technology in the workplace, I too see this as a constant struggle for most office settings. Younger staffs can send and e-mail, chat online for a conference call, and submit reports electronically and have no issue with the lack of human contact they have had in their work day. The older generation still holds on to the human contact element and wants to sit down in a room full of employees to discuss a conference call, or have an all staff meeting to address changes being made. It is a different type of mindset for processing information. While it is more cost efficient, less time consuming, and has the ability to connect globally in seconds, the younger generation of employees are out of touch with the need for personal interaction in the workplace. Work environments are not the same as they were 10 years ago. People do not always care who their co-workers are, they are just happy to have a job and do not look to work for personal interactions. I have seen this shift with my friends and their jobs they started out of college. They actively sought work environments that were a majority people their own age for the exact reason that these people would relate to the the work ethic they have come to expect from the use of technology. I myself have always worked in some form of customer service, so I crave the personal interaction, but understand that it is growing archaic in most fields. You may want to look into some of the evaluations that have been done about the technology gap in generations. In my program evaluation class we noted this as a critical issue to be on the look out for, so I am sure there is a large amount of developing literature on suggestions for creating harmony with this struggle!
Thank you both for your comments. The generational issues are interesting to me, since I see myself as kind of the bridge generation. I really do crave working face to face with people and have seen how communication only via electronic means can lead to misinterpretation. Often, people seem more harsh when you cannot see their face or smile, but in a professional communication it isn't appropriate to lighten the tone with smiley faces or LOL. At the same time , I do us IM to communicate with colleagues that I know well and find that to be very efficient.
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