Information and Communication Technology (ICT) is often assumed to have enabled geographically diverse organisations to better manage, share and leverage their knowledge to gain competitive advantage. However, for most organisations, leadership, management, team and individual working practices have not generally been appropriately adapted to deliver on the technological promise.
The resulting issues include fundamental challenges not only to the way individuals seek, create, use, share, and store information, but also to the assumption that implementation of ICT alone provides the necessary and appropriate method of realising the advantages of success in this area. Three emerging issues are of particular relevance and interest. The first is related to when, how and why task workers (or teams) decide to work using virtual collaboration methods as opposed to face-to-face collaboration methods. The second is how leaders guide, support and intervene in decisions related to the task at hand. The third is related to so-called two-way communication approaches, specifically the degree to which task workers are involved in the higher-level decision-making affecting the way they work.
The management issue is straightforward: Are there methods of enabling collaboration across the organisation that will result in greater return on ICT investment, improved effectiveness and quality, and higher levels of employee satisfaction?
The resulting issues include fundamental challenges not only to the way individuals seek, create, use, share, and store information, but also to the assumption that implementation of ICT alone provides the necessary and appropriate method of realising the advantages of success in this area. Three emerging issues are of particular relevance and interest. The first is related to when, how and why task workers (or teams) decide to work using virtual collaboration methods as opposed to face-to-face collaboration methods. The second is how leaders guide, support and intervene in decisions related to the task at hand. The third is related to so-called two-way communication approaches, specifically the degree to which task workers are involved in the higher-level decision-making affecting the way they work.
The management issue is straightforward: Are there methods of enabling collaboration across the organisation that will result in greater return on ICT investment, improved effectiveness and quality, and higher levels of employee satisfaction?
Not feeling too decrepid yet anyhow!