Week 5's Post

This week’s post underlying tone is directed by Jarche’s (2013) who point out that the average company’s lifespan continues to decrease and that economic value has been redistributed to creative workers.  The landscape of the workplace then has drastically changed just within the last few decades as Madden (2008) points out with up to 96% of those employed make use of the new technologies-either by going online, using email or owning a cell phone, in fact these employees are referred to as “Wired and Ready Workers.”  However, Madden does also make it clear with the emergence of these technologies a two-sided coin prevails in the lives of employees;

 

                        

   On the positive side it does seem to increase employees overall ability to perform their job duties, communicate, and have more flexible hours.  With these types of advantages for workers’ productivity increases and employees could seem more satisfied with their jobs.  This then takes the employee and the company into a new era when the company has to operate 24/7, this is especially the case with the emergence of outsourcing.  An example of this is the company HealthScribe in India that was originally funded in part by Indian-American doctors in 1994 to outsource medical transcription of American doctors and hospitals (Friedman, 2005).  So, thanks in part due to satellite, a housewife in Bangalore can download a doctor’s digitized voice and transcribe it, in what used to take two weeks, and have it done in two hours ready for the office the next morning.  Progress then forces companies or organizations to take the same type of steps as explained in this case with HealthScribe and not only be functioning 24/7, but understanding that if they neglect to do so, it may contribute to their demise or very existence.

   Reality is the “Networked worker” that is always in tune with the company’s pulse through various modes of technologies in this day and age cannot be replaced.  Even if one decides to outsource in Bangalore, they are always just a few clicks away from monitoring progress or lack thereof.  Then with the increase on one’s time other sacrifices are made which amount to such practices as checking ones text messages or emails at any time or any place where they can access it.  Like Friedman’s (2005) epiphany that the global playing field was being leveled.  The world was being flattened (p. 8).  Reuters discovered this when they began hiring analysts in India and discovered that they could pay an analyst $15,000 in total compensation in Bangalore, as opposed to $80,000 in New York or London, hence, all possible due to the technologies that are available.  Reuters also found that employees in India tended to be financially literate and highly motivated as well (p. 19).  Technology then has forced the hand of those companies in the western world to consider employees in such countries as China and India, for far less money and as mentioned above highly motivated.  Hence, if we do not adapt or create those “networked workers” domestically they can always be outsourced.   

         

References

Friedman, T. L. (2005). The world is flat. New York, NY: Farrar, Straus, and Giroux.

Jarche, H. (2013, November 5). Networks are the new companies. Retrieved from

http://jarche.com/2013/11/networks-are-the-new-companies/

Madden, M. (2008, September 24). Networked worker. Retrieved from http://pewinternet.org/2008/09/24/networked-workers/

Week 4 Post

When reflecting on Weinberger’s presentation what resonated the most for me was his comparison between the day and age when an author wrote a book and if lucky was the 1 out of many that was published, therefore, anointing that particular author as the expert in a particular field or one that may have a monopoly on some type of information or knowledge.  The rest of the book would fade into the darkness in “book purgatory.”  In the technology age though “everything” is published on the web, with filtering taking place depending upon people’s needs.  Organizationally this becomes a time of 24/7 activity that has forced leadership to become more able to identify trends in markets, staying abreast of their competition, and technological overload or the need to identify technologies that will improve existing practices on an ongoing basis.  Knowledge is now just a google, or click away from finding information and  if hyperlinks are present as is the case with Wikipedia, further information can be found.  Leadership then needs to develop a “big picture” perspective understanding that the right people need to be in place that are not only “tech savvy” but also understand the importance of “collaboration” for the greater good of the organization. 

 

   Wierarchy then, as presented by Husband (2015), is the “dynamic two-way flow of power and authority, based on knowledge, trust, credibility and a focus on results, enabled by interconnected people and technology.  What this means for leaders in today’s technology age according to Husband (2015) is they need to be more in tune with the scope and reach of interconnected markets and flow of information.  This can be done by understanding how and why employees are connecting, talking, and sharing information.  Increasingly then the leaders need to be more responsible, accountable and transparent to one’s they serve.  Leadership then will always be “on” or as explained by Lindzon (2016) not only is leadership always “on” but, companies are now giving more flexibility to them to manage their time.  As employees are given more freedom new expectations have emerged, now employees to have to always be on, always responsive, and always available, leading to a more overwhelmed workforce.  Therefore, although this concept of wierarchy enables our workplace to be connected, it has also created a workforce that is “always” connected.  On vacation an employee is always a text message or cell phone call away from being lured back into the workplace web of activity. The “take-aways” from Weinberger’s presentation, Husband’s article on Wierarchy, and Lindzon’s article 6 Ways Work will change in 2016, is that with the emergence of the technology it is true that we have an abundance of information at our fingertips, however, pressure then is put on an organization or business to “always be on,” with the understanding that “we” do not stay connected, “we” will fall behind, or fail to innovate, therefore, the competition will find ways to jockey for more market shares.  Technology then seems to have accelerated the importance of communication and innovation, to not only compete, but in some cases survive.   

References

Husband, J. (2015). What is wierarchy? [Blog post]. Retrieved from http://wirearchy.com/what-

is-wirearchy/

Lindzon, J. (2016). 6 ways work will change in 2016 [Blog post]. Retrieved from

            http://www.fastcompany.com/3052836/the-future-of-work/6-ways-work-will-change-in-

2016

Weinberger, D. (2014, October 22). David weinberger on the power of the internet [Youtube].

Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iPXmEh24KXA&feature=youtu.be