I wanted to start this post with a flow diagram t hat resonated with me so much that I immediately sent it to my Mother. I’ve been doing ‘tech support’ for my family for years, and for Geoff and, and, and. I expect you’ve been doing it too.
But although funny, truthful and nicely wry, the diagram got me thinking about what web 2.0 really means in real life. How does it change some of the things we consider to be ‘normal’ now and what will a different future really be like?
There are lots of ways that I forsee
1. Self-help – go and find it out for yourself
2. Basic computer skills like editing documents, highlighting, linking
3. Collaboration skills becoming more important
4. Blending your private and business life
The cartoon illustrates the self-help trend. I am marginally better than you at finding stuff online and so you call me to assist your search for a solution. What’s important about this is not that I try to teach you how to do it yourself, but that I don’t mind that you call me.
This is a link into the third point. We will need to un-learn self-direction and move more into collaboration with virtual teams who come together and split apart without formalised enablement.
The ThinkingPharma team is like this. They find each other and new skills when their business demands it.
Point two is a possible huge divider between the digitally enabled and those who are cut off from this new world. This really matters – but isn’t something for today’s post.
The private:public blend is something I personally will have a lot of issue with. I dislike having to socialise with work and taking my private life into the office is not what I choose to do. And yet I notice that Facebook has some helpful groups for my work and LinkedIn (which I thought to be business-only) now has a great group for my hobby.
We will all have to un-learn a lot of the habits business has taught us.
Then I read David Armano’s latest slide set about ‘social business by design’. His organisation, Dachis Corp , have been working on a management consulting template for enterprise. They cleverly figured that the only people who will pay top dollar for social media advice are big companies and the only way to get them to do this is using change management or business model improvement. Both huge consulting gigs.
Way to go, David!
Last week I undertook my first social media training event in which I spent an afternoon with a group of bright people and endeavoured to teach them how to use social media for business development.
They were all business development professionals so it was a task to explain new ways of working to do the same old job. Rather like “what web 2.0 will mean for business” as I said earlier.
I learnt a lot from that session.
And now I feel better informed and ready to work with another company who is interested in teaching themselves, using computer skills and collaboration to work differently in future.
Is that you?
Prio
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- VRM – see your possible data future
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- Metaphor for life
- My life is now on Facebook…. discuss
In response to how is business going to be different in future…
I believe 67% of our interaction with customers is not face to face already. This will increase significantly to near 100%.
However I recently had an interesting experience. I spent 2 weeks training about 80 people from all over the globe in 3 different classes.
FACE TO FACE MEETING DESTROYS TRUSTED RELATIONSHIPS
I met people face to face for the first time who clearly expected a personal relationship with me based on the time we had spent online working out their problems late into their night and the level of coaching I had provided. Online we had developed a deep relationship with trust and mutual respect.
On meeting face to face in a room trust was destroyed completely because they introduced themselves, I had no idea who they were (because I could not look them up discretely on the company directory and search for their name on my machine to see what we had last worked on) effectively I gave a senior manager who had confided his concerns about his business unit, team and personal development a complete blank. OOOOps.
This happened more than once.
So – BEWARE – I recommend when you know you are going to meet people, prepare an electronic bio to read before you go so you avoid destroying the most valuable of things “online trust”.
Hope this helps someone. Feedback welcome.
In response to how is business going to be different in future…
I believe 67% of our interaction with customers is not face to face already. This will increase significantly to near 100%.
However I recently had an interesting experience. I spent 2 weeks training about 80 people from all over the globe in 3 different classes.
FACE TO FACE MEETING DESTROYS TRUSTED RELATIONSHIPS
I met people face to face for the first time who clearly expected a personal relationship with me based on the time we had spent online working out their problems late into their night and the level of coaching I had provided. Online we had developed a deep relationship with trust and mutual respect.
On meeting face to face in a room trust was destroyed completely because they introduced themselves, I had no idea who they were (because I could not look them up discretely on the company directory and search for their name on my machine to see what we had last worked on) effectively I gave a senior manager who had confided his concerns about his business unit, team and personal development a complete blank. OOOOps.
This happened more than once.
So – BEWARE – I recommend when you know you are going to meet people, prepare an electronic bio to read before you go so you avoid destroying the most valuable of things “online trust”.
Hope this helps someone. Feedback welcome.
Hey, Dylan
Thanks for that great insight. You are SO right about how situations like that can destroy a relationship.
When I do a lot of public speaking I get correspondents writing to me and they “think” they have built a personal relationship with me.
They come along to an event at which I’m speaking and expect me to remember them and why they got in touch and what their personal situation was. And they are disappointed because I don’t appear to remember them or our discussion.
I find becoming a careful listener is key because people frequently give away some information in what they say and that can give you a clue which may spark a synaptic response and recalling your history with them.
However, there is always my plan B. When I can’t remember someone’s name or where we met I always say so really quickly and early on in the conversation. I ‘fess up. “Sorry I can’t remember your name” and they helpfully supply it and often other information that will help me to place them in context.
Try it yourself…. works socially as well as in business.
The fact is you and I are not superbeings. We can’t and don’t remember everyone. Even the Queen has a minder whispering in her ear or giving her advance briefings about when she’s met people before.
Hey, Dylan
Thanks for that great insight. You are SO right about how situations like that can destroy a relationship.
When I do a lot of public speaking I get correspondents writing to me and they “think” they have built a personal relationship with me.
They come along to an event at which I’m speaking and expect me to remember them and why they got in touch and what their personal situation was. And they are disappointed because I don’t appear to remember them or our discussion.
I find becoming a careful listener is key because people frequently give away some information in what they say and that can give you a clue which may spark a synaptic response and recalling your history with them.
However, there is always my plan B. When I can’t remember someone’s name or where we met I always say so really quickly and early on in the conversation. I ‘fess up. “Sorry I can’t remember your name” and they helpfully supply it and often other information that will help me to place them in context.
Try it yourself…. works socially as well as in business.
The fact is you and I are not superbeings. We can’t and don’t remember everyone. Even the Queen has a minder whispering in her ear or giving her advance briefings about when she’s met people before.
Hi Rebecca,
I’m constantly thinking about the future of business (specifically what web 2.0 will mean for business) and I’m convinced startups and younger generations will be less about short-term gain focused on profit and growth (industrial-age mindset) and more about long-term ‘value’ focused on social brand/service/product alignment with people, staff, supply-chains, local/global community needs (digital mindset) Eg. Freemium over Proprietary, Creative Commons over IP or Copyright, and Community over Profit.
Without meaning to add a shameless plug I did do an audio/video presentation about aspects of my thinking ‘sustainable process and innovation’ – the final slide outlines the above comment – but the rest of the presentation may prove to be of interest:
http://bit.ly/pHzZw (or here: http://bit.ly/XtWsF)
Thanks for the post. I’m glad I’m not the only one thinking about such things
Hi Rebecca,
I’m constantly thinking about the future of business (specifically what web 2.0 will mean for business) and I’m convinced startups and younger generations will be less about short-term gain focused on profit and growth (industrial-age mindset) and more about long-term ‘value’ focused on social brand/service/product alignment with people, staff, supply-chains, local/global community needs (digital mindset) Eg. Freemium over Proprietary, Creative Commons over IP or Copyright, and Community over Profit.
Without meaning to add a shameless plug I did do an audio/video presentation about aspects of my thinking ‘sustainable process and innovation’ – the final slide outlines the above comment – but the rest of the presentation may prove to be of interest:
http://bit.ly/pHzZw (or here: http://bit.ly/XtWsF)
Thanks for the post. I’m glad I’m not the only one thinking about such things