IT may not be the root of all the problems in your office, or even the solution to them, but it can certainly be an important enabler.
I was involved in a workshop with a group of professionals the other day when the question came up, "What are the barriers to success for your group?" Pen in hand, I anxiously awaited their list of IT-related needs that keep them from achieving work Nirvana.
You know what I found? The majority of the barriers to success for this group were not things that IT could fix via a new application or piece of hardware, but instead were related to management and workplace culture. While this group may or may not be a microcosm for any organisation, I felt their thoughts were worth mentioning. See how many of these describe your work group:
- Too many meetings (about nothing): This complaint focused on the overabundance of meetings the group members had to attend and the fact that many of the meetings were informational in nature and required no participation, other than to breathe. Add to this, that many of them felt that they were the "wrong" person to attend the meeting and it should have been someone with decision-making authority.
- Meeting disrespect: Meetings starting late because no one can show up on time, people answering mobile phones during meetings or ââ,¬" equally as bad ââ,¬" checking messages on their Blackberry. Plus, there's the obligatory, painful PowerPoint presentation that could have been communicated in a couple of paragraphs but instead has been thrust upon the group as an hour-long presentation.
- Spam: Not from the outside, but from within their own organisation. Aside from personal spam such as chain letters, jokes etc., which are forbidden, but seem to make the rounds anyway, there are the dozens of public service announcements that seem to come from on high regarding blood drives, celebrations, press releases, charity campaigns etc.
- Instant messaging: Once touted as an efficient way to get in touch with someone (since the email you sent is buried in the thousands of spam messages, and people, for some reason, have forgotten how to use their phone), IM for many has involved into "How next can you break my concentration?"
- Email: One person mentioned said that if he died, he couldn't catch up with his email backlog in the next life! (Lots of grinning and agreement followed that comment.) The group felt that much of the "legitimate" email they receive is redundant or unnecessary.
Inability of management to make a decision: This was a major pet peeve for the group and one that seemed to be a show stopper for whatever they were working on.
There were a few more that were listed that were specific to their businesses, but these were the main barriers to success. And while I said earlier that these problems could not be fixed with a technology solution, the majority of them are IT-related. It just so happens that several of these problems stem from the results of technology and the problems that can arise from their use/misuse.
What is IT's role in shaping workplace culture?
IT often plays a lead role in bringing a new form of communication technology to the workplace. Whether IT is the early adopter or just the one who pushes the technology out on a wide scale, it is our function that puts these tools into play.
Unfortunately we are usually so caught up in making sure the technology works as advertised and is managed properly, that we forget something pretty important: How to communicate to the users the effective use of the new technology and the etiquette involved with its use. We just make an assumption that if they can use the tool properly (hallelujah!), be it email, IM, a handheld device, etc., they will instinctively use it in the proper manner. But for many of the new users, the tool is as foreign to them as a device dropped from an alien spaceship.
This is an oversight on the part of IT, and one that we can play a role in correcting. For those tools that we have in place or are about to roll out, we should work with the organisation to explain proper use of the tool. Coordinate with HR to help create the training materials necessary to teach users about the new technology, related company policies regarding its use, and even points of etiquette. If you don't have a separate training department, use the communication vehicles that you do have, such as the intranet or email, to get the information out and define policies. You can also add this type of information to the packet of information we give new users when they get an account. Another good time to train users remind them of policies is when you gear up for maintenance or roll outs of replacements for tools/equipment.
The point is, as providers of communication services, IT has an obligation to help ensure proper use of the tools it provides. IT already does this in regard to safety and security practices (don't open email attachments from strangers, don't provide passwords in requests to email, etc.), so policy and etiquette training should be a natural extension of these duties. Contributing to a more productive workplace and a more positive culture is definitely an IT goal worth achieving.
