Internet | Bertrand Duperrin's Notepad

Wasting time is not a matter of tools

October 2, 2008 By Bertrand DUPERRIN Leave a Comment

On of the main issues about social software introduction within companies is that it would make people waste time. In order to answer this question, we have to understand the underlying concerns.

Because the suggested way of working doesn’t need many discussions : in the current context, people are more efficient in a network rather than in a silo. But why so many anxieties ? In fact there’s no doubt about tool’s efficiency but about the way people may use them, possible deviant attitudes that would transform a productivity tool in an unproductivity tool.

Two situations have to be distinguished : the case of internet use from the office and the one of using the same kind of tools in an intranet context.

Can we identify good managers by the way their team uses the net ?

October 1, 2008 By Bertrand DUPERRIN Leave a Comment

A very common discourse within companies is : “our people waste their time on social networks and, more globally, on the web. We have to restrict access to it”.

If, when talking about social networks, it depends on the way people use them, so its important to grant access to what useful for business, I find it very damageable when companies come to restrict access to the whole web.

What are the motives for that ?

First comes security. I think it’s more a convenient motive than a relevant one and is an excuse for the next point I’ll mention. Second, it’s IT depts job to ensure security without blocking everything. Did we remove doors and windows from houses and offices in order to prevent to struggle against burglars ? No, because we need to go outside, to see what’s happening by the window,
The second point is abiut productivity. It’s a waste of time and people are not here to do that during work hours. But what does companies mean by “doing that” ?

Would you like to see your intranet on internet ?

April 5, 2007 By Bertrand DUPERRIN Leave a Comment

We all known intranet 2.0 is a matter of transparency, of visibility. These are necessary behaviors but evenu those who agree with that acknowledge it may be frightening for a lot of managers. And they surely consider the bank manager I talked about in a former post is inconscious.
What do people exactly fear ? To let their people talk about what’s wrong ? They’re already talking about that by email or at the coffee machine. To make it visible ? Breaking the thermometer will never lower the temperature. Knowing things is always an importunity to improve. Making everything in order not to know brings peacefulness…but just for a moment. When things happen it’s too late even though if things had been known earlier problems could have been avoided.

It’s obvious the only people in a company who really know what’s going wrong are operational. Since the rule is “report only about what’s going right”, top management seldom know about what’s going wrong. So they can’t make decision about that.

Moreover, if you don’t allow transparency inside you’ll find it outside. People have, outside the company, as many tools as they want to do what they’re not allowed inside. So let me introduce you the manager’s worse nightmare.

Could we assume such things wouldn’t have happened if there had been a space for transparency, exchanges and interactions inside the company ?