Blocking employees from Facebook, Twitter, YouTube and LinkedIn
Research Fellows, Karsten Jonsen and Willem Smit, from leading European Business School, IMD have raised the issue that companies are increasingly blocking employees from accessing Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, LinkedIn and other social networking tools (as well as Google toolbar), citing security and productivity as the main reasons. They ask is that reasonable? Should there be a Berlin eWall for these activities?
Times of crisis often lead to stricter rules and regulations. Trust seems to be taking a back seat to control, and the appetite for surveillance is increasing. Indeed, in some cases the arguments for blocking access can be sound, or at least having guidelines seem appropriate. An example is when vital business systems are at risk or when the security and safety of people is compromised. But, do we really need to tighten all the rules if only one or a few parts of a system are causing trouble? Will forbidding electronic access to the outside world help? Or, are we conditioned to have a Pavlovian response to uncertain situations? Let’s take a look at some potential down-sides to these restrictive decisions.
First, corporations that block Facebook and the likes make the assumption that there is a “wall” between work life and personal life. That assumption holds true for some people. When they go home, it’s leisure – time to turn off the office phone and computer and turn on the private phone and home computer. However, a substantial portion of the workforce integrates the two. This is especially true in today’s knowledge-intensive economy. An “integrator” blurs the boundaries between their work and personal lives. Their work cannot be measured chronologically. It’s only output and results that counts; not where it was created and measured by employees’ physical presence in one specific location. These people thrive in an integrated environment, sometimes referred to as ROWE (results-only-work-environment). Moreover, there are some employee groups, such as single mothers, who may simply need high flexibility in order to cover all the bases. Or people for whom peak-hour commuting does not make sense. When integrators don’t have the flexibility to combine their working and personal lives, they become unhappy, and they may leave the company.
Second, downtime at work is not a new phenomenon, but with the arrival of the internet, it has been redefined. Old habits, like reading the newspaper, walking the halls, etc., have been replaced by surfing the web and connecting with friends over the internet. People are not capable of concentrating on specific tasks for extended periods. We all remember this from our time in school or university. Breaks are needed. And, in fact, research has shown that a moderate amount web surfing and other similar “decompression” exercises can actually increase productivity.
Third, companies that don’t take advantage of social web sites will lose out on the war for talent. By restricting these types of sites, companies are bound to alienate the next generation of workers who view them as part of their toolkit. When companies block access to widely used sites, it basically says they don’t trust their employees. We are already seeing strong signs of reluctance from new entrants in the workforce to seeking careers in well-branded organizations. And it is doubtful that blocking access to these sites will increase their appetite for corporate life or retain those who are already there – they are sure to eventually want to go over the Berlin eWall.
Fourth, companies that cut off access to the diverse and timely information and perspectives available in the external world are at a competitive disadvantage. Isolation leads to inferiority, and cultures that do not adapt to change tend to become extinct. No man is an island and the same can be said of organizations. In a modern market place, purely proprietary systems are set up to fail. To be cutting oneself off from information streams means getting rid of a market connection and multiplication effects. There are clear advantages associated with using a growing and evolving network for work purposes.
Rather than prohibit the use of these new tools, companies should be exploring how best to take advantage of them. For example, IMD establishes Facebook or LinkedIn groups for its executive education participants so they can network and communicate with each other both during and after they complete the program. This is viewed as an easy, fun and efficient supplement to email and face-to-face time. Moreover, when a new hire is brought into an organization, he or she brings an external network of contacts. This network is useful for sharing ideas and best practices. When decisions are made, usually by the upper echelons of a company, to close the door on the Facebooks and YouTubes of the world, it may be an early warning sign that the company is “out of touch with reality.” How can a marketing department in an organization take advantage of new forms of eMarketing if the official policy of their own company is to shut down these very tools? How can engineers and scientists cross fertilize their ideas when their access to the outside world is restricted?
Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Google, Linked In and their future versions are here to stay – for better or worse. They have become an extension of our lives and though many of us have become slaves to staying connected, it doesn’t mean that companies need to restrict or prohibit their use – although employees are of course expected to manage this “freedom” by using judgement and high ethical standards, like in all facets of working life. In times of crisis, it is more critical than ever for companies to stay connected and have access to information in real time in order maintain the flexibility to adapt to their changing environment and to attract and retain the brightest and most creative talent. In essence, eWalls may keep out danger but it also keeps out knowledge.
This article sourced from IMD, go to: http://www.imd.ch/research/challenges/TC040-09.cfm
Bright idea for fluoro tube recycling
A state of the art recycling unit for recycling fluorescent tubes, CFL’s and HID lamps has been switched on in western Sydney by hazardous waste treatment company Chemsal, a subsidiary of DoloMatrix (ASX:DMX). With a ban on incandescent light bulbs coming into effect, it expects to see volumes ramp up through the next year, and points out proper disposal of these mercury containing bulbs is already inexpensive.
Chemsal’s NSW state manager, Ian Parkes, says only about 3-4% of the 50 million fluorescent tubes disposed in Australia annually are currently recycled, although the market is picking up fast as consumers become more aware of the potential environmental harm from the mercury content in these types of bulbs.
Recycling costs will continue to come down as volumes increase, although already the charge is not exorbitant at “around $0.40 a tube,” which Parkes argues could translate to just 0.005% of the cost of providing electrical maintenance services to a building.
The actual process of recycling the units will be made much simpler using the new automated crushing and recycling equipment it has invested in.
“Tubes are fed in and it separates all three components – the metal end caps, the glass and the phosphorous powder – and they come out in three separate streams and we are able to recycle those,” with glass and aluminium components going to the usual suspects while the powder undergoes treatment in a mercury retort for distillation.
As well as the emerging market of bulb recycling, Chemsal is involved in treating a range of hazardous chemicals, including the wide mix of waste chemicals that come out of university laboratories. It claims its new site at St Mary’s in Sydney’s west is “the Rolls Royce” of waste treatment in Australia.
Story sourced from: http://www.environmentalmanagementnews.net/StoryView.asp?StoryID=1003660
Health Care - Urging Reform, Results
The American Society for Quality (ASQ) developed a set of basic principles for bringing quality methods into the healthcare reform efforts in the United States, and sent them to the legislators working on healthcare reform legislation. The submitted white paper included a discussion of the most issues needing immediate attention: waste; incentive alignment; information technology implementation; sustainable culture change; and work force education and preparation.
To learn more about the ASQ advocacy effort go to: http://www.asq.org/advocacy/issues-actions/20090806-quality-healthcare-reform.html?WT.mc_id=EM3680M&WT.dcsvid=1930024308
To read the White Paper go to: http://www.asq.org/advocacy/issues-actions/2009-07-asq-health-reform.pdf
I&I Comment: Wonder what lessons there are for the Australian Health Care System in this White paper?
Growing food in urban areas
Urban Ecological Systems (UES) is the developer, producer and distributor of a patent-pending commercial food production system. It aims to boost production of fresh food in Australia while achieving economic, environmental and social benefits. Based in Lismore on the NSW north coast, UES helps build drought proof organic farms – specialising in greenhouse crops – from 1,000m2 to 3,000m2 in size.
UES's combined aquaculture and horticulture systems convert effluent produced by fish and other aquatic species into plant-available nutrients to grow a range of fresh vegetables and crops in a climate-controlled greenhouse. The plants strip the nutrients from the effluent so that clean water can be returned to the fish tanks. The result is a “drought-proof, zero-effluent” organic farm, according to UES director Hogan Gleeson.
UES is assessing several locations to site its first full commercial scale UES farm, due to be built this year. Once its first commercial system has been fine-tuned, the company will focus on rolling out the technology both in Australia and internationally.
UES is also working with the University of Sydney to develop an alternative aquaculture feedstock based on insect protein to increase the sustainability of aquaculture over the long-term. More from the company website: www.urbanecologicalsystems.com.
Story sourced from: http://www.environmentalmanagementnews.net/StoryView.asp?StoryID=1003515
Comment: I&I has a relative who is using a similar fish plus vegetables system in his backyard in Northern Sydney.
Small Business September to help your business
With over 300 events hosted by 100 organisations across NSW, Small Business September has events to help strengthen your business, sharpen your market presence and increase business opportunities. Most events are free.
Check the Department of State and Regional Development Small Business web site (http://www.smallbusinessmonth.nsw.gov.au/) for details on …
• The launch on 1 September 2009 in Sydney featuring a panel discussion hosted by David Koch
• Marketing and sales seminars
• Business growth and exporting workshops
• Financial planning skills and much more …
AND for a limited time you can win a marketing makeover for your business valued at $15,000. For details go to: http://ww3.business.nsw.gov.au/sbmsurveys/
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