Every researcher would have all of their information and all of their contacts available, all the time. Every salesperson would have inventory, pricing, availability, and client contact information at his fingertips from poolside. Every manager would have access to her entire team, all of their activities and all of their metrics, 24 by 7. Every customer service rep could work from home and still be tied together with their entire team and every bit of information they need to do their jobs.Is there a price to pay for this? Sure there is. There is always a price. People could know where you were and what you were doing, pretty much all of the time you were supposed to be working. The people that matter would be able to see at a glance how well you are doing your job. The customer would know that you were being less than transparent if you failed to share information. Everybody would be a little bit more under a thumb, either the boss's or the client's, than they are now, during some portions of the day.
But with these negatives would come some positives. You could work smarter and more efficiently. Improved privacy controls would limit your exposure to scrutiny. There would be no more office, no more commute. You would have more time, not less. How do you think you would feel about living in the future business computing paradigm? Leave us a comment!
Tomorrow: will we be people-deprived?
I like the idea of freedom and flexibility, but sometimes a person needs to go completely off the grid. I could theoretically be connected anywhere I go - all it takes is a Blackberry (or other applicable smartphone/PDA device), a USB cord and a laptop to connect using a tethered modem. Granted, cellular EDGE networks are not nearly as fast as WiFi, but there are people who stay connected at all times.
Me? I've learned that if I'm that connected, it'll be all work and no play. So I like to disappear from the virtual world every now and then.
Posted by: Kimberlee Morrison | July 11, 2008 12:42 PM | Permalink to Comment