Patti Wilson published Careerzine, an email newsletter. The August issues featured an article, Working 2.0: the Transformation of Employment. (looking for the link? This is email but you can go to her blog, Patti Wilson GIG, to find out to get it). I am waiting for Food 2.0, Eating 2.0, Crossing the Street 2.0, etc. Anyway she does raise some good points. For example, she said,
“The 20th century saw the rise of management in organizations. Management developed processes, procedures, systems, structures. It became adept at measuring and rewarding input rather than end results. The over-riding challenge of Working 2.0 is the management of global talent. It takes leadership abilities not supervision skills to motivate, mentor, and drive teams from afar.”
Similar points have been made by knowledge workers, even before web 2.0. The the economist Charles Handy observed that in a post-industrial economy, it is people that have knowledge who own the new means of production, turning Marx’s prediction on its head. He points out that this change from an industrial to a know-based economy requires a new approach to management. Managers now must understand and operate under the principal that the unique knowledge that employees bring to work is the key competitive differentiator.
The Support Economy, by Shoshanna Zuboff and James Maxim, continues this theme. ”Managerial capitalism has outlived the society it was once designed to serve. It successfully achieved the efficient production of goods and services, but today's individuals want more. They want to take their lives into their own hands and are ready to pay for the support and advocacy necessary to fulfill that yearning. The next leap forward in wealth creation depends upon developing a new capitalism that speaks to the needs of people today.”
I mention all this just to support what Patti I saying. She goes on to say. “For employees, the impact is on worklife balance with the ever expanding demand for flexible work hours. Working moms and dads can spend time at the kids' soccer games, get dinner, put them to bed and be back online to China by 9 pm.” What is more likely is that the moms and dads are always on, even on “vacations” or during soccer games which just become a change of venue for work.
I resist IM for this reason and rarely use my cell phone, except for outbound calls or leave in on by appointment. Now you can even get blog updates through IM – not an advance from my perspective. I also leave my computer behind on vacations. I guess I am old fashioned and do not want to be connected all the time. Even when I worked for a large consulting firm, I tried maintain some control over when I was connected. I used the new technologies to clean up required communications when it was good for me to allow for more time with my family. I think employers need to give their employees control over how these new devices are used, both web 2.0 and 1.0, etc. There is an opportunity for this and there is the equal temptation to use these advances to further manage people.
Thanks to John Maloney for sending me this issue of Careerzine.
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