Technology To Connect A Mobile And Global Workforce


Tools here include:

Video conferencing facilities – though not a new technology, its usage seems to have greater appeal when the organisation is looking to reduce its travel expenditure.

Messaging and conference call facilities – when these facilities are combined with Instant Messaging facilities this can enable individuals to have a second dialogue going with selected members of those participating in the conference call.

E-mail – used appropriately e-mail is a great tool for communicating across different locations and time zones. However, many people today complain of e-mail overload, so much so that some organisations are starting to monitor usage more closely. E-mail-free Fridays (or an equivalent) seem to be creeping in alongside dressing down on Fridays. Individuals need to be provided with training and/or guidelines for using e-mail as a communications tool, alongside the training available for other forms of communication.

Team rooms or chat rooms – these are virtual spaces that can be used for exchanging knowledge among virtual project teams.

Information portal – this is an intranet site that can be used to hold information that mobile workers may need to access remotely. This can be anything from internal marketing information, business news, product updates, even information on how to get the best usage out of different technologies. It is also possible for individuals to create their own personal web-page, containing any information about themselves that they want to share with colleagues. The free-format nature of these web-pages means that the information held is likely to be very different to that held in a CV database.

Web camera technology – one small technology-based company that I discovered as part of the background research for this book had introduced web cameras in its staff restaurant. The thinking behind this was to try to eliminate queuing at peak times in the restaurant. However, the organisation quickly discovered additional benefits of using this technology. First, it helped to create a greater sense of community between employees working in different locations. As a small number of the organisation’s employees work in America, being able to see pictures of their colleagues in the restaurant in the UK site helps them feel part of a wider community. Staff in the UK quickly started to use the web camera technology to time their visits to the restaurant to catch up with colleagues whom they particularly wanted, or needed, to talk to. Of course there is a danger that if this technology becomes over-used, as with mobile phones, staff and managers alike might find that there is no way of escaping work.




Managing the Knowledge - HR's Strategic Role
Managing for Knowledge: HRs Strategic Role
ISBN: 0750655666
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 175

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