The Future of the Internet and When to Use Technology

Jonathan Rosenberg, SVP, Product Management, at Google, extended his thoughts about the future in a Google Blog recently (see Rosenberg Blog). He predicted four trends that will undoubtedly have tremendous impact on the way we think and communicate with one another:

(1) All the world's information will be accessible from the palm of every person
(2) Everyone can publish, and everyone will
(3) When data is (sic) abundant, intelligence will win
(4) The vast majority of computing will occur in the cloud

My colleague, Jim Kennedy (Partner, TechSpeak, San Francisco), and I were discussing the impact of these trends, and I was once again struck by the increasing importance of person-to-person interaction to deliver and receive information accurately as intended.

In today's world, for example, "email wars" can start at the drop of a keystroke when people hide behind the veil of technology. It's very easy to criticize, complain, or even insult someone with whom you may disagree via email. Making a hostile, destructive, crude, or hurtful comment via cyberspace is a lot easier if you don't have to deal with the consequences of the immediate feedback of a pained expression, reciprocal hostility, challenge to your argument, or a punch in the nose.

In today's corporate world, inappropriate use of technology can further a sense of isolation, create psychological distance, reduce team effectiveness and ultimately lower productivity and profitability. We've all witnessed companies where people are working in cubicles right next to each other, and yet they engage in email wars instead of simply standing up and talking to each other.

Corporate culture, "the way people do things around here," can grow like fungus in the dark if it is not created thoughtfully...and you may not like the behaviors that become part of the norm. Simple guidelines for communicating within a company, however, can establish productive and efficient habits. If communicating clearly, civility, productivity, and profitability are values you want to drive your corporate culture, here are a few guidelines for communicating effectively. These are based on this premise: the more intimate or complicated the message, the less you should use technology to deliver it.

(1) Use email (or other technologies) for communicating objective, unbiased information.
(2) Use the telephone when dialogue is required and when voice inflection and responsiveness can help to clarify the intent of the message.
(3) Get face-to -face if the communication has nuance or is important enough that serious negative consequences could result from misinterpretation.

As the Internet becomes even more ubiquitous, as Rosenberg suggests, and, as we are already witnessing with web-based social communities (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and many others), the guidelines may need to be changed or adapted. But for now, the values of civility, efficiency, and clear communication, suggest that these simple guidelines can help to support an effective and positive corporate culture.

I welcome your thoughts.