Web 2.0 in the workplace

Chat

Over the past few weeks I have been observing how my coworkers are reacting to the availability of Communicator 2007 – a chat client - on our company’s network.
Initially, I resisted installing the application thinking that it would be “just another software program that would suck away my valuable time.” Or, “Why would I want to send chat messages when we have e-mail”? My younger coworkers continued to bug me about installing the application. Finally they told me that they did not use the application to chat, but instead used it to initiate a discussion, and would follow up with a face-to-face meeting. Additionally, a quick chat message arrived at my desk faster than e-mail and thus improves communication speeds. Those explanations made sense, and I have been happily mico-chatting ever since.
As I find coworkers who do not have the tool installed, I have tried to persuade them to install the tool with mixed success. Coworkers who are older than me initially resist the request, with very similar excuses as mine. However, when I explain the power and usefulness of the application, they quickly oblige.

Wiki

Recently I attended a meeting where the corporate Wiki was presented to the audience as an excellent means of communicating information through the company. A more seasoned employee (i.e. older) stood up and said, “What is in it for me? Why should I invest time – that which I do not have in the first place – to enter information into the Wiki?” It was fascinating to see that during the next hour, while the capabilities of the Wiki were exposed, the employee’s opinion changed from disgust, to acceptances, to a willingness to become an active member. This behavior is in stark contrast to the younger employees, who – no surprise – are already using the Wiki and clambering for more collaboration tools.

Both of these experiences have shown me some of the key differences between the younger and older generations that are represented in my company. I think that the older generation initially resists the new technology mainly out of fear or lack of understanding. I think that when suggestions are made to use these new types of technology, if a little education about the topic is also included with the introduction of the tool, initial acceptance rates would be higher.