In the mid 1800s people began moving away from the fields and shops to work in factories or bureaucracies. Workers and students were supposed to stay committed to each task, and focused on repetitive chores. So each workplace and school was kept separate from the outside world. Workers’ public or professional lives were isolated from their private lives by an invisible corporate “dome.”
Workers and students used phones and other communication tools every day; but their personal use was discouraged. Even during breaks, it often wasn’t easy to communicate with anyone not inside a work group or school.
Today those invisible “domes” of isolation are evaporating. Students constantly text or IM each other during class. An employee calls a spouse and checks their email before getting down to work, then throughout the day. Cell phones constantly appear in the hands of pedestrians and drivers. Couples consult with (or find) each other in supermarkets. After downloading work-related information from a web site we find a movie review, visit an online store or leave a comment on our favorite social media site.
Given the numbers of “friends” and followers out there, it’s surprising that we tend to communicate regularly with just a half-dozen or so of them. Eighty percent of cellphone and voice calls are made to the same five or so people; half that many on Skype. The less time it takes us to communicate, the more frequently we ask “what’s in it for me?” and only make calls, comments or text if we know the answer. Content is no longer king; now it’s all about value.
The splendid isolation of yesterday’s workplace is gone. Companies need new tools before they can compete with the more attractive and compelling siren songs of family and personal growth. It won’t be easy to stay ahead of these incredible changes, keep the best employees, and create a culture that fosters creativity, cooperation, and dependable growth. But it’s possible.
Workers will never again accept life in such domes. But with the right tools your company can keep them engaged, committed and productive.
Information about one such tool is at www.yourmarketingmantra.com.
The TED talk that inspired this article is at http://www.ted.com/talks/stefana_broadbent_how_the_internet_enables_intimacy.html.
