Comments on: A technologist looks back, looks ahead

Notes inventor Ray Ozzie considers how the nature of work is being changed by inexpensive communications and IT.

It is not a technology issue but a structural one.

Lotus Notes enabled managers to implement more complex structures. Which is great but, have you ever observed that people working in organizations with Lotus Notes tend to spend more time:

* in meetings re-setting priorities;
* trying to find out who is doing what;
* re-doing work already done by colleagues?

With all this communication technology around we should have more spare time, more capacity, but do we? In fact we tend to spend more time communicating, less time doing work.

I suggest that Lotus Notes acted as a catalyst to implement more complex structures, which are managed horizontally and vertically. This means people report to more than one manager.

I think this structure effects the way people behave e.g. it ensures that 2 managers have 50% each of a shared person time. At some point the managers under pressure to deliver will want more that 50% of their shared persons time. The complex structure will force managers to compete for resource.

This is a function of the structure.

This competition then ensures people priorities change all the time.

The secret to more effective communication horizontally and vertically has to be based on an understanding of the impact on people?s behavior when they report to more than more managers. It is not a technology issue but a structural one.

Lotus Notes, I think, hide a fundamental shift in the structure of the organizations we now work in. We now need to work out how to get things done in our new complex structures.

[Ubber geek]

complex structure

http://www.analogstereo.com/miele_vacuum_cleaner_manuals.htm

It is not a technology issue but a structural one.

Lotus Notes enabled managers to implement more complex structures. Which is great but, have you ever observed that people working in organizations with Lotus Notes tend to spend more time:

* in meetings re-setting priorities;
* trying to find out who is doing what;
* re-doing work already done by colleagues?

With all this communication technology around we should have more spare time, more capacity, but do we? In fact we tend to spend more time communicating, less time doing work.

I suggest that Lotus Notes acted as a catalyst to implement more complex structures, which are managed horizontally and vertically. This means people report to more than one manager.

I think this structure effects the way people behave e.g. it ensures that 2 managers have 50% each of a shared person time. At some point the managers under pressure to deliver will want more that 50% of their shared persons time. The complex structure will force managers to compete for resource.

This is a function of the structure.

This competition then ensures people priorities change all the time.

The secret to more effective communication horizontally and vertically has to be based on an understanding of the impact on people?s behavior when they report to more than more managers. It is not a technology issue but a structural one.

Lotus Notes, I think, hide a fundamental shift in the structure of the organizations we now work in. We now need to work out how to get things done in our new complex structures.

[Ubber geek]

complex structure

http://www.analogstereo.com/miele_vacuum_cleaner_manuals.htm