In his book Here Comes Everybody, Clay Shirky writes about the “institutional dilemma.” Institutions “exist to take advantage of group effort, but some [institutional] resources are drained away by directing that effort.”[i] This creates a gap between what an institution is theoretically capable of and what it actually produces. An extension of this dilemma is the productivity paradox. “The productivity paradox is the perceived lack of increased output resulting from investments in information technology.”[ii] A study focused on examining data related to the productivity paradox concluded that “the value of IS staff and staff training was also quite apparent and exceeded that of computer capital. This confirms the positions of several authors, that the effective use of IT is far more important than merely spending on IT.”[ii] Yet more and more, workers are complaining about IT policies that hinder effective use, whether it’s the choice of a web browser or the ability to install software.
In 1981, effectively using the IBM 5150 undoubtedly required a small army of IT “experts” to keep the machines running and the users educated. Today that’s just not true. Computers, smart phones, and online collaboration tools have become ubiquitous. IT should be focused on finding ways to prevent threats without hindering productivity. Simply locking computers down threatens autonomy which limits people’s ability to tap creative innovation. “In the information age, most companies' success depends entirely on the creativity and drive of their workers. IT restrictions are corrosive to that creativity—they keep everyone under the thumb of people who have no idea which tools we need to do our jobs but who are charged with deciding anyway.”[iii]
Wikis are one specific example of great potential in the arena of collaboration tools. Wikis are collaboratively created web sites and are slowly gaining traction within companies of all sizes. They are a proven way to boost creativity and innovation and capture tribal knowledge that might otherwise walk out the door with employees on their last day with the company.
Pfizerpedia started as a grass roots effort at Pfizer in 2006. It has since become a mainstream part of Pfizer’s research and development process, with over 13,000 employees using it in the first year. The United States Department of Defense started DoDTechipedia in October of 2008 to increase collaboration between scientists, the military, government, industry, and academia. The public version of the site has received 37 innovative ideas, with six in consideration for funding. Networking giant Cisco and Angel.com, a provider of interactive voice response systems for call centers, have experienced similar success. As of 2008, Boeing had over 300 active wikis[vi]. “Wikis are often seen as a grassroots phenomenon and therefore have been viewed as a more informal collaboration and communication tool,” [iv], yet their success still relies on IT policies that permit and foster their existence. A key factor in the success of wikis is their ability to satisfy intrinsic motivators. Contributing to a body of knowledge via a wiki reinforces a person’s mastery and provides a common sense of purpose with the organization. Consumers become producers, and as producers, we must be given access to the tools required to create as well as consume. [iv][v]
It’s true that communication technology can be used for malicious purposes, and a certain amount of IT protection and oversight probably makes sense. But this isn’t 1981. The level of savvy among most professional workers (even the Traditionalists and Baby Boomers) is far greater than it was in the days of the IBM 5150. Worse yet, many policies are in place not to prevent malicious intent like viruses, identity theft, etc., but to enforce productivity. “Even though many companies are now looking to popularize their products or brands using social-networking sites, IT departments routinely restrict access to Facebook, Twitter, and their ilk.” [iii] Their concern is that such distractions in the workplace are a time waster and zap worker productivity. A recent paper by Leading Edge Forum reinforces that just the opposite is true. “The rise of social networking will enable new forms of collective intelligence that can create business advantages.” [vii]
In fact, social networking helps workers sharpen mastery of their skills and reinforces their sense of purpose by interacting with colleagues. A 2009 study conducted at the University of Melbourne found that workers engaged in ‘Workplace Internet Leisure Browsing’ are 9% more productive than those that don’t [viii]. Social networking is teaching us is that our means of data collection, analysis, and collaboration is antiquated. Some companies have begun to realize the potential. Nikon, Dell, and Symantec have all created successful internal social networking sites [ix]. The power of social networks is the ability to link people together even in the absence of institutions—and in some cases in spite of them.
Boeing learned its social media lesson the hard way last year. The company generated headlines when it famously sent a form letter to an aspiring airplane designer. The letter informed eight year old Harry Winsor that “most ideas had already been considered by [Boeing] engineers and that there can be unintended consequences to simply accepting [unsolicited] ideas.” [x] Lucky for Harry, dad is in advertising and, after a brief bit of crowd sourcing, Boeing made good on the faux pas. A spokesperson later admitted—via Twitter no less—“We’re expert at airplanes but novices in social media. We’re learning as we go.” [x] A promising step for such an established company, but it drives home the point. Shirky points out via the institutional dilemma, institutions are inherently exclusionary and expensive. Historically we have not had all the groups we wanted, we’ve had all the groups we could afford. [i] Technology has delivered tools to overcome some of the ‘institution as obstacle’ barriers, but corporate policies and fear over things like intellectual property rights are preventing them from taking hold—even among eight year olds.
[i] Shirky, C. (2008). Here Comes Everybody. New York: Penguin.
[ii] Sircar, S., Turnbow, J. L., & Bordoloi, B. (2000). A Framework for Assessing the Relationship Between Information Technology Investments and Firm Performance. Journal of Management Information Systems , 69-97.
[iii] Manjoo, F. (2009, August 25). Unchain the Office Computers! Why corporate IT should let us browse any way we want. Retrieved August 13, 2011, from Slate: http://www.slate.com/id/2226279/
[iv] Standing, C., & Kiniti, S. (2011). How can organizations use wikis for innovation? Technovation , 287-294.
[v] Benkler, Y. (2006). The Wealth of Networks.
[vi] Anklam, P. (2008, April 15). Approaching Web 2.0 at Boeing. Retrieved August 14, 2011, from the{app}gap: http://www.theappgap.com/approaching-web-20-at-boeing.html
[vii] Bonasia, J. (2010, June 10). Business 'Facebooks' Will Boost Innovation. Retrieved July 27, 2011, from Investors.com: http://www.investors.com/NewsAndAnalysis/Article.aspx?id=536945&p=2
[viii] The University of Melbourne. (2009, April 2). Freedom to surf: workers more productive if allowed to use the internet for leisure. Retrieved August 14, 2011, from The University of Melbourne: http://uninews.unimelb.edu.au/news/5750/
[ix] Kopytoff, V. G. (2011, June 26). Companies Are Erecting In-House Social Networks. Retrieved August 14, 2011, from New York Times: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/27/technology/27social.html?_r=2&ref=technology&pagewanted=all
[x] The New York Times. (2010, May 3). Boeing's Social-Media Lesson. Retrieved August 14, 2011, from NYTimes.com: http://mediadecoder.blogs.nytimes.com/2010/05/03/boeings-social-media-lesson/