Work has been revolutionized by the web, and as someone that
works as a telecommuter and a ‘road warrior’, I cannot imagine a productive
work life without it. Having worked from a home office over the past ten to fifteen years, I have
seen a major shift similar to that described by Shirky
in his TED talk about internet transformation of the government.
In the ‘early’ days of my work from home writing and editing
books, we would simply be assigned a book from our technical director, write or
edit that product, and send it back into her in hard copy with an electronic
file e-mailed with the changes. If it
was a brand new book authored by us, it was simply e-mailed. Version control
was maintained by our director, and it was a system like feudalism, as Shirky
mentions the commercial software development worked as well.
Fast forward to 2012 and that feudal system was replaced by
a more distributive leadership process.
An online ‘warehouse’ called SIMBA has been created for use by our team
that functions much like GIT, and allows clinical technical editors like
myself, as well as copy editors to go in and out of products, make changes,
comments, and maintain version control all while seeing each others suggestions
and commentary. We all have the opportunity
to see each other’s work, learn from one another, and lead projects.
This SIMBA system, much like GIT, creates a wirearchy. It allows people without official
hierarchical ties to come together and collaborate to achieve goals. We often swarm with subject matter
staff from other divisions to discuss difficult topics or brainstorm new
products. Staff are all disparate geographically, so this is all done virtually
through messaging and chat software systems, and occasionally through Webex. Rarely are telephone calls made, but when
they are, phones are internet based as well!
These types of systems can allow for more staff to get
involved in the leadership process. This creates leadership growth, ultimately
building staff available for leadership succession plans for the future of the
firm.
Personally, I find Shirky's discussions fascinating. The story of the young girl in Scotland and her blog truly captured my attention, and it is this type of story that amaze me. We are the audience for this child so far away, and she is able to share so much information with us. In examining her blog now, it appears that she is working very hard to do a great deal of good with her notoriety - and her dislike of school food.
Jill, one of the benefits (for me) in teaching ILD831 is hearing the experiences of students like you ... who have lived the digital life. There are many - particularly in higher education, for whom this remains a foreign concept. I appreciate your sharing, as it adds real credibility to what some might dismiss as mere theory. Thanks!
ReplyDeleteAnd I have to admit, I keep up with Mary's blog to see what this young lady is doing. I think the amazing facet is that she is both extraordinary ... and quite ordinary as a youngster. It demonstrates the power of the individual ... which was Friedman's key point in THE WORLD IS FLAT.
Jill, I agree with you that it is pretty amazing that a school girl in Scotland has been able to make such a big impact. The internet has the ability to connect people in unimaginable ways. I don’t know if you saw this story on a Kickstarter campaign to make a potato salad. His original goal was $10 to go down to the store and make one. Things took off from there. As of this posting, the campaign had over $61,000 pledged to make a potato salad. Truly mind blowing! The ability to connect people with like interests is amazing. You never know who is out there reading your stuff!
ReplyDeletehttps://www.kickstarter.com/projects/324283889/potato-salad
Thanks for the post!
JK
After reading your post all I can say is “wow!” I think your explanation on how your home writing and editing books was very interesting. It’s amazing how the Internet has transformed how we work and how we communicate. I like how everyone can view others work. I compare this on how my colleagues and I utilize Google Docs. We can all see the work we do together, which makes collaboration much more useful and effective. I also like how you described how SIMBA will “allow for more staff to get involved in the leadership process.” This is great because it grooms staff member for leadership roles and prepares your organization for the future. I agree with you that without the Internet, I would not be able to live a productive life. I can’t imagine life without it! Thank you for your insights this week!
ReplyDeleteTanishia