Top 5 Predictions for Collaboration in 2009
Posted by AlekI believe the world will be a very different place in 2009. I choose to close 2008 with a few predictions. I will evaluate these in December 2009 to check how off the charts these are.
1. Web collaboration applications hit mainstream
- With so many great web applications in the marketplace, it will be almost impossible to manage and influence business processes unless the organization is using project and knowledge management applications like ProjectOffice.net;
- As web application gain market share, so does the collaboration applications segment;
- Businesses as small as your local pet store, grocery or corner laundry shop starts using collaboration tools to work with customers in an effort to boost customer loyalty.
2. Generation Y business practices are predominant in the workplace
- As Baby Boomers retire, the Gen Yers are hitting the workplace. Their business practices coupled with enthusiasm are all around us. This will significantly affect the way we collaborate.
- With the “team vs. individual” work ethic preference, they will continue to be co-dependent on other people and systems even more than in 2008. This need will require organizations to develop policies and systems geared towards this generation specifically.
3. Collaboration becomes more sterile because of technology
- With so much collaboration software and hardware used in the workplace, people meet less and less in person;
- For example, they use their iPhone to use Skype to chat with a colleague or read email, instead of calling someone.
4. Collaboration skills become so important they enter mainstream training curricula
- Several collaboration institutes start to develop specialized educational approaches, combining communication skills, time, project, knowledge and collaboration management trainings;
- Collaboration maps are commonplace tools for kids ages 10-15 in several public schools across the globe
5. Security-aware organizations open up their infrastructure to allow for generation Y business practices
- Financial institutions data security policies melt somewhat in the face of Gen Yers (and other cool people) demanding open approaches and collaboration vs. stiff “command and control” business models;
- Governments understand the benefits of inclusion and stakeholder collaboration to the extent they develop specific systems to interact and capture project-related knowledge.
I wish everyone a great 2009 and holidays full of fun, good music and happy people all around you!
I am very interested in everyone’s comments, so please leave a comment…
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Old Man says:
Well, my predictions is that there will be a lot of PM’s on the street looking for jobs as the recession deepens.
Secondly, as the Baby Boomers retire, the use of GenY business practices will probably continue to create worse project management. I’m working in a huge company where Gen Y practices are prevelent, and I see no improvement in project management overall. In fact, it’s worse the farther we get away from command and control of the Apollo era! And this is from someone who never was in the military and loves the various collaboration software products! Everyone wants to do it “their way” so no way is the right way…and just try getting most GenX’ers to write anything more than a blog entry…sheesh…B.Boomers bring us the biggest economic collapse of all time, along with endless war, etc. GenXers, you will have some big shoes to fill! But fill the holes in the soles (sp) first!
Collaboration becomes not just sterile, but less effective. People to people still seems to work best. No matter how much Facebook I do, or blogs, or whatever. RSS consolidation may help, once people really take to it. I’ve enjoyed using IM like enterprise tools, but people figure out how to avoid being “seen” as well with those tools. It’s good for ad hoc conversations but not really about better project management. It really doesn’t change underlying social behavior.
“Collaboration skills” is just another phrase for effective teamwork, sort of like repackaging “new and improved”.
“Security aware orgs open up their infrastructure….”
I thought that was what XML was supposed to allow everyone to do! I think that fear of lawsuits and theft of IP will continue to make that a problem. At least in the USA. In the rest of the world it seems like corporations are two to five years behind us, for better or worse…
All comments are the rantings of Old Man, and not indicative of reality or any corporate entity…
Aleksandar Trazoff says:
Old Man,
I agree there may be some project managers out on the streets.
In my book, the jury is still out on whether Gen Y project managers are worse or better. I have seen both examples in action. Interestingly, at least in my experience, the more successful PMs use a mix between “command and control” and new styles.
Social behavior changes with each new generation. I believe we have not seen yet everything that is in store from us from Gen Y.
And on the last comment – I do understand this is not indicative of most corporate realities. However, I predict these things will happen before the year is out.
What do you think?
Old Man says:
I think that this year will probably be the worse of the years of this recession, simply by looking at the corporate bond rates, etc. They show bankruptcies ahead, based on many good economists thoughts based on historical precidence.
Probably, in the end, a good PM is good whether they are young or old, based on similar factors, which we all are probably familiar with. Leadership and organizational skills top the list in my mind. A soft leader can be effective as a hard leader. GenY is used to soft leadership. But the lack of solid writing skills I see in many younger project folks, along with a tendency to do vastly more on IM and quick emails, rather than the harder background work of organizing is what sets off yellow alerts.
Certainly social behavior changes, but it’s just trapping on the basics.
One thing I’ve seen over the years, predictions on change are usually assumed to happen much faster than they really do. I still think back of all the wild predictions that Bill Gates used to make in the 90s about what this decade would look like. I think he forgot about the installed base. Pretty hard to get that sunk cost of learning and usefulness out of the way. He had it pretty easy, coming into the greenfield of IT with only some CPM machines and a bit of Apple in the 70s and 80s. My guess is you are right, but it will take at least two to five years. Best of luck staying afloat in the storm!
PS.Interesting chat on Charlie Rose last night with Andrew McAffee and Leo Apotheker (of SAP). McAffee said his biggest change coming is seeing the tension between the traditional “Operational IT” people and the new GenY and Cloud People who do their mash ups and don’t really think in traditional process points of view. Sort of goes along with my thoughts, but done a bit more politely. (G). See it if you can, as Charlie still doesn’t get podcasting…he’s a very typical “old school” interveiwer. I usually don’t even watch him because he never throws hardballs at his guests, even when they deserve them. Mr. Polite. Like listening to usually boring dinner conversation. I don’t want shouting, but jeez Charlie, why can’t you ask a hard question once in a while?
Aleksandar Trazoff says:
Well said – “Probably, in the end, a good PM is good whether they are young or old, based on similar factors, which we all are probably familiar with. Leadership and organizational skills top the list in my mind. A soft leader can be effective as a hard leader. GenY is used to soft leadership. But the lack of solid writing skills I see in many younger project folks, along with a tendency to do vastly more on IM and quick emails, rather than the harder background work of organizing is what sets off yellow alerts.”
I strongly agree on the part of writing skills and soft leadership skills. I also think these will become stronger with time and with opportunities to grow. Right now, I constantly look for opportunities where I can provide growth space for my best staff. Two of the areas are specificially leadership space and writing skills.
Thanks for the Charlie Rose tip. I read the interview transcript just now. Charlie basically “helps” them get their message across, rather than being a tough, open minded journalist.
Young Man says:
As a Generation Y’er (I know… it sounds strange) I will be the first to acknowledge that I have difficulty keeping my attention focused on one thing at a time.
I have two computers on my desk at work, and if I could have three, I would…
I work in a section of the company that is promoting Communities of Practice (CoPs), and that has already saved a lot of money as a result.
This is not always the case, however, and CoPs don’t just bring advantages. They have their dark sides too, and there is a lot of resistence, and for good reason.
An important factor of management, as suggested in the previous comments, is leadership.
Bottom-up collaboration requires less command and control, however, and thus presents an enormous challenge to the thinking of many managers who still associate the word “lead”, with “control”.
What we need to do with the Y’ers, and the millenials, is learn how to guide, to trust, and to motivate.
Communities of Practice, if well designed, are usually self controlling and automatically avoid the above mentioned problems by finding synergy between all generations strengths…
Fletcher Hostetter says:
Hi, good post. I have been pondering this issue,so thanks for sharing. I will certainly be subscribing to your blog.