Do you remember when businesses found it hard to believe that someday every employee would perform their work using a desk-top computer and that the computer would change the way their work was performed?  Well, it didn’t happen overnight, but we can certainly see the impact of that revolution. Now we’re moving from the Age of Technology to the Age of Information.  Is your business ready to move forward and take the next step?

It’s critical for business to stay current with today’s quickly changing technology. Productivity, communications, methods of meeting and training, ability to compete, and profitability can all be improved by the speed and resources available on the Internet. Imagine the value of accessing professionals around the world as your personal sounding board or learning center. Consider the marketing capabilities to an audience of millions of consumers already utilizing this technology. The Internet has capabilities to help your business succeed that you can’t get elsewhere.

The Internet has impacted the image of business with its employees, prospective employees, customers, competitors and stockholders. It has dramatically changed the way employees are recruited and hired. It has changed the way information is stored, as well as the way research is conducted. The potential to reach new segments of the market has been greatly expanded. Shopping on-line is occurring in ways we never dreamed of. The progress of a package sent by courier can be tracked on-line as it makes its way around the world. A conversation with someone halfway around the world can help solve a business problem. Because of redefined work processes, expenses can be reduced.

As a result of the millions of individuals and businesses traveling on this highway, many new issues are surfacing for business leaders to debate and address.

• How will employee attitudes change from the ability to communicate instantaneously?
• What impact will the ability to work from any location have on policies, practices and management tyles?
• How will employees whose work address is an e-mail box be guided?
• What actions should be taken to ensure some level of personal contact with the worker of the future?

As business and technology continue to partner on this information highway, business leaders must stay educated about the Internet’s capabilities in order to apply the technology efficiently and with innovation. The limits of this technology are set by our own limitations of understanding how to use it. You and your organization will benefit in the long run.

© Debbie King, Evolution Management, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.